The Wildness
Closed 1h 30m
The Wildness
89

The Wildness NYC Reviews and Tickets

89%
(24 Ratings)
Positive
96%
Mixed
4%
Negative
0%
Members say
Enchanting, Original, Quirky, Entertaining, Edgy

About the Show

Ars Nova, in collaboration with The Play Company, presents a new rock fairy tale that explores faith and doubt featuring indie-pop band Sky-Pony.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (24)

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72 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Exquisite, Dizzying, Edgy, Quirky, Riveting

See it if You are adventurous!

Don't see it if You are uncomfortable in crowds.

84 Reviews | 38 Followers
98
Delightful, Absorbing, Dizzying, Edgy, Must see

See it if you love inventive staging, GREAT singing, original musicals. And/or if you feel a little lost in the world...

Don't see it if intimate (slightly environmental) stagings freak you out, or if you don't like rock musicals.

112 Reviews | 36 Followers
95
Absorbing, Original, Enchanting, Refreshing, Relevant

See it if you like indie rock music and intimate, semi-immersive theatre experiences

Don't see it if you're looking for a true musical. It's more like a concert with a plot

62 Reviews | 37 Followers
94
Clever, Enchanting, Original, Quirky, Funny

See it if You enjoy new musicals on the quirkier side

Don't see it if You dislike immersive-esque theatre or modern rock-pop

311 Reviews | 494 Followers
90
Thought-provoking, Resonant, Relevant, Quirky, Enchanting

See it if a whimsical, interactive, thought-provoking rock musical sounds interesting.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy shows with audience participation or intimate, up-close settings.

105 Reviews | 107 Followers
82
Dizzying, Great staging, Punk-rocking, Intimate, Enchanting

See it if you've ever felt like an outsider in search of your community; you like fantasy, intimacy, rocking shows, and want to shed a tear or two.

Don't see it if you like complex, linear narratives, naturalistic settings, and can't abide a little earnestness; you don't like being interacted with.

499 Reviews | 77 Followers
80
Entertaining, Quirky, Refreshing

See it if You like non-traditional theater You want to have fun

Don't see it if You are afraid of knives and blind folds :-) You care if a performance is a play or rock show You like comfy seats removed from the action

111 Reviews | 208 Followers
75
Entertaining, Ambitious, Original, Refreshing, Pregnant belly deserves its own credit

See it if you like audience interaction, breaking of the fourth wall, a modern - slightly hard to follow fairy tale.

Don't see it if you don't want to see a heavily pregnant person, you don't like loud music or need a definitive plot.

Critic Reviews (16)

The New York Times
February 29th, 2016

"A cross between an exorcism and a wake. The show is also as cuddly as a well-worn plush toy. For in facing down the complexities of being grown-up, which include acknowledging the inevitably of death, 'The Wildness' retreats to the sanctuary of childhood...The production has been smoothly and attractively staged, with neatly synchronized choreography...The show’s treacle content is leavened by the sense of genuine pain that courses through the music toward the end."
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Time Out New York
March 1st, 2016

"Jarrow's music is earnest, catchy and a whole lot of fun, and the company sings the hell of out of it—particularly the excellent Cooper. But it's forced to do all the emotional heavy lifting. 'The Wildness' hammers its fairly simplistic themes into the ground, all while delivering a predictable, half-baked story. It walks ground that's been heavily trodden before, and better."
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Theatermania
February 29th, 2016

"'The Wildness' just may be the most delightful cult meeting you'll ever attend...Cooper and Worsham make for a mesmerizing pair of heroes, balancing mature performance with the childlike innocence of a game of dress up...As these kiddie games gradually merge with the adult 'reality' the company so skillfully builds around our heads, the result is a tragic catharsis that will make you yearn for the simplicity of the past, yet communally embrace the confusion of the present."
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Lighting & Sound America
March 1st, 2016

"By the time the actors passed around a bag of Jolly Rancher candies for us to share, I felt I had had quite enough sugar for the evening...The members of the band are aces, and the director, Sam Buntrock, skillfully guides the action up and down the runway...So talented is everyone involved that one has a nagging feeling that they would be better off creating a more adult entertainment. The faux-innocent, mock-spontaneous tone of 'The Wildness' eventually wears out its welcome."
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CurtainUp
February 29th, 2016

"'The Wildness: Sky-Pony's Rock Fairy Tale' is smart, thoughtful, and exceedingly well-executed, and it ought to be on the short list for a lot of awards this season. If you care about live musical theater — and in particular, live musical theater which only New York can deliver — go see this, as soon as you can."
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Theatre is Easy
March 1st, 2016

"'The Wildness' is super fun. And you should go. It’s sexy, smart, and honest. The aesthetic is one part steampunk, one part Rose Art unicorns, one part Atari, and one part Studio 54…All this plays out in the beautiful Ars Nova space on Kris Stone's long runway of a set. Director Sam Buntrock keeps us moving through the show with expert pace and precision…It’s a wonderful theatrical event worth checking out before it ends its limited run."
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Theater Pizzazz
March 4th, 2016

"The musical takes many twists and turns, shifts its tone on a dime, and delights with unexpected and whimsical meta-theatrics and rituals intended to build community amongst audience and performers...Much credit goes to the director, Sam Buntrock...While some might find the whimsy and emotions of 'The Wildness' a bit overblown, there is much to like in this production and many reasons to hope it’s just the beginning for a show that contains as much heart as it does invention."
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Exeunt Magazine
March 2nd, 2016

"The music is energetic, high-spirited, and clever, if not incredibly memorable; the most interesting songs to me were the two that were quieter and weirder…But the vocal arrangements are terrific…There’s nothing particularly new here, but it still feels fresh and has plenty of charm; its blend of kitsch, camp, genuine emotion, high spirits and sincerity somehow works, perhaps better than it should."
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