←Recommendations of Attachment Theory

Darrin Friedman writes smart ensemble pieces that get to the heart of relationships and the secrets that shape and potentially break them. ATTACHMENT THEORY is a master class. The structure, with brief lectures on attachment theory introducing scenes, sheds light on what makes these characters tick, but the choices they make are not predictable. Four unique, strong female characters that you won’t soon forget. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot about this play.

Friedman has theatrically animated a psychological framework in this woman-centered play so that, rather than being academic and clinical, Attachment Theory is an engaging story. The premise is a great starting point, but it’s the distinctly drawn principal characters that give this play vitality. Jackie and Jasmine are especially compelling characters and breathe life and humor and insight into the story, but the ensemble works so well together and gives Attachment Theory a beating heart.

This well crafted play explores the secrets hidden deep within our grief, and the lengths one may go to in order to maintain what is perceived to be the paradigm of perfection. Darrin brings women to the forefront in a deeply honest manner, and clearly expresses complicated relationship as it pertains to its title "Attachment Theory." It is the kind of play that will have you asking yourself important questions after you have read it.

This is the kind of play that stays with you. It asks what it really means to know and trust the ones we love most. “I’m not burying myself in theories and research to avoid my feelings, I’m burying myself in him.” As someone who has lost a parent, this hits on the truth about grief, and how love, memory, and even pain can transform us. This play doesn’t shy away from the raw, messy parts of family or the complicated ways we hold on, and that honesty is what makes it so powerful.

Strong female characters fill this play with heartbreak and resilience. Sisterhood in many forms, and the way they lift each other up as well as stress each other out. The theme of their "attachment theory" is a fascinating framing device that allows us to observe their behavior with perspective through the emotional revelations. And we should all be so lucky to have a wisecracking guide like Jackie in our lives!

"Everything is theory until it happens." In this powerful drama, Darrin Friedman shows us that black-and-white theories of behavioral patterns don't apply when they are confronted with life in living color. The women in this story are the embodiment of reality vs. theory, and the growth from their traumas and how they react to them is as real as it gets. One of the lines, "Behavior makes sense in context," may sound like a platitude, but in real life as seen here, it is a powerful message.