Six Degrees of Separation NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (436)
See it if Terrific writing that could have been written today. Terrific performances. Fact is, we live on the UES and it made us uncomfortable
Don't see it if If being made to feel uncomfortable by a writer upsets you, and if you might see yourself in this story
See it if if you love nuanced performances.
Don't see it if you have no sympathy or empathy for people who make bad choices.
See it if Trip Cullman's sleek and riveting production is a must see. Incredible acting from the entire ensemble in a play that still resonates.
Don't see it if you're looking a more traditional production of the show. This is a stylish production of the play that breaths new life into it.
See it if you like your dramas with some great comedy mixed in. The cast is fantastic. The show is very well written.
Don't see it if you don't want to see nudity. Spoiler: there is a nude dude throughout one scene. Or if you're offended by simulated gay sex. Read more
See it if You appreciate great acting, dark humor, and a profound thoughtful play.
Don't see it if You don't like straight plays, and don't want to have to face personal questions following the play.
See it if you want to see a star in the making in Corey Hawkins and two established stars at the top of their game.
Don't see it if you can't handle full frontal male nudity or you need a happy ending tied up in a bow.
See it if Never saw original staging. Worried memory of lush, fast moving film would overwhelm my experience of the show. Not so. Show was excellent
Don't see it if You expect large hollywood type sets and costuming. Here the dialogue and acting are showcased. Great acting!
See it if The cast alone is enough reason
Don't see it if I can't think of a reason not to see it
Critic Reviews (53)
"The stunning revival is an uncomfortably funny reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same...Much of the play’s humor is in the interactions between the various sets of parents and their children...Janney gives a mesmerizing performance. She’s sharp and fast and funny, but brimming with intelligence and humanity. Her transformation is subtle and slow, but all the more moving for its thoughtfulness."
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"Director Trip Cullman elicits fine performances from his entire cast, but two stand out as particularly well-calibrated. Janney is magical as the conflicted Ouisa...Similarly, Hawkins inhabits Paul with a subtlety that belies an enigma. To maintain such a veneer that you can never tell what is truly lying underneath takes a skill that is breathtaking to watch. The product of these actors makes 'Six Degrees of Separation' worthy of connecting to audiences again."
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“Janney gives a performance worthy of comparison to Channing…The clownish quality the children are directed to take does them no favors…The serious turn of events requires a breath and a pause, but it felt like the director kept the action barreling forward. It spirals forward like a car skidding towards a snowbank…It doesn’t crash, but some moments of deep engagement might have been misplaced. It does retain its intimacy though. Throughout.”
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"I wish Janney and director Trip Cullman had found ways to slowly craft and build her growth. We needed to feel it throughout her performance, not just understand it in the final analysis at the play’s close. Corey Hawkins is a standout...The play was funnier than I remember it being, even lighter...It is a taut production by Cullman, with a breathless pace to boot. But it could have afforded a few more measured moments to let an idea or a line of dialogue marinate."
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"Guare’s tale feels more relevant at a time when our culture is hopelessly addicted to money and all things celebrity...It is recommended for Guare’s sharp, insightful taking down of the gullibility of the P.C. left. And for some truly excellent performances. Allison Janney is spot-on perfect with every expression and droll delivery. John Benjamin Hickey is equally fine...The strongest performance comes from Corey Hawkins."
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“Trip Cullman's direction charges the play with the high-energy antics and rapid pace of drawing room farce, much of it too broad…Carefully timed physical business is abundant, like a madcap chase involving the hustler, whose total nudity is a bad choice in search of a cheap laugh. But, as per the script, the tone changes awkwardly with the Rick and Elizabeth sequence, making us unsure about when and when not to laugh…Allison Janney…brings her star radiance to Ouisa.”
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“It is funny – sometimes very funny — well crafted, coated with a patina of sparkling sophistication, even at times pointed and almost poignant. It’s an enjoyable entertainment. But it does not add up to the significant experience that Allison Janney’s character feels...It does not offer the profound insights that the playwright evidently intends...I couldn’t resist feeling that these stabs at erudition and emotion and symbolism were something of a con.”
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“Retains its place as one of the great American plays of the late 20th century…Guare’s insightful portrait of that high society survives even Cullman’s far too brash direction of this revival…Cullman directs ‘Six Degrees’ as a not very sophisticated farce, especially in the play’s first half. Janney and Hickey are diverting; they display razor-sharp timing, but they go for the laughs by stressing the characters’ materialism…The broadness of these performances also undercuts the role of Paul.”
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