SABINA

Sex! Madness! Horny psychiatrists! Give back her voice in Ethan McSweeny's handsome revival, [Sabina Spielrein] makes an eloquent case for herself…McSweeny milks the pre-coital buildup in the first act [and] Ireland and Slezak go for the psychosexual gold when Sabina initiates Jung into her seductive theories of the death instinct…Marilyn Stasio, Variety

ENGROSSING! Ethan McSweeny's production…provides a provocative window into the much-studied relationship between Freud and Jung….The Conflict between scientific and human necessities expressed in the play is echoed in the contrast between the lush red-velvet curtains that define the playing area and the gray metal beams and girders that loom above them.Charles Isherwood, NY times

McSweeny is a director who knows how to reinforce and further the action with all sorts of inventive touches….McSweeny's creative approach to Holtzman's emotionally charged and often amusing faction and the fine acting make for two hours of lively theater. Elyse Sommers, Curtain Up

You needn't go past the first minute of so of her opening monologue to realize why Marin Ireland, playing the title role in Sabina, has been getting so much press lately as one of New York's most interesting and sought-after actresses…she is all at once childish and womanly, worldly and innocent, sensual and cerebral, plus a few more contradictions I'm sure…I'll leave it to the scholars and historians to say how much of Holtzman's story is fact, but even if events and relationships are tweaked a bit for dramatic clarity, the results are an engrossing and lively two hours, exquisitely directed by Ethan McSweeny, that you won't need an advanced degree to appreciate and enjoy.Michael Dale, Broadwayworld.com

SABINA

Willy Holtzman

Primary Stages 2005