Fool For Love NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (174)
See it if you like naturalism and passionate tension between two strong characters. you're willing to be somewhat confused.
Don't see it if you want something fast-paced all the way through, and if a slightly unbelievable plot twist doesn't interest you.
See it if You like feeling a bit uncomfortable at the theatre.
Don't see it if you're looking for something upbeat.
See it if The chemistry is really wonderful between the two stars - it gets a little strange from time to time but I feel like that's this season!
Don't see it if You're not a big avant garde type person.
See it if you like Sam Shepherd and terrific absorbing acting
Don't see it if you are looking for laughs
See it if Like dysfunctional relationships
Don't see it if Dislike the above
See it if Good acting. Good sh er pardon story. Creative set and lighting.
Don't see it if If you dont like a serious drama. If you want a comedy
See it if you love a love story
Don't see it if you want excellent theatre. this show is good but kind of meh haha if you know what i mean.
See it if You enjoy Shepard plays, this is a great play to see!! Great work by the actors! Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell give astounding performances!
Don't see it if You're looking for glitz, glam, special effects, or sex on stage!
Critic Reviews (58)
"The needed sense of claustrophobia and intensity is lost. We have to be 'in' the room with quarreling lovers May and Eddie, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. Here, in Daniel Aukin’s somewhat misguided production we’re merely watching them from a safe distance...The near-Amazonian Arianda simply exhibits too much strength – and not enough vulnerability – thereby lowering the stakes of this battle of the heart."
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"The play seems somewhat diminished in a Broadway theatre...Rockwell’s diverse film roles have long demonstrated his chameleon-like versatility; he captures Eddie’s Marlboro Man machismo with conviction...Arianda’s May is wound up ready to burst open at any minute. With her abundant blonde mane and her lanky frame and skyscraper legs set off by a skintight red minidress she makes an indelible impression."
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"Nothing that ensued changed my ho-hum attitude towards the script...For patrons the effort put into making sense of events may not be worth it. What does go a fair stretch towards rendering the expended efforts rewarding are the performances. It may be that the lure for actors explains the frequent 'Fool for Love' sightings. Indeed, it may be that Shepard's demanding work-out is more entertaining for the performers who get to take on Eddie and May than it is for anyone who gets to watch them."
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"Until its brilliant final 15 minutes, Aukin’s production doesn’t have that magnetic force. Arianda is vital and absorbing, Rockwell is easy in his body and forceful in his affect...But they often seem to be marking time...It isn’t until that final fight and kiss and conflagration that the play faces up to the fervour at its core."
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"This production is a nonstop punch at how souls become dysfunctional through no fault of their own. Drawn like moths to a flame, Eddie and May are stuck in a circular hell that as long as they live, will play out the same scenario until one dies...Daniel Aukin’s direction could not be more perfect...Could this play be up for Best Play?"
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"Under Daniel Aukin’s very lopsided direction, you’ll be looking at Nina Arianda...Imagine the cartoon character Olive Oyl as a baritone in a red tube dress and you’ve got Arianda’s May... With Arianda offstage, it’s possible to notice Rockwell and Pelphrey, and to see that they’re embodying their respective characters with understated grace... Aukin changes the color of the lighting and amplifies Arianda’s voice through an echo chamber. It’s not only actors who can upstage actors."
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"Arianda and Weiss are fine. Although Rockwell certainly aced his lasso lessons, I wish he displayed more of the charisma that would explain his hold over May. The big secret seemed more like a plot contrivance than an organic development...The initial scenes seemed a bit slack, but director Daniel Aukin picks up the pace as the play progresses. I wish I had found it more involving. Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission. It seemed longer."
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"The stage directions for Sam Shepard's 1983 play state that it 'should be performed relentlessly, without a break.' And for 75 minutes, director Daniel Aukin and his flawless cast, led by a riveting Nina Arianda and a fiercely unsettling Sam Rockwell, deliver, never allowing themselves or the audience an uncharged moment...The bonds of blood and lust are deep, 'Fool for Love' reminds us."
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