Gluten! NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (3)
See it if Satire on modern science
Don't see it if Ridiculous silly
See it if you're into fast-paced wordplay, nice sound design, or if you like to talk about struggles with intimacy.
Don't see it if you're sensitive to strong language.
See it if you wonder about what our future may be like.
Don't see it if you find the term "cunt muffin" offensive.
Critic Reviews (5)
"Those with an allergy to labored satire may want to seek other fare...'Gluten!' hits the same targets over and over, exhaustingly and with little variation. At least 40 minutes pass before any real conflict is introduced...The play’s best scene is probably the last, in which Mr. Kalinski allows the hysteria to fade and the vocabulary to relax. There’s some actual charm here. But what has come before has been so long and airless and self-congratulatory that it doesn’t provide much relief."
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"It all doesn’t amount to much either as a comedy, a drama or a combination. It’s also painfully unfunny. The direction by Kaliski and Amanda Holston efficiently moves the actors around, maintains a steady pace, and achieves a strident tone of performance that fulfills the material. In spite of the overdone script, it is at least watchable…'Gluten!' is a half-baked attempt at the sort of sci-fi societal humor Woody Allen crafted so hilariously in the 1973 film 'Sleeper.'"
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"The plot is not always as compelling as its witty, stylized dialogue, but that’s okay. Laughs abound at the futuristic terms, and the five memorable performances buoy the delightful show...Kaliski’s satire is successful in reminding audiences of what we lose when we protect ourselves from all...He may be preaching to the choir by presenting this to theater folk, but that doesn’t make 'Gluten!' any less effective."
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"Just in case your stomach is saying no, don’t go, be assured that, despite its title, 'Gluten!' is actually gluten-free although it might be even more digestible if there were less of it...There’s some clever, laugh-worthy material here, and the play smartly avoids preaching about any of the issues it raises. In essence, though, it’s an extended Saturday Night Live sketch...Cut forty minutes from its two hours and ten minutes and maybe it would have a chance."
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"It’s actually a mildly amusing dystopian comedy that, although uneven, displays just enough humanity to make it likable...The first half of the play runs the risk of becoming mere sketch comedy as the couple go about their '100% particle-free, 100% IKEA-free' existence...Kaliski’s script is a bit top heavy, with a lot of business early on, and not enough time given to the final scene."
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