Perfect Love (solo show)
Directed by Obie, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Gretchen Cryer
Original Music by Jono Hill
  • ​Produced at the Cherry Lane Theatre - May 6-22, 2022
  • Presented by Poor Mouth Theatre Co. - November 2019
  • Presented by Dixon Place - April 2019
  • Official Selection - United Solo Festival in NYC 2018​
"Linda Manning proves mighty onstage in Perfect Love...." 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..” TheatreReview.NYC

"This world is full with brave and honest performances, but not quite like this, It was the sheer force of her work, her truth-telling, her deep dive into the known and not knowing how she might resurface that made us feel all the things we need to feel." Director Maureen Payne-Hahner

​Why does a woman with a loving husband and two kids suddenly find herself unbearably anxious, unable to sleep, and her only comfort an old poster of Robert Redford? 
​
Linda tracks her evolution from a rootless girl to a teenager surrounded by predatory, abusive men, to a reckless woman on the hunt for perfect love with every dangerous man she meets.
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What people are saying about
​Perfect Love:

"I was completely immersed!!"

"Wonderful writing and beautifully performed. When you screamed 'Mom,' I froze!" 

"I loved the shifts between young you, adolescent you, and grown up you." 

"Very powerful. And so honest. Really amazing!"

​"​You knocked me flat and lifted me back up!!!"

"Perfect Love is fabulous. So witty and raw and poignant !"

"Linda’s solo show is courageous, honest, raw, and full of heart."

"This piece was brilliantly conceived and portrayed. honest, insightful, humorous, compelling, poignant, riveting. Every moment was completely real and raw."

"Linda Manning’s Perfect Love is seamlessly told and beautifully performed. The truth laid bare without a single false moment. A triumph of the human spirit and a riveting night of theatre. My only regret is that we didn’t do more shows because we sold out every night and could have sold many more."
Don Creedon - Artistic Director of Poor Mouth Theatre Company

"Manning skillfully performs various stages from her life, embodying uncertainty, amusement, catharsis, and ultimately, strength. Her daring personal journey provides an inspiring and empowering model for anyone seeking to understand how early experiences impact our current behaviors and obsessions."
Mark Hayes - Artistic Associate at Dixon Place
Blog post written for the Dramatists Guild -- January 2020
Why I'm Like This: Developing My Solo Show 
Tell Your Story: Performing, Producing and Promoting my Solo Show -- March 2020