Our Mother's Brief Affair
Closed 2h 0m
Our Mother's Brief Affair
66

Our Mother's Brief Affair NYC Reviews and Tickets

66%
(161 Ratings)
Positive
52%
Mixed
31%
Negative
17%
Members say
Great acting, Disappointing, Slow, Funny, Clever

About the Show

Manhattan Theatre Club presents the NY premiere of Richard Greenberg's new play starring Linda Lavin as a mother with a shocking secret that threatens her children.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (161)

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72 Reviews | 40 Followers
80
Clever, Thought-provoking, Funny, Worht it just for linda lavin

See it if Like Linda Lavin, can relate to the Jewish mother genre, appreciate Greeberg's witty dialogue; or just want to support MTC and new plays.

Don't see it if only like musicals...or edgy drama...or if you are not a Linda Lavin fan. It's 100% her show.

546 Reviews | 345 Followers
80
Ambitious, Clever, Funny, Original, Great acting

See it if You like something a little different and are a Linda Lavin fan. She's terrific.

Don't see it if You require a neat ending. The second act was a bit of a let down.

69 Reviews | 20 Followers
79
Funny, Great acting, Disappointing, Confusing, Great staging

See it if You're a Linda Lavin fan. She is amazing as to be expected. And you would like to see her great legs again! If you appreciate great acting.

Don't see it if You're expecting anything profound or deep. If you're looking for anything "serious" or know nothing about the. Rosenbergs.

578 Reviews | 735 Followers
78
Delightful, Funny, Great writing, Intelligent, Charming

See it if you like smart humor, good writing, and fine acting.

Don't see it if you want something that feels entirely fresh and youthful.

150 Reviews | 48 Followers
77
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Entertaining, Disappointing

See it if You love Linda Lavin.

Don't see it if You don't like strong dramas.

119 Reviews | 43 Followers
76
Thought-provoking, Slow, Funny

See it if If you're a fan of Linda Lavin!

Don't see it if It's definitely for an older audience. 50s & 60s audience. The first act dragged for me. Second Act was definitely funnier and flew by!

226 Reviews | 43 Followers
76
Great writing, Slow

See it if You don't really want to see a deep, complex play

Don't see it if You want to see something exciting or intense.

407 Reviews | 66 Followers
75
Great acting, Clever, Entertaining, Ambitious

See it if Love a great Linda Lavin performance

Don't see it if Flawed writing is an issue for you

Critic Reviews (52)

TheaterScene.net
January 25th, 2016

'Our Mother’s Brief Affair' has some structural problems, including the central surprise which takes the plot into too much historic nattering, but it does provide a juicy role for one of our great stage actresses, Linda Lavin."
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Theatre is Easy
February 17th, 2016

"The cast deals with the text in a nimble manner that keeps the audience engaged in the story as it finds its footing until its less than fulfilling conclusion. Lavin is the glue holding everything together. Her performance switches from heartbreaking to hysterical without skipping a beat...Unfortunately though, the play is flawed. While it speaks to the universal issue of aging parents and the mystique of their lives while their children grow up, it doesn't go much farther than that."
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Theater Pizzazz
January 20th, 2016

"Too much of the play is repetitive or unfulfilling; there’s perhaps 60 minutes of really fine writing within these two hours, no matter how hard director Lynne Meadow tries to distract us."
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Front Row Center
January 26th, 2016

"Not only does Richard Greenberg wander the fields with this tale – the direction and staging are confounding. The staging of park bench, hospital room, hotel room and other locations are confusing...This is a story that lacks purpose and drive. We are never let in far enough to connect with these characters. People talk about events, and reveal little. The 'story' and it’s ultimate twist and revelation is intriguing, but we discover the truth too late."
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Stage Buddy
January 29th, 2016

"The play allows all of its characters at one point or another to become narrators, the problem is, none of them are very reliable, so who we believe is strictly up to us...A warm, intellectually complex essay about the difficulty of forgiving ourselves for our sins...The play can be enjoyed as a light comedy with charming performances from its ensemble."
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Front Mezz Junkies
January 24th, 2016

"I only wish the story was either more compelling or better told in the play’s direction, use of space and stage, and in Greenberg’s writing. The story has all the ingredients of a captivating one, but it feels messy and flat...The actors do there damnedest to draw us in and almost succeed but the writing style seemed a bit too poetic...This is a play to watch a pro at work. Lavin is wonderful but deserves a story that is stronger, better written, and over all, more intricately constructed."
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Broadway Blog
January 20th, 2016

"Ultimately, Anna delivers a lengthy monologue, which allows Lavin her big moment as she explains the guilt that drove her into the affair, but it’s just as contrived as the affair itself. Only Lavin’s performance keeps the entire enterprise from disintegrating before our eyes. For those attending to see a star performance they’ll certainly get one...Her costars, sorry to say, are unremarkable,...further demonstrating why ‘Our Mother’s Brief Affair” is, for better or worse, a star vehicle."
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C
January 26th, 2016

"It becomes a thoughtful exploration of the ramifications of our ability to blame and forgive ourselves, but along the way it’s can be a choppy, laborious two-hour journey...Lavin brings beautifully muted passion to a woman Seth describes as 'warm-cold' — and makes this an 'Affair' worth remembering."
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