A Clockwork Orange (New World Stages)
Closed 1h 30m
A Clockwork Orange (New World Stages)
69

A Clockwork Orange (New World Stages) NYC Reviews and Tickets

69%
(239 Ratings)
Positive
59%
Mixed
29%
Negative
12%
Members say
Edgy, Confusing, Intense, Ambitious, Disappointing

About the Show

Director Alexandra Spencer-Jones’ adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ landmark 1962 novel comes from London to New World Stages with its original star Jonno Davies as Alex.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (239)

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89 Reviews | 9 Followers
75
Thought-provoking, Intense, Absorbing

See it if you're familiar with the Anthony Burgess book/the movie with Malcolm McDowell. (I was very impressed with the choreography on a small stage.

Don't see it if you like traditional performances.

70 Reviews | 14 Followers
75
Absorbing, Confusing, Edgy, Intense, Fast-pace

See it if You understand story before seeing this show

Don't see it if New saw or read Clockwork Orange before...would be hard to follow

125 Reviews | 26 Followers
75
Ambitious, Confusing, Great acting, Great staging, Homoerotic

See it if you were able to stomach 1984... this was a slightly less intense feeling...

Don't see it if you don't like gritty, in your face kind of theatre...

203 Reviews | 49 Followers
75
Wildly stylistic, Quirky, Edgy, Interesting, Athletic

See it if you have an open mind and can take loud, wildly stylized scenes of sex and violence.

Don't see it if you want realistic and happy "safe place" theatre. Read more

69 Reviews | 16 Followers
75
Clever, Enchanting, Confusing, Intense, Entertaining

See it if If you're a fan it's a different take. It's adult themed the music & choreography were very entertaining. The lead was incredible!

Don't see it if If you're gonna compare it to the film. If you don't like violence! If you don't follow you'll get lost the actors play multiple characters.

127 Reviews | 36 Followers
73
Seductive, Intense, Great acting, Provocative, Confusing

See it if Quite provocative with plenty of skin exposure. Acting from the main lead, Jonno, is just pure power - very very intense and dynamic

Don't see it if You will be lost if you are not familiar with the source. Transition is instead replaced by homoerotic acrobatics. Hard to understand accent Read more

170 Reviews | 36 Followers
73
Ambitious, Confusing, Great acting, Edgy, Great staging

See it if you want to see "experimental theater" and something out of the box

Don't see it if you are looking for linear story telling and don't like thick English accents Read more

176 Reviews | 41 Followers
73
Intense, Stylish, Great visuals, Disturbing, Sexy

See it if you enjoy stylish visuals. The movements and colors are a pleaser. The show means to challenge and shock, but it is thought-provoking too.

Don't see it if you have a strong aversion towards violent and disturbing content. It is also intensily palyed, and might be unpleasant to some.

Critic Reviews (48)

The Wrap
September 25th, 2017

"May be the gayest fantasia to hit a New York theater since 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' closed up shop on Broadway...Davies strikes a remarkable pose on stage...What he doesn’t do is create a rounded character that elicits our empathy. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this high-energy production given Spencer-Jones’ focus on sensation above all else...The show cannot seem to escape its innate campiness."
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scribicide
September 25th, 2017

"[A]fter an hour or so the play begins to drag, becoming thematically monotonous."
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NewNowNext.com
October 2nd, 2017

"Alexandra Spencer-Jones’s stage production is visceral, energetic, and well choreographed...Songs by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Beth Ditto form the backdrop of this 90-minute rethinking, which I found a little one-note and wearisome, while still admiring its tenacity."
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Off Off Online
September 30th, 2017

"Both banks on and challenges its brand awareness, refining the narrative into a piquant, overheated slab of physical theater...If it ultimately proves stultifying, it can also be mesmerizing...The play’s concert vibe veers too often into celebration; rape, murder and torture become party games...This version of the story comes on with all the subtlety of a disco wrecking ball. Thank Bog for Davies, then. His performance is a master class in total performance control."
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The Playfixer
November 3rd, 2017

“You might remember Stanley Kubrick’s film...A chilling depiction of totally amoral youths who call themselves ‘Droogs’...In the film, the Droogs’ victims are played by other actors; here, the actors playing the Droogs also play their victims, which undercuts the shock of what the Droogs inflict on them, making the play seem more or less like silly game-playing. That said, Spencer-Jones’ highly choreographed production is sensational, as is British actor Davies as Alex.”
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A
September 28th, 2017

"The show is full of pop and rock songs, at times unintelligible dialogue, exciting choreography, along with plenty of homoeroticism. There is still rape and violence, but–with perhaps one exception–it never shakes you up or makes you uncomfortable...But there are plenty of places in TV, film and, yes, real life to see excessive violence. And credit Spencer-Jones for daring to try something new. And there is a certain beauty to seeing the actors...thrash around for 90 minutes."
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BroadwayWorld
February 17th, 2017
For a previous production

"This show is intensely physical; this is an approach that lends itself naturally to the aggression of Alex's world, at the same time making it artful and expressive...Davies becomes Alex with apparent ease...Without a doubt this is one of the standout lead performances of the year so far...Absolutely timeless, and its relevance can rarely be overstated-what this production does so brilliantly is take a refreshing angle on the material, whilst retaining its essence. Unquestionably a must-see."
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The Stage (UK)
February 17th, 2017
For a previous production

"The show has a pleasingly overblown quality which shrewdly diffuses the story’s gruelling, graphic sadism without blunting its message...Spencer-Jones preserves its striking physical aesthetic. Gang brawls are rendered in balletic choreography while the athletic, all-male cast crawl and cavort around the stage as lithe and predatory as feral cats...Stylish, stylised, and drenched in sweat, the show has a breathless, exhilarating energy."
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