Blackbird NYC Reviews and Tickets

"It's a testament to the deep power of 'Blackbird' that, even with a miscalculated performance, the revival is extremely compelling...Vividly directed by Joe Mantello, [it] succeeds in dramatizing the characters' seesaw balance of emotions...Daniels is very effective, conveying with complete naturalness an insoluble puzzle of a man...Unfortunately, his performance isn't matched by Williams'...'Blackbird' is still a powerful theater event. I just wish this production were better."
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"Jeff Daniels invests the role with tormented charisma. Michelle Williams struggles at first to inject variety into Harrower’s staccato dialogue, but ultimately delivers a performance of raw physical intensity...'Blackbird' concludes with a twist that feels like a myxomatosis-ridden rabbit being yanked from a hat. The play is strong enough to withstand this gratuitous trick ending but it adds an artificial and manipulative touch to an otherwise subtle and patient psychological study."
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“'Blackbird' operates in shades of gray...Williams is venomous, fragile and, finally, stripped bare...Harrower isn’t saying what happened is justifiable, but he is arguing it was complicated...Joe Mantello’s direction is as taut as in 'The Humans'...I’m genuinely surprised a piece of this intense nature has made it to Broadway. 'Blackbird' is a small gem, here in the hands of two gifted actors."
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"The overwrought nature of this production makes it difficult to feel empathy for Ray and Una. Even the litter which overflows onto to the floor of Scott Pask’s otherwise sterile-looking set, seems overdone, even though we suspect it’s a metaphor for the messiness of their lives...'Blackbird' may well prove riveting for many in the audience. For others, it may simply be an uncomfortable night at the theater, observing two very talented actors tear away at both themselves as well as each other."
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"Joe Mantello has delivered a top-notch revival...Williams effectively comes off haunted and shattered, going to dark places in a sensational performance, especially in her climactic monologue, and Daniels is expectedly good as the offender who never expected this situation to come back in his face, let alone with this agenda. Throughout, I didn’t hear one cell phone ring—or even a cough—a testament to 'Blackbird’s' power."
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"The play itself isn't quite such an unqualified success...'Blackbird' is an unrelenting, unapologetically grim vision...Then again, most folks lining up for 'Blackbird' will be doing so for its stars, and they both deliver...At times halting, and at other times speaking in a violent rush, using her lithe body to alternately intimidate and tantalize Daniels' Ray, [Williams] never loses her grip on a character who's entirely out of control. It's a performance for the ages."
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"Harrowing and uncompromising...Under Joe Mantello’s fast-paced direction, Daniels and Williams are on a violent collision course that explodes in a shocking conclusion. Ultimately, we’re left with an unanswerable question: Why do we relive past traumas, when they can never be exorcised?"
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"Director Joe Mantello keeps the show uncomfortable. The power dynamic between Una and Ray constantly shifts, as they stalk through the small conference room like caged animals, their claws bared. These are two people who can only be understood by each other — their relationship is complex and sometimes horrifying. But Williams and Daniels help us believe that these two distressed individuals are real and that we should care about both of them."
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