A Taste of Honey
Closed 2h 20m
A Taste of Honey
78

A Taste of Honey NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%
(103 Ratings)
Positive
85%
Mixed
12%
Negative
3%
Members say
Great acting, Dated, Absorbing, Entertaining, Thought-provoking

About the Show

The Pearl Theatre Company revives Shelagh Delaney's groundbreaking drama about a working-class English teenager in the '50s trying to control her own destiny.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (103)

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291 Reviews | 716 Followers
91
Absorbing, Great acting, Historic, Sad, funny, haunting

See it if you want to see a piece of theater history performed by a strong cast with haunting jazzy music. Still amazingly relevant.

Don't see it if you like action packed shows, you can't accept the 4th wall being broken or you're bothered by musicians oddly juxtaposed into the action.

283 Reviews | 183 Followers
90
Absorbing, Great staging, Great acting, Great writing, Resonant

See it if You want a glimpse into working class lives. This was written by an 18 year old playwright and the writing is masterful. Excellent acting.

Don't see it if You want a light hearted romp with butterflies and daisies. It is somewhat bleak and very haunting.

139 Reviews | 33 Followers
90
Great acting, Masterful, Absorbing, Entertaining, Relevant

See it if you enjoy a fresh new look at an older piece of theatre. A great new version of this play on a beautiful set.

Don't see it if you have trouble with British accents.

256 Reviews | 86 Followers
89
Absorbing, Great staging, Entertaining, Epic, Intense

See it if you want to see a rarely seen classic.

Don't see it if you hate teenagers as the main character.

88 Reviews | 19 Followers
89
Absorbing

See it if you like compelling drama that deals with very contemporary themes, although it was written in the 1950s.

Don't see it if you shy away from dramas with depth and meaning.

VSG
243 Reviews | 67 Followers
87
Absorbing, Funny, Great acting, Resonant, Intense

See it if You enjoy historical British theater, want to see two breakout performances - Brockman and Reese, understand how edgy the play was in '59.

Don't see it if Can't tolerate inconsistent North English accents, feel that racism and homophobia no longer relevant themes, don't like 4th wall broken. Read more

83 Reviews | 12 Followers
86
Absorbing, Clever, Quirky, Great singing, Funny

See it if you like a fun evening.

Don't see it if you want serious drama.

510 Reviews | 68 Followers
85
Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Entertaining

See it if you enjoy a show that examines family dynamics interlaced with social issues in an earlier time.

Don't see it if you have a short attention span, as the play is two and a half hours long. Read more

Critic Reviews (24)

Theatre is Easy
September 18th, 2016

"While sprinkled with humor and heart, the play feels untethered to structure and a bit too sentimental at moments—perhaps typical of a young writer (Delaney was 18 when she penned it)...Directed by the accomplished Austin Pendleton, there is a strong sense of honoring the playwright’s intentions within his direction....Overall, while the pace and dialects are uneven at times, the Pearl's production of 'A Taste of Honey' is a fair revival of a rarely produced play."
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Theater Pizzazz
September 21st, 2016

"‘A Taste of Honey’ has endured the test of time both for its strikingly evergreen themes as well as its powerful, well-constructed monologues…Its central themes are as alive today as they were almost 60 years ago…Director Austin Pendleton’s smartly-crafted staging allows the play to easily transcend its era and present an immediacy to the audience…Seeing 'A Taste of Honey' is an opportunity to see, in a beautifully written play, that the more things change, the more they remain the same."
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Stage Buddy
September 22nd, 2016

"The dimensions of the Greater Manchester dialect, not an easy undertaking, are accomplished at a pace that while occasionally wandering into Scotland via Liverpool, hook onto the pivotal cadence of the wittier exchanges, of which there are plenty...Botchan plays Helen with a likability that is less apparent on the page...Director and all-rounder Austin Pendleton, together with a great cast, have successfully revitalized a time and a place that prefaced the ‘British Invasion.'"
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Exeunt Magazine
September 20th, 2016

"The play may have the occasional dated reference but the issues and urgent voices within it remain vital and moving. However, Pendleton’s uneven production does not offer the best showcase…In this production, there’s a self-consciousness to the performances that holds them back…Nevertheless, Delaney’s audacious writing still thrills. This rare revival offers an opportunity for the voices of these complicated women in messy relationships to, at long last, be heard."
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Broadway Blog
September 22nd, 2016

"'The Pearl' production...adequately conveys Delaney’s world but there’s very little about it that’s distinctive. For one thing, the actors’ regional British accents are too notably inconsistent to create a truthful North English atmosphere. For another, despite the energy expended, most of the actors are unable to convincingly embody their roles, making the play’s two hours and twenty minutes feel much longer."
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Times Square Chronicles
September 19th, 2016

"'A Taste of Honey' is no longer revolutionary; it is almost 3 hours of boredom...For some reason, Mr. Pendleton likes to draw out his plays and the end result is just tedious. What makes this show worth watching is the lead actress. Brockman is a spitfire whose vulnerability and strength shines through...'A Taste of Honey' needed to be cut, re-shaped and seen in a different light. Under this light it just pales."
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W
September 22nd, 2016

"Dialogue is effective, characters well drawn...Though director Austin Pendleton does a superb job with natural characterization, pacing, and stage visuals, he makes, to my mind, two mistakes that annoyingly interfere with dramatic impact...It’s as if Pendleton were insecure about the piece standing on its own...Acting is wonderful. Accents are excellent (and intelligible, not a given.) Unique physicality is well crafted."
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TheaterScene.com
September 30th, 2016

"The work surprisingly resonates with our contemporary culture and social issues today...The acting is mostly effective...Theatergoers who have never seen this play should take advantage of this opportunity to see it staged with sensitivity by Pendleton. Pendleton, who has made a name for himself for his treatment of the classics, proves once again that he can dust off an old play and make it come alive for a new generation."
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