A Life
76

A Life NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%
(136 Ratings)
Positive
81%
Mixed
13%
Negative
6%
Members say
Great acting, Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Ambitious, Quirky

About the Show

Playwrights Horizons presents Adam Bock's new play about a man—played by Emmy and Tony winner David Hyde Pierce—who turns to astrology after heartbreak.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (136)

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349 Reviews | 57 Followers
79
Great david hyde pierce, Uneven, Absorbing, Terrific set, Well-observed

See it if You want to enjoy David Hyde Pierce describing the protagonist's small and ordinary life in a most humane and appealing way. From there...

Don't see it if ..the play takes unexpected turns. Is this life banal? Yes, but that's what make it relatable. And they told my dad's favorite/morbid joke.

416 Reviews | 190 Followers
79
Absorbing, Great acting, Relevant, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if You like realism & the actor speaks directly to the audience laying his emotions bare;David Hyde Pierce;twists and turns

Don't see it if You dislike sad plots about real life occurrences; You dislike long monologues Read more

444 Reviews | 79 Followers
78
Clever, Great acting, Intelligent

See it if you like David Hyde Pierce who is incredible. This play is different, edgy, creative and sometimes confusing. Memorable experience.

Don't see it if you want easy to understand plays. If you are not interested in death and the soul that lives beyond. If moments of silence bother you. Read more

171 Reviews | 162 Followers
78
Absorbing, Intelligent, Profound, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if u want to see David Hyde Pierce in a terrific role and a profound and moving play. Where this play goes is astounding. What a brave author!

Don't see it if u prefer a less ambitious or more straightforward or conventional play or if you are shocked by one of life's inevitabilities dramatized.

381 Reviews | 138 Followers
77
Clever, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Funny

See it if you're a David Hyde Pierce fan. He is wonderful and his opening monologue is truly amazing.

Don't see it if you expect theater to be filled with action-packed scenes.

112 Reviews | 36 Followers
77
Absorbing, Disappointing, Great acting

See it if you're a fan of David Hyde Pierce. He is absolutely incredible in this show

Don't see it if you don't like long monologues or shows that deal with mortality. Read more

507 Reviews | 77 Followers
77
Intense, Quirky, Intelligent

See it if you don't want to miss a great opening dialogue performed beautifully by David Hyde Pierce.

Don't see it if you like plays with easy resolution or if you shy away from discussions of death.

390 Reviews | 71 Followers
77
Absorbing, Funny, Ambitious

See it if you enjoy unusual approaches to ordinary life stories and if you are a fan of David Hyde Pierce.

Don't see it if you are homophobic or you could not stand long silences, an empty stage or tension originating from periods of inactivity.

Critic Reviews (38)

Reviewing The Drama
October 24th, 2016

"In 'A Life,' Pierce proves worthy of his Tony, fully inhabiting a real person. It's a touching and sensitive portrayal, one that instantly hooked me, and made me care deeply about Nate...Layers and insights are revealed in time (thanks to director Anne Kauffman and scenic designer Laura Jellinek), and I savored Bock's Annie Baker–like silences and extended moments of stillness, of seemingly nothing happening on stage."
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The Associated Press
October 24th, 2016

"If you want to be puzzled by a play, look no farther than Adam Bock's 'A Life,' which begins strongly but then peters out. Despite an affecting performance by Tony- and Emmy-Award winner David Hyde Pierce, the play is disappointing...The limits of time, life's elusive meaning, inevitable mortality — Bock incorporates these themes without particularly illuminating them."
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Philadelphia Inquirer
October 30th, 2016

"For anybody who hasn’t heard that life can be a) lonely b) meaningless c) boring, 'A Life' is for you...I suspect that the play wants to ennoble the ordinariness and make it profound, but the effect was more to annoy, especially with the cheap, easy laughs about gay men sitting on a park bench admiring joggers’ muscles or a multi-page to-do list... At a run time of 85 minutes, this seemed to take a lifetime."
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Edge New York
October 24th, 2016

"You'll be riveted to your seat, anxious to find out what happens next...In the central role of Nate, the always delightful Pierce once again proves his deft stage chops as he tears down the fourth wall by addressing the audience directly, as though we're a bystander to the action of his life...Tickets are already scarce for this short but impactful play. Catch it now, before it closes."
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Our Theater Blog
November 1st, 2016

"It’s a tribute to David Hyde Pierce's talent and timing that he can hold our attention for as long as he does. Bock engages the audience, although perhaps engage is too strong a word, involves the audience...Anne Kaufman’s direction cannot keep the pace on this slow-moving 85 minutes fast enough to keep the drama from sagging under its own weight."
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Act Three - The Reviews
October 4th, 2016

"A powerful, humbling new play...Mr. Bock explores life through a lonely, gay, introverted, quirky, and obsessive character, Nate Martin...A touching, honest, and sad first scene; a shocking next turn of events with a dash of today's culture of inappropriateness thrown in just to make you shrug your shoulders...Perfectly placed and such great acting around the uncomfortable nature of the whole affair."
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