Recent Reviews

Italian American Reconciliation
by John Patrick Shanley
​directed by Austin Pendleton

2025 The Flea, NYC

"If Shanley’s text is a tightrope walk of tone, then Linda Manning’s Janice is its windstorm. The role demands danger—real danger—and Manning meets the challenge head-on, crafting a woman whose volatility is almost magnetic. She exudes both heat and menace, yet somehow manages to elicit compassion in spite of (or perhaps because of) the character’s ferocious brokenness."
theaterscene.net

"And as Janice, Linda Manning captures both the danger and magnetism of a woman who terrifies everyone, delivering a performance that’s equal parts fury, wit, and wounded pride."
​offoffline.com

"The cast is rounded out beautifully by Linda Manning, who gave Janice an edge and gravitas that kept us wondering what she would say next."
Theatre Beyond Broadway

"When McCollum, Farrior, and Manning share the stage, the show crackles with electricity. Their connection — fractured, funny, and full of longing — is where the piece truly finds its heartbeat."
Times Square Chronicles

Perfect Love
by Linda Manning
​directed by Gretchen Cryer

2022 Produced at the Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC
2019 Presented by Dixon Place and the Poor Mouth Theatre Co.
​2018 United Solo Festival NYC

"Linda Manning proves mighty onstage in Perfect Love....   A 70s something female was seeking a type of perfection, beyond the feminine mystique where a young woman could hope not to be devalued or ignored or thrown away.  Linda Manning wants to interrogate this type of perfection.  She repeats sequence by sequence, slowly developing consciousness beyond an unsightly room.  The truth of her teens is nothing like a beautiful confusion.  Yet, her desire to find form and create beauty is constantly present.  Alone on stage, shedding light on passages of time that had been obscured, the solo artist finds dimension in a previously empty space." TheaterPizzazz.com

"Nothing is off limits here as she explores love, lust, desire, betrayal, and brutality. She relishes in the telling of her tale. Her words are courageous and her performance is revelatory and joyous to watch. She seeks and we gladly follow through both the good and the bad until she eventually discovers that what she’s endured has forged her into the exceptional woman and artist she’s become."
​Edward Medina, TheatreReview.NYC

"We live in a time when women STILL cannot speak many truths without being morally, personally, socially bludgeoned, but if you are seeking inspiration to not only “speak” the truth, but “live” the truth … You MUST see this show."  WIN - Writers Innovative Network