Afterglow NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (265)
See it if IF you want to see the dynamics of what an open relationship for gay men can do to relationships, even if you think it can't happen to you.
Don't see it if Homophobic, don't enjoy deep stories about gay lives
See it if Searching for a show that will make you think & provoke conversation amongst your group be it part of the LGBTQ+ community or not.
Don't see it if adverse to gay themes or full nudity. Also, not for those under 15 years of age.
See it if You enjoy a new, interesting, unique style of staging. You are looking for a deep story of love and trust and betrayal.
Don't see it if You don't want nudity. You are looking for a large scale play. You don't care for a gay storyline.
See it if You like plays that move quickly through a plot but raise more questions than they answer and leave the ending ambiguous.
Don't see it if You don’t like to see full-on nudity on stage that is not entirely necessary.
See it if You are looking for a challenging evening of theatre that explores both the physical as well as the emotional sides of a gay relationship.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with graphic gay male themes and full frontal nudity. Read more
See it if Insight in to sex and relationships.
Don't see it if you don't want to explore the gay world of sex
See it if You want to see some great acting from a most of the cast and clever staging that supports a gripping story.
Don't see it if You're bothered by uneven acting from one cast member and a script that still has occasional kinks left to be ironed out.
See it if you enjoy gay theatre or theatre with intense, human themes. Good if you want something engaging that will leave you thinking and talking.
Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with nudity on stage. It is provocative, yet emotionally powerful.
Critic Reviews (18)
"The frequent nudity is so willfully carefree that it ends up looking forced...Gay domesticity is turning out to be tough to dramatize, as evidenced by such flawed shows as...‘Dada Woof Papa Hot’ and ‘Steve'...The soap-operatic 'Afterglow' doesn’t even reach their level...It has funny moments, albeit of the inadvertent kind...The best joke of all, intended or not, may be the sly jab at the cult of youth among some gay men: Josh is having a midlife crisis — at the ripe age of 30."
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"Initially stimulating but ultimately flaccid...The story becomes as predictable as a headache after a bender...Haagenson, Reilly, and Simpson do their best to rise above the limitations of the script, but they can't overcome the fact that none of these characters is particularly interesting...The most disappointing thing is that it seems to promise and then fails to deliver a thoughtful discussion of polyamory...In the end, the play leaves us not so much with an afterglow as an anticlimax."
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"The playwright, S. Asher Gelman, lets everyone speak his piece, exhaustively, with no cliché left unturned...If 'Afterglow' had been written with a modicum of wit, it might have made for a passable entertainment, but there isn't a single really amusing line over the course of two hours...What keeps 'Afterglow' passably watchable is the three talented young actors who -- very occasionally -- manage to endow these paper figures with something that passes for flesh and blood."
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"Insightful, highly theatrical and fiercely acted...Mr. Gelman’s scenario and plot developments are well observed and true to life in their predictability. Gelman’s dialogue is realistic and perfectly crafted with flavorful simplicity...Despite the inevitability of its finale, 'Afterglow' is quite engrossing. Its dazzling production elements magnify its achievements...The actors all give bold, brave and intense performances that transcend stereotypes."
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"Certainly Gelman has staged the play well...And the design is first-rate...Unfortunately, we end up with three people who are all kind of the same...Certainly the actors do what they can to add dimension...If at times the actors veer too quickly into heightened emotion, this is largely the result of Gelman’s script...The insularity and entitlement of all this is not only astonishingly tone-deaf, given contemporary conversations about privilege, but also makes for a weaker play."
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“A substantial drama with believable characters whose emotions are real and tug at the heart...Gelman skillfully creates three real people whose strengths and weaknesses make it difficult to judge their actions…Gelman leaves a great deal up in the air, just as such a situation would end in real life…Gelman directed his play to give each character his full worth. All the emotional ups and downs are clearly communicated. The play moves along with increasing speed to its finale.”
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"Although their are numerous scenarios that feel unnecessary and hard to believe, Gelman with his cast of three very beautiful and talented men know how to keep our attention...They play out their overly long and slightly melodramatic tale that delivers few surprises in story line and character development...The three actors are impressive though, turning the material into something that feels honest and heartfelt, even as it drags out the romanticism of the doomed pair."
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"The playwright, who also directs, has painted no obvious villains here, just, perhaps, a portrait of immaturity and poor judgment. If we feel for anyone, it is the unborn baby...The production benefits from Ann Beyersdorfer's cleverly constructed set...The play does not necessarily add to our growing understanding about gay relationships, except to point out how they are not necessarily any different from heterosexual ones."
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