1984 (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (628)
See it if You want a thought-provoking evening with amazing acting and absolutely beautiful set and lighting design.
Don't see it if You're easily squeamish or find the subject matter upsetting.
See it if you want to witness big-brother in action.
Don't see it if you want mindless entertainment.
See it if you like important, relevant theater
Don't see it if you squeamish about implied violence/torture. This is not a family show.
See it if Incredible concept about our modern world.
Don't see it if This will make you think. You'll leave the Theatre with questions. And that's what theatre's about. Starting a conversation.
See it if you’re open to feeling emotions that aren’t usually elicited in the theater; you know what theatre of cruelty* is
Don't see it if you’re impatient; you see one show a year with your family and don’t want it full of tedium, confusing characterization, dread, & terror Read more
See it if You want to experience a play that is thrilling, relevant & intense. Tom Sturridge is fearless. Olivia Wilde is captivating. Cast is superb.
Don't see it if You're not up to graphic violence, loud sounds & intense light visuals. This story is physically upsetting. This play eerily reflects today.
See it if You like relevant & thought provoking drama, great acting, a challenging experience in the theatre
Don't see it if You want a light & carefree theatre experience, are squeamish
See it if Great thriller!! If you like to sit at the edge of your seats!! Great acting!
Don't see it if No kids at all!! Gory and scary at times and maybe a little confusing
Critic Reviews (54)
"The new Broadway version of Orwell's '1984' demonstrates that the story is still relevant to our time even after 68 years, when the line between truth and lies is being blurred every day. However, by attempting to update the story and moving it into the future with a great deal of modern technology, the production dilutes the power of the original feeling of resignation and claustrophobia."
Read more
“My main reaction is disappointment…Sturridge and Birney are riveting…There's also no denying that the stagecraft is impressive. Unfortunately, the stagecraft is so overpowering that it diminishes the human elements that would truly stir us emotionally and rouse our sense of outrage…It's all too over-the-top to feel real and thus respond to emotionally…Overcooked as the stagecraft is, it does make for an often dynamic, punchy 101 minutes.”
Read more
"This 100-minute ordeal will hold you in its steely grip from the moment you enter the auditorium...Icke’s skilled design team succeeds brilliantly in creating this terrifying world...But this design team does its job too successfully...Ultimately, we see Winston trapped in the most horrific, graphic torture scene I’ve ever seen onstage...You’ll leave shaken, deeply disturbed–and wondering how these prescient collaborators could have foreseen its painful relevance to what’s happening today."
Read more
"There are moments in the play '1984' where you will be fascinated—in horrified awe of the brilliance of George Orwell’s prescient vision of the future...There are moments where you will be frustrated, because the show takes on an absurdist tone from time to time and repeated dialogue and scenes seem to be like a needle skipping on a record. But overall, to not see '1984' is thoughtcrime. So important is the philosophy. So relevant is the message."
Read more
“With a strong new cast, this multi-media driven project tests both the audience’s tolerance for violence and knowledge of the original text…While we may be accustomed to such violence every day on the news, the graphic approach used here is gratuitously shocking…This is a ‘1984’ that encapsulates why we still read this novel and why we should still speak truth to power.”
Read more
“The members of the cast of ‘1984’ deliver soul-splitting performances that appear to defy the limitations of their craft. They deftly maintain the fragile suspension of disbelief while escorting the audience through a cavern of metacognition and catharsis…The compression of time heightens the urgency of Orwell’s warning and exacerbates the need for action...‘1984’ continues to raise...rich and enduring questions.”
Read more
"Certainly an intense and disorienting experience, with a fine cast...Fans of the horror movie genre might find more to appreciate here than theatergoers who have come expecting some special intellectual, emotional or contemporary political illumination...The disorientation that is threaded throughout the production is too often indistinguishable from confusion...It’s almost as if '1984' the play is reflecting the values of the society it depicts–sensation over clarity, screens over thought."
Read more
“Icke and Macmillan compress Orwell's book into 101 briskly paced minutes…Their script and staging…choose to embody the material expressionistically; theatrical devices…tend to dehumanize the characters and situations. This interferes with our ability to empathize with Winston's dilemma, which increasingly seems more metaphorical than real…Reed Birney steals the play with his accustomed nice guy, rational demeanor as he carries out his horrendous duties in the name of the party.”
Read more