The Collaboration (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (323)
See it if You are interested in shows that explore the meaning of art, love great acting and are interested in these artists.
Don't see it if You like action packed drama.
See it if you want to see 2 fine actors duel it out. They are incredible.The story is fascinating.I didn't now about their friendship.
Don't see it if you only like big flashy musicals.This is a good show that has something to say about friendship and tolerance.
See it if you like art about art/artists, and the big personalities in that world. It’s a moving, nuanced portrayal of two passionate, troubled souls.
Don't see it if you don’t have at least a passing interest in the art world, or the eccentricities of its players.
See it if you love the art world and can relate to the inside or are just interested in the inside of the art world.
Don't see it if the quirky life of the art world will upset you.
See it if you want to relive NYC in its dirtiest, grimiest phase and see two future legends of NYC theater play two past legends of the NYC art world
Don't see it if you don't like a good old-fashioned dance party or a two-person show (with two minor background characters)
See it if You love art and want to dive into the personalities of these masterful artists
Don't see it if you don't care for these particular artists or if drug use is too hard for you to watch!
See it if if you like great acting and a story line that follows a family drama through photographs. characters play out the scenes
Don't see it if if heavy family drama or trauma is too much.
See it if Wonderful performances by all the actors. Simple staging made the acting the focus.
Don't see it if Implied duty drug use and suicide references might trigger some. Read more
Critic Reviews (22)
The pairing of art-world bad boys might seem to promise some dramatic fireworks, or at least some gossipy fun, but this vehicle lacks a dramatic motor. The Collaboration is a high-concept pitch in search of a rationale
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While Bettany and Pope are each very convincing as Warhol and Basquiat since they are made up to look exactly like they did in life, they seem to be in two different plays, using different acting styles. The other problem with "The Collaboration" is that it feels very superficial, like a laundry list of items for them to discuss, while at least several of the dramatic devices are taken out of context or are relocated in chronology.
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"The economy and focus of the script has provided the principal actors more than enough to shine in their roles...Indeed, the entire production pulsates with color, vitality, and feeling."
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"Pope and Bethany look the parts but the script isn't compelling enough. By the end, the viewer learns about the work and the relationship between the two, but I’m not sure how much I cared."
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The play has its share of sturm und drang, especially toward the end when the artists engage in an aria-like confrontation that’s the equivalent of the 11 o’clock number in a Broadway musical; however, for much of its two hours it marks time with discussions and debates over each man’s artistic theories and relationship to the commercialization of their work. With so much reliance on theoretical point and counterpoint, no matter how passionately expressed, the tension is usually more cerebral than otherwise.
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"Onstage, though, 'The Collaboration' feels emptily formulaic...It doesn’t bring us any insight into whatever closeness Warhol and Basquiat had."
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"The play imagines what they might have been like behind the masks they fashioned for the public, but rarely gets far beyond the surface."
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"If one thing stands out about 'The Collaboration,' it’s that it offers the most fun on Broadway even when the play isn’t happening."
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