Afterglow NYC Reviews and Tickets

"An insightful new play...While the characters approach these questions from very different angles, it’s easy to identify with each one. All three actors embody recognizable perspectives...Through candid emotional dialogue, Gelman demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the stakes in gay dating and relationships...It’s vivid and honest depictions like these that foster a greater understanding of the way we live now."
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"What makes 'Afterglow' fresh and riveting is the hand of the director, Gelman himself, and the performances his actors deliver...Gelman has cast well. The players fit the bill physically: his three leads appear to be in a race to stamp out body fat. But it’s just as important that they make the decency and good intentions of their characters apparent...Gelman is nuanced as both a director and a writer...An impressive calling card from a gifted new playwright and director."
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“Though ‘Afterglow’ is definitively part of this new gay canon and does in fact explore modern gay issues, it is certainly the least successful, significant, and wide-reaching of the bunch. Overall the show is a bit too melodramtic, oversimplified, and erotic to make any claims at having serious commentary on queerness…‘Afterglow’ is not necessarily a bad show, but it’s biggest faults are its lack of nuance and its lack of impact.”
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“‘Afterglow’ is the bittersweet story of a polyamorous relationship that ultimately brings emotional problems to the couple at the core. Beautifully acted by Brandon Haagenson, Robbie Simpson and Patrick Reilly, the play may be too slow or have too much nudity for some audiences—but it is well worth it. The cast brings honesty to the proceedings. You can fully feel the growing bonds between all three of these men, which gives audiences a real stake in the outcome.”
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“An innovative work that represents a new chapter in the American LGBTQ theatrical tradition...By placing the erotic moment at the beginning of the play, Gelman acknowledges the history of his sub-genre and moves beyond...Ultimately, the play, while having special appeal and resonance to a gay audience, speaks to all...All three members of the cast portray their flawed characters simply and honestly.”
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"The play looks honestly at gay intimacy, and asks if a committed marriage truly be open...Patrick Reilly as Darius is flawless, his character articulating the complexities of gay culture without descending into caricature. Robbie Simpson, as the more mature partner in the marriage, is a standout...I took off a star for the play’s last sequences, which drew out uncomfortably with long pauses of moody silence and brings the play’s brilliant momentum to a grinding halt."
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“This is Gelman’s first effort as a playwright and it shows. Although the plot is compelling, the occasionally insightful dialogue can turn wooden or preachy…'Afterglow' flirts with melodrama throughout...The actors do a solid job tackling demanding roles...Gelman’s dynamic staging helps mask the script’s limitations…Flaws aside, if the goal was to shine a brief light on the potential joys and pitfalls of queer polyamory, the overly ambitious ‘Afterglow’ succeeds as it titillates.”
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"What it offers, on the down side, is some vapid talk from adult gay men who at times express themselves like teenage girls, and, on the up side, eventual emotional payoff when everyone stops pretending and says exactly how they feel...The acting is uniformly fine here, with each performer pouring heart and soul into lines that don't always deserve it...Definitely provoked thought on the topics of sex, relationships and family as seen through a contemporary gay lens."
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