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"..even a casual bowler can see that Symes, director Bryn Boice, and scenic designer James J. Fenton have gotten the atmospherics right. Fenton’s set is a spot-on simulacrum of a stuck-in-the-1950s bowling alley, from the jukebox in the corner to the overhead “Bowl-Mor’’ sign with the “M’’ dangling upside-down to the row of multicolored bowling balls lined up on a rack." – BOSTON GLOBE by Dan Aucoin
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“Audience members are immediately thrust into a sense of place with James J. Fenton’s incredible set, the interior of Bowl-Mor, a suburban bowling alley complete with a broken sign (the “M” dangles, upside down) and handwritten “CASH ONLY” sign on the cash register. So ingenious is its construction that the actresses – wait for it – actually bowl during the course of the 90-minute piece, no easy feat.” THE THEATER MIRROR, by Michele Markarian
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“The soon-to-be-razed bowling alley of the title is authentically rendered by scenic designer James J. Fenton, and definitely one of the top three reasons to recommend the production.” BROADWAY WORLD, Nancy Grossman
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“Before the play even starts, the audience is immediately captivated with scenic designer James Fenton’s mesmerizing set that puts the audience in the world of the play. However, the set more than just appears to be a retro bowling alley. It actually is! It is clear that the actors are going to bowl, but there is still the apprehension from the audience of exactly how a functioning bowling lane is going to be executed onstage. Even so, the actors bowl down the aisle and seconds later that ball reappears, rolling on the ramp back to the start of the lane, eliciting an initial “oh” and “ah” from the audience. If anything, the set and its ability to act as a true bowling alley for the actors to engage with is a spectacle within itself.” WICKED LOCAL, by Jackie Chiansa
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“The first way audiences encounter the significance of bowling in this production is with scenic designer, James J. Fenton’s, incredible set. The 1950’s-themed bowling alley is created as the perfect contradiction: from the audience it feels both expansive and intimate, run-down and yet clearly once well-maintained, slightly tacky and yet overwhelmingly charming. Yet with elements like a light-up jukebox, newspaper-covered windows, and a broken “Bowl-Mor Lanes” sign hanging overhead, this set also creates the perfect backdrop to this story of passing time and the changes that inevitably come with it.” ON STAGE BLOG, by Ashley Di Franza