Eleemosynary began a two-week run at the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays on April 29, 1986. Since then it has been successfully produced off Broadway and in other theaters, most notably on the West Coast. Reviews for the play have been mixed, but most have been praiseworthy. Todd Everett, writing in the Los Angeles Times, says it is “a strong, interesting show,” nicely written. In a Time article, William A. Henry III writes that the play is “haunting” and “displays wit and charm.” He claims that it presents an “intriguing narrative” that helps “this complex material [stay] clear.”

Nancy Churnin, in her Los Angeles Times review, considers it “a quiet and thoughtful play that is sometimes funny and sometimes sad.” She finds that “the weakest part of the show may well be the ending” and says that “it trails off more than it stops; the final words...