The Children NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (362)
See it if you want great acting , thought provoking drama that deals with responsibility, the dangers of nuclear power, and serious human interaction
Don't see it if you are looking for an evening of light entertainment, can't deal with British drama and a theme devoted to sadness and death. Read more
See it if You like thoughtful theater and welcome the opportunity to think about mortality and hard, scary social issues
Don't see it if You want only to be amused and undisturbed
See it if want great acting, great script and direction. A beautiful haunting story. Deeply moving. Thought provoking
Don't see it if you want light entertainment.
See it if You want a lovely meditation on long settled people working through their history.
Don't see it if You need more common theatrics.
See it if Serious play, strong British cast, one act --a well told story that I found very involving. 3 people in the aftermath of nuclear disaster
Don't see it if This play would seem long-winded to people who like action.
See it if you're ready to pay rapt attention to every nuance, mannerism, and word that is said--and willing to sift out distractions from truths.
Don't see it if you dislike slow-building, "domestic-sphere" dramas; aren't fond of British dramas that rest more on the brilliant actors than stellar plot. Read more
See it if You’re looking for a profound work!
Don't see it if You need some more exciting...
See it if You can ignore the marketing campaign, which is misleading. This is a slow-burning gem, filled with great performances, and a sense of dread
Don't see it if You don’t like “talky” theater. Not much happens onstage, or in the story. But those tidbits still have us talking about the show days later
Critic Reviews (48)
“James Macdonald's sometimes gripping, sometimes dull production…combining a modicum of tension, mystery, and a refreshing spray of laughter…For all its dramatic circumstances, 'The Children' is not nearly as intense as its outline suggests. Talky, expository passages, where little transpires, combine with a thinning plotline to introduce occasional longueurs during its intermissionless hour and 50 minutes. Thanks to the lovingly honed performances, though, you remain invested for most of it.”
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"An extraordinary play now making its U.S premiere under the subtle and super-steady hand of director James Macdonald...With layers that unfold like an onion and a construction as solid as an Erector set, Kirkwood’s 105-minute piece may initially seem like a pungent if well-made domestic drama, a la Albee or Pinter, but the author proves to have much more than marriage on her mind...'The Children' reveals itself as a deeply philosophical work."
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"These three are a true ensemble and it is a marvel that even in the silences, much is said. Macdonald's direction allows the surprises and the twists and turns to unfold naturally. He brings out the best in his trio of superb actors. Buethers’s set and costume design, together with Mumfords lighting and projection design and Pappenheim’s sound design, keep us at the edge of the world. All these elements keep us just off kilter enough to feel that this is now, relevant, and important."
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“A very scary, cautionary drama…Kirkwood’s play, to its credit often resembles a vintage episode of ‘The Twilight Zone.’ An ominous tension pervades the production…The language of Kirkwood’s characters bristles with intelligence…Macdonald directs an extraordinary trio of actors. With fine precision, he buffets Findlay’s constantly fraught portrayal of a woman clinging to life through her illusions with the grounded resignation at the heart of Annis and Cook’s performances."
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“A sturdy drama; interesting, arresting, and enigmatic enough to hold interest...All do a fine job...A worthwhile evening in the theatre. But is worthwhile, one wonders, enough?...Doomsday plays have been around for quite some time; ‘The Children’, for all its mystery and topicality, doesn’t begin to rank with the others...The actors are accomplished, and do perfectly well with their material...’The Children’, alas, is simply good enough.”
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“A pace that was much too glacial for my taste. I found the changes of tone from humor to drama to a dance number and back irritating. The three actors are superb but the relationship of their characters seemed trivial next to the larger theme of their obligation to future generations. If seeing fine British actors in their prime is enough for you, you will enjoy yourself. If you need a spare, tightly-knit, well-integrated piece, you won’t.”
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“Connects to its audience on a level deeper than stagecraft...Kirkwood structures her compassionate, heart-wrenching treatise on social responsibility with such craft, you become wrapped up in the interrelations of this trio without even realizing they are symbols of modern society, yet struggling to redeem itself...Macdonald’s direction keeps the action on a credible level with a welcome lack of showy theatricalism. This subtlety is echoed in the acting.”
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“Kirkwood’s ambitious play has a broad scope...The strength of the imaginative play lies in the interactions of the characters...We are challenged to decide what to make of the characters, their relationship, events of the past and forebodings for the future. Macdonald accents the play’s intensity and step-by-step revelations. Massive projections at the end drive home the central concept. Mostly, it is the expertise of the three cast members that keeps us glued.”
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