Lascivious Something.

Rob Campbell and Dana Eskelson in “Lascivious Something” at The Women’s Project. (Carol Rosegg)

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“Passion, the loin-driven kind, powers Sheila Callaghan’s Lascivious Something… [there is] something wild held uneasily in check… desire, violence, myth, and poetry always lurk just underneath.” -The Village Voice

Lascivious Something “produces its own special shocks… [with] a creepily otherworldly and oversexed air… profoundly disturbing, totally unreal and… meaningful… ” Time Out New York

“Playwright Sheila Callaghan has scripted some passionate duplicate scenarios in [Lascivious Something]… [it] is definitely worth spending an undeniably tense evening with [this play], right through an unexpected twist at the end.”-Huffington Post

“It’s possible to get a little tipsy from Sheila Callaghan’s heady language in Lascivious Something, … an intoxicating investigation into failed love and dashed activist aspirations [that] proves to be a charismatic blend of arrogance, wistful dissipation, and sensuality… ” -Backstage

“In the hands of most playwrights, Lascivious Somethingwould be a straightforward, tightly constructed three-character piece about a marriage fractured by the return of an old flame… But Sheila Callaghan isn’t most playwrights–she has a much more intricate theatrical imagination, beautifully channeled here… it’s a rich, complicated, thought-provoking piece of writing… one that I’m still thinking about… Lascivious Something effectively mines the “what-ifs” and the dark currents inside the stories we tell ourselves, and the choices we make.” -NYtheatre.com

Lascivious Something is “a poetically stunning, emotionally satisfying, and deeply physical play… grounded in an intense need… it is [Sheila Callaghan’s] richest, most powerful play yet… and with heavy doses of comedy… enchanting the audience with the coupling of romantic language and bullish frankness… [the play is] present, hopeful, alive, and crackling under the audience’s skin… there are moments so charged with feeling… that it’s as if our breath has been stolen… ” -That Sounds Cool Blog

“[Lascivious Something] is amazing, an awkward love parallelogram… subtle and challenging… this is a beautiful production… [my wife and I] are still talking about it.” -Mark D. Ransom, Blogger

“Sheila Callaghan rewrites Greek tragedy for 21st century America: failed idealism, economic collapse, sexual confusion reign… [with] erotic tension from the robust chemistry… this is the kinkiest show of the season. The conversations are ripe and juicy… Pleasure’s the wrong word for such a strong show. Lascivious Something sucks the breath from your lungs with its depth, complexity, and weight.” -New York City Metromix

“Callaghan, whose previous work might be described as post-feminist punk incursions into the poetic turf of early Sam Shepard, here employs a more linear narrative line to push her personal-is-political agenda… But the real fireworks are in the two women’s predatory tug o’ war that plays like a Western showdown.” -LA Weekly

“Sheila Callaghan has created a great premise and fascinating characters, her writing intertwining wine and blood and sex as painful but necessary life forces… real fireworks… incisive language.” -Backstage (critic’s pick)

“Sheila Callaghan’s Lascivious Something, presented by Circle X, achieves its mythic ambitions to a surprising degree… It’s as if the beating sun and all the booze consumed were making our heads spin as well as the characters.” -Variety

“Callaghan has a keen sense of language as an act of aggression… compelling.” -LA Times

“Sheila Callaghan shares all the characteristics of the Irish writers we view with shuddering awe: Conor Macpherson, Martin McDonagh, Martina Carr. Vivid language, panting eroticism, and a quarrelsome sense of the universe.” -Curtain Up

Lascivious Something exudes a haunting exoticism bordering on the magical.” -LAist

“Sheila Callaghan’s sensually provocative new play, like a fine wine must be inhaled, swished about upon reflection and savored slowly to enjoy all the richness in this full-bodied dramedy…. this is a brave, new work by an exciting writer and a show that should not be missed unless you’re a priggish teetotaler or have a heart condition.” -eyespyla

Lascivious Something [is] a steamy play full of sexual tension, startling storytelling and elements of Greek tragedy swirling around in the messy mix… Violence and lust play out in a smattering of scenes… [and] in the able hands of Callaghan, the device unearths gloriously raw, primal emotional states.” -My Daily Find

“This sultry, seething, sometimes seedy production is never quite what you would expect… Sometimes dreamlike, often shocking, Lascivious Something is at once both fraught and languorous, its most powerful moments found in the quietest revelations or silent stares.” -The Collective Magazine

“A beautifully tragic play written by Sheila Callaghan, Lascivious Something playfully balances sanity with insanity. As the grape vines tended so lovingly by August, the characters intertwine delicately fiercely fighting for love and freedom.” -socal.com

“What Eugene O’Neill long sought in his many experiments using psychological inner voices to reveal motivation, Callaghan has perfected here…. the collective result reminds us how dependent we may be on the approbation of our loved ones for our psychological well-being. It is both unsettling and cathartic.” -stagehappenings

“[A} remarkably sexy show… a heady, atmospheric, meandering yet intellectually stimulating drama from a writer frequently, and quite aptly, described as a post-feminist poet… a sensual, beautiful, linguistically pleasing Mediterranean air permeates the whole… one moment you’re convinced you’re watching a bunch of self-involved egotists in a pretentious setting and, a few minutes later, you’re wondering what happened to your own glass of wine.” -Chicago Tribune

“Provocative, absorbing and sometimes enthralling, this is theatre you won’t forget… The sexual tension of this love triangle is riveting but the show is much more than soap opera. These are some strange people to spend two hours with, but they’re also extremely intelligent and captivating.” -Center Stage Chicago

“..outsized bad decisions from deeply flawed characters, combined with unknown information make for eye-popping, head-spinning catastrophe… the poetry of Callaghan’s script carries audience members through. It’s truly lovely to listen to. The tragic fireworks at the end will catch you by sad surprise.” -New City Stage

“Sheila Callaghan’s intricately woven drama doesn’t waste any time… so many startling revelations… a cruel, beautiful set of relationships that could come straight out of Aeschylus.” -Chicago Reader

Lascivious Something is something lascivious. Never soap operatic, always engrossing. It is full-bodied with a strong finish. It will have you lusting after a glass of their legendary wine and leave you will a bittersweet aftertaste.” -Chicago Now

“…a night of great performances and a tightly written plot filled with twists and turns…. just the right amount of drama and mystery to suck you in…” -Chicago Theater Beat