Children of a Lesser God

"While Jackson gives a warm-hearted and doubtlessly dedicated performance, Ridloff brings to this production an honesty and ferocity that is refreshing, poignant, and profoundly stirring....Ridloff is a discovery who has blessed this revival with the power to stand as a worthy reincarnation of Medoff's work and who, through expressive, resounding silence delivers a performance among the most exceptional this season." Full Review

"Joshua Jackson has a difficult role as both actor and translator, and he is simply put, wonderful. He makes it all look so easy...Lauren Ridloff is a powerhouse of raw emotion and honesty. She is so incredibly strong and beautiful...The signing is so amazing that when the characters do simple mimes of opening windows and doors, those movements come across as awkward and jarring compared to the complex moves of ASL. Those mimes felt out of place." Full Review

"McGinty and Edmond speak as well as sign their dialogue, bringing into focus how isolated Sarah is...Leon seamlessly fuses conversations taking place at different places to create an exquisite storytelling tableau. The story still is timely decades after the play's debut. 'Children of a Lesser God' makes us sit up and listen." Full Review

"Both characters and actors, are electric together...Succeeds as a romantic play...Jackson gives the character such a noble, caring nature, and Lidloff's sparkling wit helps you understand why the two fall in love; they strengthen each other...I’d like to say that these lovebirds soar over social barriers and labels, but the reason 'Children of A Lesser God' succeeds as a romantic play is because it shows, sometimes, love is not enough." Full Review

"Ridloff is radiant and full of life and energy...Jackson does a great job of juggling the responsibility of portraying James...Requiring him to act in a way that has him reacting to Sarah's dialogue while translating her...Still a profound piece of theater...Leon has created a superb revival that reminds audiences to cast aside their assumptions about people and learn to listen not just with their ears and eyes, but also with their hearts and minds." Full Review

"Though written in the ‘70s, the revival paints an accurate representation of deaf culture today...As a deaf person with a cochlear implant, Sarah’s isolation on stage resonated and left me with a few tears. The play used creative ways to subvert this traditional dynamic of who understood what...For once, my struggles with hearing weren't a hindrance, and I was given the privilege to do exactly what I had always hoped to do in a theater: to sit back...and actually enjoy the show." Full Review

"The strongest argument for seeing this revival is the powerful performance by Ms. Ridloff. It is easy to see why James would be so attracted to her. Mr. Jackson gives a creditable performance in a demanding role, although I would have liked a little more variety...The direction by Kenny Leon is assured, but I wish he had made a few cuts." Full Review

"Beyond the exquisite portrayals of the two complicated characters at its center, there is a great deal more to commend about the smartly reconceptualized revival...Leon has wisely avoided any lingering mustiness clinging to this nearly forty-year-old work by fully embracing the still-evolving changes in the ways we think about relationships...Lauren Ridloff gives a luminous and emotionally explosive performance as Sarah." Full Review

"What makes us more sympathetic to Sarah is James's lack of tact. Although he is filled with love and compassion, he simply cannot put himself in the shoes of the woman he so desperately wants to help...Jackson does yeoman's work delivering his lines and translating Sarah's sign language...As a result much of his performance seems more informative than emotional...It is Ridloff's luminescent performance that carries this production triumphantly to the finish line." Full Review

"It still holds up very well...A moving and revealing insight into the world of the deaf...The supremely expressive Ridloff is able to convey a wealth of emotion in a performance that is full of passion and frustration while avoiding vulnerability and therefore sentimentality....Jackson's performance is dexterous and impressive...The production additionally makes unprecedented steps towards inclusivity...Leon's absorbing production is only undermined by an ugly abstract set." Full Review

"Medoff's play presents a love story between Sarah, a young woman deaf from birth, and her speaking teacher James...But more than that, the play takes on the conflict between the deaf who would prefer not being forced to accommodate to a hearing world...Although not a perfect production, it has an aura of sweetness and a gentle tension that smacks of a slightly different time. And performances, under Leon's direction, are uniformly excellent. Well worth seeing." Full Review

"The world is a much different place than it was when the 1980 Tony-winning play first brought much needed attention to the complicated issues facing the hearing-impaired...But the drama's impact remains as it unfolds...Ridloff plays Sarah with a don't-mess-with-me vengeance, careful to not let vulnerabilities sneak through...Jackson is solid as James, speaking his own lines and interpreting for Sarah." Full Review

"Still a riveting show despite being slightly dated...What makes the story so engrossing is the manner in which James and Sarah interact...Mr. Jackson and Ms. Ridloff give outstanding performances...The supporting cast members are all first rate...Kenny Leon’s scattershot direction is often cumbersome...Mr. Leon could have improved the pacing of the material and brought more focus to the ending." Full Review

