Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...Sue Jin Song�s Ginny is every bit as arrogant as Brian, though there appear to be more shades in Diamond�s portrait than Song plumbs. Song�s wrath is formidable, though, during one of the play�s most explosive scenes, with Ginny unleashing a nasty bit of role-play on Brian as they stumble in and out of bed. The sudden blitz of projections in Jared Mezzocchi�s design drives home the mash-up in Brian�s head, but the visual barrage also crosses the line from mind-blowing to headache-inducing."
MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended
"...Thoroughly over-egging the batter, Lydia R. Diamond's Smart People is too much of a good thing. If the premise - the throwing of a highly-educated mix of races and genders into one another's romantic paths - has potential, the execution does not. Written as a series of vignettes building to a contrived PC pseudo-crisis (at least for the two males), the play is an inch deep and a mile wide. Put simply, these characters don't interact, they merely trigger one another into endless spirals of heavy-handed socio-gender-racial self-analysis and accusation. If there is the odd subtle moment in which perceptions are interestingly addressed, there are far more in which the messaging is scrawled in primary colors (pun fully intended)."
BroadwayWorld - Recommended
"...Thought-provoking enough, and sure to spark discussion, SMART PEOPLE's strong suit is its solid actors, who breathe reality and humanity into this set of four intellectuals. This country's pressing racial issues are ongoing, and the play offers a valid voice in a vital, ongoing conversation."
Talkin Broadway - Somewhat Recommended
"...Is judging people by appearance a learned behavior or hard-wired in the brain, and why is it so difficult for people to look beyond their external characteristics and communicate with each other? Playwright Lydia R. Diamond takes on these issues in Smart People, the nervy but talky comedy now at Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater."
DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"...For a thoroughly entertaining, hilarious evening of theatre where �smart� people end up making a complete mess of their lives, see Smart People."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...Seema Sueko, Arena's deputy artistic director, directed "Smart People" with cleverness. It is fast-paced and compelling. She took Lydia R. Diamond's script, which is already thought provoking, and elevated it. The audience left talking, which was most certainly the goal."
DCTheatreScene - Recommended
"...Smart People is a step in the right direction in piercing through the comfortable veneer of polite conversation to get serious talk flowing, even uncomfortable ones. It's not strong enough to break down any walls yet, but it shows how we still need each other to keep pushing forward together."
