After Ashley (Play) Book

THE STORY: AFTER ASHLEY is a blisteringly funny and deeply affecting story about a teenage boy navigating the joys and terrors of life - all through the distorting prism of a media firestorm. When a family tragedy deals the Hammond family a dose of dubious celebrity, Justin finds himself paralyzed, unable to fully grieve or grow up. The only bright spot is a girl, only Justin can't decide if she's a saving angel or a self-interested groupie. In a world as weird as this one, she might just be both. Shrewd, dark comedy‚¬¦absorbing and wholly unpredictable‚¬¦AFTER ASHLEY is a work that virtually any audience would find accessible. - NY Times. Sick, ugly, and brilliantly funny‚¬¦and wise. In Gionfriddo's plays, as in all great plays, no one is wrong, everyone is right. - Brooklyn Rail. Write down the name Gina Gionfriddo. Deft characterization, caustic humor, and well-deployed nips at the American slack moral conscience make AFTER ASHLEY, Ms. Gionfriddo's acidic puree of modern culture at The Vineyard, one of the necessary shows to see this year‚¬¦a play for the decade. - NY Sun. ‚¬¦[a] smart, satirical drama‚¬¦the play's razor-sharp observations, biting humor, droll dialogue and erudite pop-culture literacy provide much to appreciate and enjoy. - Variety. ‚¬¦a play that makes you ravenous for more‚¬¦captivatingly assured, the work of a writer with a keen ear for the language of pop culture and a lacerating ability to con-vey the emotions roiling underneath words‚¬¦ - The Miami Herald. ‚¬¦everything works‚¬¦compelling drama about loss, grief and morality in the media spotlight is richly embroidered with comedy. - Sun-Sentinel.