Actually
82

Actually NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(68 Ratings)
Positive
96%
Mixed
1%
Negative
3%
Members say
Absorbing, Relevant, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Great writing

About the Show

Manhattan Theatre Club presents Anna Ziegler's deeply felt, comic, and thought-provoking play about two students who meet at a raucous party during their freshman year at Princeton.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (68)

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367 Reviews | 40 Followers
96
Great acting, Great writing, Intense, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if you are interested in the age-old issue of responsibility. The reference to The Cruclible is extremely apt. Timely and relevant material

Don't see it if you do not want to be challenged and potentially angry/upset. The "funny" is fleeting; the pain and damage is persistent and forever

304 Reviews | 37 Followers
92
Great acting, Funny, Clever, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if The most refreshing and smartly written in a while. Adorable and funny characters.

Don't see it if You had enough of environmental doomsday stories and can't surrender to a sweet Romcon.

485 Reviews | 92 Followers
92
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Great writing, Entertaining

See it if you ever wondered how reality and confusion often get mistaken for each other.

Don't see it if you would rather believe what you think you know instead of opening yourself up to ALL the facts of the situation. Read more

56 Reviews | 32 Followers
92
Great acting, Great writing, Thought-provoking

See it if you want to see a quick-paced intimate show about two complicated young people struggling with a situation they'd rather not be in.

Don't see it if you need to have a clear resolution at a play's end. This is about each character's inner life, revealed mostly via intersecting monologues. Read more

76 Reviews | 13 Followers
87
Absorbing, Clever, Funny, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you want to see great performances and an absorbing story.

Don't see it if you don't want to see a show that is "inconclusive".

87 Reviews | 37 Followers
85
Edgy, Refreshing, Relevant, Masterful, Well written

See it if You are concerned with issues of sexual misconduct, harassment, false allegations and the reputations of unwitting participants,

Don't see it if If you aren’t open to all the possibilities of the discussion about these so present and pressing conversations.

193 Reviews | 31 Followers
85
Absorbing, Great writing, Intelligent, Relevant, Resonant

See it if Anna Ziegler always worth seeing..short-to the point interesting story line--provides food for thought

Don't see it if You can't follow a non-linear story line in play to the very end...much back and forth may leave viewer unclear on what's happening

292 Reviews | 62 Followers
85
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Intense, Resonant

See it if You are looking for a thoughtful piece on a difficult topic

Don't see it if Rape is a difficult topic for you

Critic Reviews (23)

The New York Times
November 14th, 2017

"Blain-Cruz’s high-gloss minimalist production makes a great deal of sense moment by moment but cannot seem to accrete meaning and value as the story keeps lurching around...And the actors, called upon to switch gears constantly, have a similar problem maintaining credible characters. Boone keeps enough in reserve to smooth over the role’s inconsistencies, but Socha is stuck making hairpin turns on unmarked roads. To say she doesn’t crash is high praise."
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Time Out New York
November 15th, 2017

"Director Blain-Cruz and her two sharp actors infuse this talky piece with energy and urgency, and Ziegler’s meticulously detailed script is more than occasionally funny, despite its serious themes. As Amber and Tom unravel the knotty threads of their fateful interaction on an unadorned stage, our sympathies are repeatedly tested. 'Actually’s' subject is politically charged, but its focus is squarely on the human beings behind the headlines."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
November 15th, 2017

“Ziegler’s taut, devastating new play, directed with a deft, unsparing sense of forward motion...A smart, profoundly painful exploration of the murky, treacherous sexual culture this country is mired in...‘Actually’s’ wit and its intelligence are part of what makes the complex darkness at its center hit so hard. There is brightness in this play, and in these people, and to see its sparks overwhelmed by such fearful and familiar shadows is shattering. In moments, it’s even revelatory.”
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Deadline
November 28th, 2017

“Blain-Cruz’s exquisite staging underscores Ziegler’s devotion to a kind of dramatic fair play...Absent stacking of the deck against either Amber or Tom, they emerge as complicated young people determined not to let their ambiguities undermine their conviction about what happened that night. Understanding all that is what gives the terrific actors a dreamlike power in which a gauzy truth gradually and painfully comes into sharp relief.”
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The Hollywood Reporter
November 14th, 2017

"It's a compelling and provocative subject whose dramatic potential is only fitfully realized in this talky effort, consisting largely of monologues...It's a technique often used by the playwright...But here it feels lazy...It's in the infrequent instances when the characters do interact that ‘Actually’ actually clicks...Despite its stylistic drawbacks...the play feels incisive and smartly observed. As superbly played by Boone and Socha, the characters register as sympathetic figures."
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Theatermania
November 14th, 2017

"A gripping portrait of campus rape that frustratingly misses the wood for the trees...Impressively, Ziegler has created what feels like real individuals in Amber and Tom, something that comes across clearly in Socha and Boone's layered performances...Unfortunately, in devoting much of the play's energy to developing nuanced characters, Ziegler glosses over some crucial questions...I didn't leave conflicted, but sad: ‘Actually’ isn't really a reevaluation, but a reminder."
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BroadwayWorld
November 14th, 2017

“Ziegler’s absorbing and thought-provoking new drama...There's a surprising amount of character-driven humor; the kind that deals with the normal anxieties...without ever undercutting the seriousness of the situation...The major strength of Ziegler's storytelling is that she seems less concerned with having viewers take sides than she is with having us feel the mutual tragedy of the situation and be more concerned with discussing how such matters can be prevented.”
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Lighting & Sound America
December 5th, 2017

“Ziegler keeps turning the screw, adding details that constantly force us to revise our opinions of the characters...Under the sure directorial hand of Blain-Cruz, neither Boone nor Socha tips the author's hand, presenting each character's argument without fear or favor and leaving us to puzzle out for ourselves the truth...The staging is as lean and swift as the writing."
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