"This is a sweet, sad vignette about two lonely boys growing up in an orphanage, one of whom dreams about being a painter. There is a gentle poetic quality in the writing and the imagery."
Mel Gussow, The New York Times
"Painted Rain is full of spunky charm and rueful humor. If you love to see the triumph of the human spirit, then this is a play not to be missed."
Marion Larson, The Courier (Aberdeen, NJ)
"Rain is [an] engaging look at relationships... Painted Rain has more humor in it than most, it explores relationships, and provokes our thinking."
The Daily Tidings (Ashland, Oregon)
"Painted Rain is the most interesting and subtly involved work...the themes of alienation and needed companionship are strongly sounded."
Doug Watt, New York Daily News
"A good ear for dialogue and fine-tuned sense of humor keep Allard's theme fresh."
Leo Seligsohn, New York Newsday
"The play, an unpretentious blend of feeling and comedy, is brief and well put together."
Edith Oliver, The New Yorker
"Miss Allard deals sensitively and perceptively with the tensions and mutual affection between two young orphans awaiting adoption. The play's ending is heartfelt."
John Beaufort, The Christian Science Monitor
"'It's a moving play,' said Jack Hofsiss whose production of The Elephant Man won him a Tony. Hofsiss is chairman of the Henry Fonda Young Playwrights Project that selected Allard's play to be presented at the center out of the 150 entries from around the United States... 'Her characters transcend their specific disabilities and delve deeply in the human realm. This is not a play about disabilities, but about friendships, experiences and the commonality of man. It's moving whether it's about someone in a wheelchair or simply two people who need each other...'"
Mary Benanti, The Honolulu Advertiser
"This play, Painted Rain, most touchingly explores the relationship between two young boys in an orphanage...its language rings pure gold, and its modestly conceived characters behave to the life."
Clive Barnes, The New York Post