Set in a heavenly landscape designed by Sarah Beth Hall, ‘Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea’ begins through the eyes of an anthropomorphic rain cloud….The overall aesthetic is something along the lines of “bubblegum chic,” but there is nothing saccharine about Rorschach’s production. ‘Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea’ tends to dismiss the conventions of a “serious” play, but embraces the delights of the imagination and bittersweet nature of human connections. Strasser’s deceptively complex production is a confectionary delight with a twang of heartbreak. Most importantly, it recognizes the heart and celebrates the creative joy of Izumi’s work. 

MELISSA LIN STURGES / WASHINGTON CITY PAPER

We enter a world lit in pastel pink, blue, and yellow with ginormous cutout clouds and upside-down white umbrellas overhead (Sarah Beth Hall’s cute set predicts the copious amount of rain that will fall as the story unfolds)….As upbeat and playful as is the production — and Gregory Keng Strasser’s ambitious direction misses no chance to inject glittery spectacle or a fast-paced chase — there is no getting around the fact that it only thinly disguises the pain that stabs like a dagger when a heart full of hope and longing is snubbed. As much as ‘Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea’ looks, sounds, and feels like tasty fluffy cotton candy, it’s a cleverly spun confection concealing a shiv.

JOHN STOLTENBERG / DC THEATRE ARTS