946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips NYC Reviews and Tickets

“Loads of puppets and Rice’s customary practice of putting instruments in the hands of her excellent actors lend a pleasing whimsy to ‘946’…Rice does not shy from the grimness of the military disaster...It is horribly moving. Yet in the show’s most demonstrative emotional moment, Rice and Morpurgo are heavy-handed just when they should be restrained…Those are the only times, though, that this fine production loses its poise. The rest of it is all about balance: of mirth and sorrow."
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“I certainly bridled—and the trouble began early…We're in a sugar-coated World War Twee where everyone was wonderful to everybody…There's a long, proud history of telling the story of wartime through children's (comparatively) innocent eyes…But ‘Adolphus Tips’ never questions the rose-colored glasses; rather, Rice and Morpugo are jamming them onto our faces…I fell off the ride early, and for two hours, I suffered.”
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"This charming and surprisingly touching creation by author Michael Morpurgo, director Emma Rice and the ever-inventive British Kneehigh Theatre Company. A talented multitasking ensemble and a merry band of musicians recall a dark slice of World War II...Don’t let puppets and toy soldiers and battleships fool you, there’s more here than just child’s play."
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"Kneehigh is known for its bold theatrical choices, and '946' doesn't shy away from them—even if it doesn't add up to the same impact of some of its previous productions...Has a tendency to feel reminiscent of Morpurgo's biggest hit to date, 'War Horse'...'946' feels slightly less original than it should...But we have to hand it to director Rice and her team, who've managed to create a version of Brechtian alienation that children will understand, even if it doesn't pan out all the way.”
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"The play becomes genuinely moving near the end…But for a long stretch of its running time, ‘946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips’ skates very lightly over its most emotionally potent material, entertaining the audience in a way that doesn't always feel fully honest…'Tips' certainly knows how to make its audience happy...Still, there's a darker, more moving story inside, still waiting to get out. You can bring the entire family to this production -- and, oddly, that may be its weakest point."
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"It’s an enchanting show about a tragic event – if such a paradox is possible...An entertaining and deeply moving theatrical experience. Her stagecraft is nothing short of magical...Rice directs a marvelous, multi-talented 12-member ensemble who dance, sing, play multiple roles, and manipulate scores of puppets...Ultimately, credit goes to the vision of the amazing Emma Rice."
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"A rich theatrical family-friendly evening of story, music, dance and puppets...This Kneehigh show continually captures our hearts...The cast is led by Katy Owen as Lily, played to perfection...'946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips' demands an attention and a collective imagination from the viewer, making it a special theatrical treat. St Ann’s Warehouse is to be commended for giving Kneehigh a New York home!"
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“What ‘946: The Amazing Story Of Adolphus Tips’ lacks — almost aggressively — is any sense of time and place…Artistic director Emma Rice has tossed in everything here, including a panto-style of performance entirely at odds with the bittersweet material…A show where most every choice is misguided…They drain away all the drama, nuance and texture of the book…I’d say Kneehigh has lost its way, but in fact it seems more like Kneehigh has been lost for a long time.”
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"So bubbly, energetic, and wacky that a few times during the performance, I was surprised by how suddenly I found myself choking up...Never heavy-handed or overwrought, '946' manages to tell a gentle, genuinely moving tale without cutting back on the clowning, drag, broad humor, music, and energetic dance...A highly spirited and inventive production, '946' lifted me out of troubled times present without ever spilling into saccharine nostalgia for troubled times past."
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"In this delightful family show, Rice provides a gripping, moving portrait of a community under siege…The Globe becomes an ideal arena for connecting its audience directly to the story, played out with an aching, fresh tenderness and surprise by its cast. The delightful Katy Owen plays lead role Lily, while Kneehigh artistic director Mike Shepherd doubles beautifully as her grandfather in the past and grandmother in the present."
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"Theatre's love affair with Morpurgo continues with this stage version of his novella...It makes for a winningly rumbustious family show, spilling over with song and dance and inventive cheek, that movingly affirms life in the face of the tragedy at its heart...I'm not sure that they've yet achieved the ideal balance between inspiring sentiment and inspired silliness and the proceedings feel a bit padded-out, but the sheer verve of the ensemble should delight punters of all ages."
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"It features all the now-familiar Kneehigh trademarks: music, meta-theatrical cleverness, actor Mike Shepherd in implausible drag, and a fundamental undertow of sadness beneath the onstage capers. Katy Owen is puckishly endearing as young Lily, but Ncuti Gatwa and Nandi Bhebhe as the GIs are sold short by a script that seldom engages with the obviously significant racial dimension...It’s simply a romp with occasional, dutiful sombre faces, and which is soon over, to no clear point."
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"'Adolphus Tips' brims with the imagination and invention that we’ve come to expect from Kneehigh, blending a carefree, homespun sort of charm with top-notch ensemble playing...It’s played a little too much for laughs and the storytelling tends to the meandering, but what wins us round each time is the fact that the piece is brimful of heart. There’s sadness but also lots of hope. It’s Morpurgo’s specialty spell, and in Kneehigh, Rice and the Globe he has found fine accomplice magicians."
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"This family show mixes carnival and tragedy in a series of mash-ups, both merry and sad...The register shifts from poignant reunions to cartoon episodes...'War Horse' has given the combination of puppetry and Michael Morpurgo a powerful theatrical pedigree. '946' does not have the same steamroller power. Yet alongside its musical bounce it lands a strong argument...The stage is full of characters who should make audiences think again about the word 'migrant.'"
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"This is part-history lesson, part-variety show: highlights include a song played on beer bottles, entrances on a fireman’s pole, and Winston Churchill performing a skipping display...And that makes for a weirdly meandering, disjointed pace, which flounders through all the shades of moral grey this story throws up. But somehow, there’s enough silliness, jazz and heartwarming sap to jolly us through to a joyful ending that’s more than just tickety boo."
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"Championing innovation like this has its price. '946' is tonally inconsistent, particularly in the first half, and for a show about World War II, strikingly emotionally dry. This is partly the fault of an uneven cast, but it’s also the direct consequence of Kneehigh’s unwaveringly swashbuckling approach...Although it’s refreshing to see so many under-12s flocking the yard, one imagines their appreciation of Morpurgo’s finer emotional lessons might be lost amongst all Rice’s noise."
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"Largely a feel-good, all-ages tale told with Kneehigh's customary agility and flair...Owen is astonishingly good...The action is presented with wit and verve...Although '946' has a fabulously footloose, skipping energy, it's a shame its story structure follows suit. Most of the narrative simply hops from minor event to minor event, and too much of it feels bitty and insubstantial...It takes a good while for the story to hit its beats. When it does, there's much to enjoy."
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“Like all Rice’s work, this production is full of boisterous collective energy — and the occasional moments of clodding earnestness…Yet there’s so much heart here that it feels mean-spirited to quibble. It’s hard to take our eyes off thirtysomething Katy Owen’s lithe, livewire performance as a skittish young Lily. There’s loss and darkness, but perfectly pitched for a family show. My merry band of junior critics were enthralled while I found myself blinking back tears.”
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"There’s a wonderful host of classic Kneehigh-style characters, with an ensemble packed to the rafters with cross-dressing, energy and sheer commitment. I must commend the whole company for this – each performance is a gem in its own right...It’s full of comedy, occasional darkness and heartfelt poignancy. It’s a well-balanced, joyous night out that leaves you with a smile on your face, and reminds you of the power, authenticity and delight that underpins Kneehigh’s theatre."
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