Children of a Lesser God NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (779)
See it if you want to be challenged to think in a new way.
Don't see it if you want pure entertainment and do not want to concentrate.
See it if You can before it closes. Lauren Ridloff is captivating
Don't see it if I don't know. Feel like this show should have had a better chance. Read more
See it if You like great acting and modern classics.
Don't see it if You don't like spare sets and staging. Read more
See it if Great drama
Don't see it if Can't deal with one person speaking two peoples' dialogue
See it if You want to see an amazing Actor and Actress perform flawlessly and are looking for a moving performance.
Don't see it if If you are looking for a large scale production or musical.
See it if You haven't seen or read it. Memory lane trip with Jackson. Ridloff is a revelation.
Don't see it if Zero production values. Lousy set. Only orchestra to avoid distracting super titles parade. Unnecessary unless deaf. Read more
See it if shows about deaf culture interest you. Features a cast of excellent actors communicating verbally and by signing.
Don't see it if you will be too distracted by super-titles (used to translate the ASL dialogue). This is not a musical.
See it if you're interested in deaf culture at all. it's really interesting and
Don't see it if you want to see a big fancy set
Critic Reviews (46)
"Fails to illuminate that quest for connection or compellingly engage us in its telling...Jackson is simply not up to the demands of the part...The performance merely becomes monotonous and wearing. This is a huge drawback in a play that only works if we become totally invested in the two principal characters...Ridloff is a delicate, almost gamine Sarah whose charisma and emotional clarity somewhat compensates for a lack of ferocity."
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"Medoff’s superior command of dramatic writing encompasses two substantial leading roles and several rich supporting parts...Director Leon imposes an odd production design on the presentation that is distracting...Jackson gets through the role with professionalism but with little impact. Others in the cast make up for this void but the vacuum of implausibility looms...The main thing is that it holds up as an affective stage piece but is considerably let down by this problematic production."
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"A mostly mild-mannered staging of a play that begs for more emotional credibility from the two the leads who lack the spark to make us care. What is essentially missing from the two leads despite their earnestness is any discernible chemistry...If Leon's direction of the play and its players is no more than arrestingly tasteful it still doesn't diminish Medoff's theme that the world of sound and the world of silence have the right to be extraordinarily worlds apart."
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"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."
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"Meant to be a memory play but the lighting, sound, design, and direction have not necessarily made that consistently evident. Leon's direction leads the play to come off as messy and confusing...Jackson's tender relationship with Ridloff is the play's saving grace but he cannot overcome the fundamental weakness of James being the central voice of the play...Ridloff is a charismatic and dynamic...No one in this production has made the case for this play in this moment."
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"Does not seem to have the emotional impact as the original...Jackson gives a valid and notable performance...Lacks the impassioned tone that should complement Sarah's expressions when delivering her lines...Ridloff is a joy to watch...Sculpting words with fluid movements...accompanied by miens of anger, joy, passion, and concern...Both actors deftly execute their roles...but lack a certain chemistry...Leon has approached this production from too many angles."
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"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 efforts."
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“Ridloff's…engaging performance is the chief reason to see this less than exciting revival of a play whose aging seams are showing…Jackson, who handles his technical requirements unusually well,…isn't able to make James…likable enough…Moreover, the experience of hearing only his voice saying both James's lines and Sarah's grows thin as the monotony grows thicker…The dramaturgy too often creaks under the weight of exposition, artificially induced crises, or melodramatic circumstances.”
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