"The strengths of Smith's theatre collection are numerous and exhilarating. His characters are original and surprising, often vexing and exasperating, but they each have their piece to contribute. Smith's dramas are persuasive without being didactic, and without suggesting simple conclusions. They are eloquent and poignant, but with a punch. Something like Carson McCullers without the malaise, or Spike Lee without the chatter. These are smart, profoundly felt, demanding scripts that refuse to pander to our expectations. The Gospel According to James and Other Plays belongs on the shelf of anyone with a sincere love for relevant, powerful theatre."--ForeWord Reviews
"History serves (Smith), and he serves history; such reciprocity grounds his narratives, gives it real stakes, and adds the gravitas of the broad sweep of our complex and often troubled American heritage. In return, Smith gives the history profoundly human meaning and an active purpose in contemporary life."--Rain Taxi
"In one blistering scene after another--with dialogue that is alternately highly poetic, down-and-dirty, eerily disturbing and fiercely authoritarian--Smith exposes the lies and the blazing truths that animate his characters."--
"A plot twist of his own that darkens even Twain's dark humor."--Bruce Weber, New York Times, on Pudd'nhead Wilson