Topdog/Underdog (Broadway)
Closed 2h 10m
Topdog/Underdog (Broadway)
86

Topdog/Underdog (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

86%
(497 Reviews)
Positive
95%
Mixed
4%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Great writing, Intense, Entertaining

About the Show

The 20th Anniversary revival of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

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Member Reviews (497)

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74 Reviews | 12 Followers
100
Intense, Great staging, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you are ready for a mind-boggling experience that leaves you absolutely breathless

Don't see it if you aren’t ready for things to get intense

57 Reviews | 8 Followers
100
Profound, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you want to see a real New York City story and authentic family dynamics portrayed by two absolutely incredible actors.

Don't see it if you like a big cast and lavish set, or you want a bow tied happy ending...

95 Reviews | 11 Followers
100
Great writing, Funny, Great acting, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if You want to be entertained and intrigued

Don't see it if You better go see it

182 Reviews | 29 Followers
100
Must see, Intelligent, Great acting, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if A master class in acting! Two brothers trying so hard to get out of their low situation in life. The script gives such life to these guys

Don't see it if If you need more than two people talking about their struggle in life than this play isn't for you. It's a contemporary Waiting for Godot

549 Reviews | 85 Followers
100
Great writing, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if you like good theatre.This play has a lot to say about racism,family,relationships.The writing is excellent, as is the acting.

Don't see it if all you want is fluff.This show is very, very funny at times, but is is basically a drama.I really think everyone should see it.Excellent.

112 Reviews | 7 Followers
98
Must see, Great writing, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining

See it if You want to see a magnificent show with two fine actors that is funny, sad and memorable.

Don't see it if You can't sit for 2.5 hours, are offended by foul language or want an uplifting show.

96 Reviews | 43 Followers
96
Flawless direction, Brilliant script, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you are thrilled with the idea of two wonderful actors who are at the top of their game.

Don't see it if ... actually I can't think of any reason not to see it. It's completely entertaining, even if the subject matter is dark.

213 Reviews | 52 Followers
96
Riveting, Masterful, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if You want to see two brilliant performers tackle an equally brilliant piece of theatre. Not to be missed.

Don't see it if Looking to take the kids to a show, or… um… yeah. Just not kids. You should otherwise go

Critic Reviews (27)

The New York Times
October 20th, 2022

"This “Topdog/Underdog” is never in danger of being dragged down...The ending loses none of its explosive shock even if we’ve understood from the start that the odds in a hustle are always with the house."
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Time Out New York
November 8th, 2022

"Superlative acting is at the core of the experience...Together, these two performers keep you guessing even as the play moves inexorably toward an outcome that has been in the cards all along."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
October 20th, 2022

"Afro-pessimism isn’t a genre in which I’d usually place Parks, let alone Leon. But played without winking in a key of aggrieved, stressed-out toxic masculinity, as it is here, 'Topdog/Underdog' is able to hit that note convincingly."
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The Hollywood Reporter
October 21st, 2022

"The confidence radiating from both [Lincoln and Booth] performances keeps 'Topdog/Underdog,' a play with a winking eagerness to elude meaning, light, electric and most of all funny."
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Entertainment Weekly
October 20th, 2022

" 'Top Dog/Underdog' is not a subtle play...If it were subtle, it would not be as watchable, or entertaining. And for a play that's just two characters monologuing or arguing, while dealing with some heavy issues — race, class, trauma, murder — Top Dog is pretty damn funny."
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Variety
October 20th, 2022

"The first Broadway revival...crackles like a live wire — an American fable with its finger shoved in a socket. Throw in career-high performances from Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and it is a theatrical event in the most essential sense, in that it demands to be seen here and now."
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The Wall Street Journal
October 20th, 2022

"The characters’ passive complicity in their fates, and the play’s ultimate descent into violence, feels both simplistic and sensationalized. 'Topdog/Underdog' seems sadly retrograde."
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Deadline
October 20th, 2022

"Twenty years after it first arrived to shake up a complacent Broadway and make a Pulitzer Prize winner of its author Suzan-Lori Parks, 'Topdog/Underdog' has lost none of its vitality and power and cunning."
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