"Lives on now mostly as a well-constructed if somewhat dated relationship drama and as a showcase for its two primary, argument-siding characters...Sarah's stance, hardly the revelation it once was, becomes clear at the play’s emotional peak...It is entirely to the credit of Ridloff's powerhouse performance that the moment still hits as hard as it does...Jackson’s performance can seem broad, pitched too big, but the exaggeration makes as James' importance as translator comes into focus." Full Review

"Urges its audience to '#StartListening', but struggles at times to relay a clear message of its own...Jackson's performance loosens as it goes and is especially noteworthy in the second act. Ridloff, however, is downright powerful from the moment she signs her first sentence...'Children of a Lesser God' hopes theatergoers will go home and give some deeper thought to the way they communicate...but the most lasting impression of the show is its two standout performances instead." Full Review

"Brings new life to a story that takes place in a cloistered environment yet has universal appeal...Ridloff’s passionate performance transcends spoken language. The weakness of the play may be the secondary characters who sometimes feel like superficial foils created to provide friction...The complex issues between the hearing and non-hearing world still exist and, as this revival vividly conveys, the need to be heard in one’s own voice remains powerful and relevant." Full Review

"A knockout professional debut performance by Ridloff...A lovely performance by Jackson...Leon’s direction seems random...The play falters badly in its second act...Eventually you realize that Mr. Medoff simply did not have the wherewithal to dramatize the fundamental conflict any further because James is his hero but Sarah is right. The play, written when it was, can’t quite support that — not because of its deaf politics, but because of its sexual politics." Full Review

"Jackson definitely has the stage debut of the year, and Ridloff isn't far behind him. She makes the Sarah Norman character accessible if not understandable...making the play palatable in 2018. That’s because what seemed earthshaking in 1982 seems passe in 2018...The issues involved have changed. It’s hard to work up enthusiasm now for Sarah’s outrage and lawsuit. But credit the actors for keeping the debate alive." Full Review

"The pedigree of this story promised some acting fireworks...When the play centers its focus on the core relationship, 'Children of a Lesser God' is at its best...Chemistry between these two central characters is critical here and both actors deliver on that promise...However, I did not really get engaged so by the end, all of this fell a little flat for me. A very good clinical and analytical study with some great acting roles but not exceptional enough to be considered a top-tier play." Full Review

"There are two intense scenes...Both are performed with instinctive brilliance by acting rookie Ridloff, Broadway's most accessible show ever for the hearing-impaired is at times inaccessible or awkward for the hearing - which is maybe the most thematically resonant technical flaw ever to afflict a play...Leon’s direction leans into the play’s age as well as its loose plotting...Logistical concerns vanish in the play's best moments." Full Review

"Feels amiss despite the two outstanding leads...Too much weight is shouldered by the two which burdens the storytelling...The shortcomings with the play stem from a riddled script, flimsy sets and flawed audio. Too much of the dialogue gets lost in translation. However, the prescient messaging of the play resounds clearly. The multi-racial cast echoes the struggle to feel empathy versus pity and proffering help without browbeating." Full Review

"Exciting performances infuse Medoff's musty script with new vitality...Between excellent acting and mediocre design, the former wins out, but just barely. I'm still not convinced that ‘Children of a Lesser God’ is durable enough to remain in the theatrical repertory: Medoff's language is too clunky and his drama too contrived. Still, that shouldn't prevent us from connecting with these very human performances for a fleeting moment." Full Review

"Stunning Broadway debut of Ridloff...Feels dated...As respectful as 'Children of a Lesser God' is towards the deaf point of view - James is shown as well-meaning but ignorant - the play is still presented entirely from his perspective...Jackson is a charming actor, but his halting efforts to use two languages at the same time feels awkward, and turns tedious...Near the end of the play, Ridloff insists on 'speaking' for herself, it is stirring. If only the play didn't seem to undermine her e... Full Review

"Ridloff, who communicates superbly on myriad levels is making a most distinguished Broadway debut in a role she has made entirely her own...While it remains easy to understand the how and the why of this play meaning so very much to so many people, it no longer is so easy to pull for the success of their relationship as you sit in the theater. And, frankly, that messes with the dynamic of the whole affair...These issues are exacerbated by a strange and chilly aesthetic structure." Full Review

"The interactions between the characters are palpably torturous...Ridloff turns in an impassioned award-worthy performance...Supertitles in the theater contain a transcription of his spoken words, but not of her signing, until he reiterates it...As a result, there is a bit of an emotional disconnect and lack of chemistry between the two actors, and timing that often feels a beat behind...While 'Children of a Lesser God' has in some ways become a period piece, it’s one that is still important." Full Review