The Gin Game
Closed 2h 15m
The Gin Game
80

The Gin Game NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(207 Ratings)
Positive
83%
Mixed
14%
Negative
3%
Members say
Great acting, Entertaining, Funny, Delightful, Absorbing

About the Show

Tony winners James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson return to Broadway in this Pulitzer winner about strangers who become friends over gin rummy, until their games become a battleground of exposed failures and insecurities.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (207)

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121 Reviews | 71 Followers
74
Great acting, Overrated, Slow, Delightful, Masterful

See it if You love James Earl Jones and his deep voice.

Don't see it if Two actor plays are not your favorite

57 Reviews | 10 Followers
74
Clever, Great acting, Refreshing

See it if You love James Earl Jones and Cecily Tyson.

Don't see it if You want action and adventure.

179 Reviews | 92 Followers
73
Intelligent, Original, Resonant

See it if You enjoy plays with a small cast, especially with terrific acting!

Don't see it if You want a fast-moving plot.

972 Reviews | 1052 Followers
73
Entertaining, Great acting, Funny, Great writing, Nice

See it if You're a fan of the stars!

Don't see it if You don't like small 2 person plays that don't have a lot of action.

103 Reviews | 25 Followers
70
Dated

See it if You want to see legends James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson on stage together.

Don't see it if want a story with real substance. The talents of James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson really were wasted here.

138 Reviews | 38 Followers
70
Great acting, Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Slow

See it if Great acting, Cicely Tyson was incandescent.

Don't see it if Not a great play, just a nice excuse to spend an evening with the masters.

124 Reviews | 173 Followers
70
Funny, Great acting, Dated, Slow

See it if you want to see two great actors tearing it up onstage.

Don't see it if you're not a fan of old plays that have not aged too well.

168 Reviews | 64 Followers
69
Funny, Dated, Great acting, Slow

See it if want to see two great actors.

Don't see it if you won't, it closed.

Critic Reviews (40)

Epoch Times
October 20th, 2015

"This play could have easily been written last year, instead of almost three decades ago. Best of all is the way Jones and Tyson beautifully play off each other...The tension in the story rises and falls throughout as Leonard Foglia directs the proceedings with a subtle touch, letting the two stars take command of the piece. Yet Foglia never lets the actors or their personalities overwhelm the characters."
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StageZine
October 16th, 2015

"One doesn’t necessarily see it for content but for the incredible actors and actresses...Leonard Foglia, the director, has matched them well and paced them accordingly to give them characterizations. The new fall season has just started and there are lots of fine actors giving good performances, but I doubt that you will see greater ones than what Mr. Jones and Ms Tyson are displaying."
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American Theater Web
October 15th, 2015

"Coburn’s gentle play brims with humor...The play also has genuine heart...Watching as these two warily embark on a late life friendship---letting their guards down with one another---proves to be immensely satisfying and touching. Similarly, Leonard Foglia has directed this two-hander with economy and breeziness."
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Drama Queen NYC
October 14th, 2015

"It’s a vehicle, nothing more, nothing less. 'The Gin Game' is a light-weight comedy with just enough emotional fuel in it to ignite when you get two great actors in it. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson are undeniably great actors, and this 'Gin Game' does indeed ignite, even if it doesn’t quite satisfy...An enjoyable, diverting evening spent with two expert performers, nothing more, nothing less."
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TheaterScene.com
October 24th, 2015

"Director Leonard Foglia has stitched his two star performers into a positively densely woven tapestry of built up laughs, and bitter moments, and just plain bitter, so that you laugh all the harder after you’ve gulped a few times. James Earl Jones is a marvel of hilarity spun out of sadness, and loneliness ,and curmudgeonness, and you ache for him...It’s a funny, funny show. But it’s a heart wringer."
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NY Theatre Guide
October 19th, 2015

"James Earl Jones and Cecily Tyson are an absolute delight as they spar whimsically over their cards. Both getting older themselves, they haven’t lost any theatrical spice...Effortless and sincere, this is a production to be seen, you’ll hardly even realize any time has passed and the curtain call comes almost as quickly as you’ve taken you’re seat. I dare you not to have a pumpkin grin from ear to ear as Jones and Tyson take their curtain call."
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T
October 27th, 2015

"I’m still asking myself a question: Why, despite the fine acting of two legends did I find 'The Gin Game' so uninspiring?... Director Leonard Foglia has keeps the pace going. When dealing with two such experienced actors, it was surely a collaborative effort...The two create some very touching moments – a few minutes of dance, a few memories. But at the end, you feel sorry for them but you are not sure you like either character and you pray to God that you will not end up as they have."
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Center on the Aisle
October 20th, 2015

"D.L. Coburn’s 1978 Pulitzer Prize award winner, 'The Gin Game,' deals another winning hand. For the first time in nearly fifty years, legendary actors James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson are sharing the Broadway stage. The audience’s reception confirms that it’s a timeless play worth rehashing."
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