Anatomy of a Suicide NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(139 Reviews)

Positive

75%

Mixed

17%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Ambitious, Confusing, Absorbing, Intense

About the Show

In this US premiere for Atlantic, three generations of women's lives play out simultaneously. For each, the chaos of what has come before brings a painful legacy.

Member Reviews (139)

Intense, Clever, Overrated, Disappointing, Absorbing

See it if you're fascinated w stories of depression/despair/dysfunction/death. 3 generatns of destructn, shown overlapping (action/dialogue). Dizzying

Don't see it if you want hope; mental illness shown as intractable, inheritable. Clever staging, but info gets lost. Lots of smoking. Some robotic delivery.

Overrated, Thought-provoking, Slow, Indulgent, Ambitious

See it if Stories told at the same time. Suicide-depression and some good acting in it. Interesting story for the most part.

Don't see it if Gets slow at certain points. If you get confused easily. Must pay close attention to this one. Depressing at times.

Sad, Thought-provoking, Dizzying, Resonant, Absorbing

See it if 3 simultaneous stories emphasize how precariously the generations intertwine. Poignant contrast of life giving vs. taking. Terrific staging.

Don't see it if You won't enjoy an intense experimental format that you might find confusing. You don't want a sad/depressing subject.

Ambitious, Great staging, Great acting, Funny, Thought-provoking

See it if You want to broaden your idea of theatrical structure. Simultaneous scenes reflecting or echoing with subtle meaning. Impressive work!

Don't see it if If suicide is a triggering issue. Likewise related family issues. Three generations of women overwhelmed by well intended advice & instinct

Slow, Disappointing, Great directing, Confusing

See it if u want to see Off-Bway's arguably best director work her magic on a difficult text about a difficult subject. [Blain-Cruz is the star here.]

Don't see it if ur triggered by stark discussions/depictions of depression & suicide; u hope for a play that's revelatory, affecting or rewarding. Read more

Thought-provoking, Great staging, Edgy, Dizzying, Ambitious

See it if Blain-Cruz's staging is the star here; a family history of women's mental illness is either highly persuasive or highly pretentious You pick

Don't see it if Birch's fraught script has a unique structure that can pack a powerful punch; have patience Male hierarchy as possible cause is questionable

Important subject, Confusing, Busy, Uneven

See it if you're interested enough in the subject of depression, suicide & substance dependency in women to be OK with sitting through a flawed play,

Don't see it if graphic depiction of depression, suicide & substance dependency might be too upsetting for you. Read more

Thought-provoking, Quirky, Great acting, Confusing, Ambitious

See it if interested in ambitious structure, 3 great female roles, ability to figure out time frames & relationships, cross-generation motherhood tale

Don't see it if don't enjoy stories about suicide & frayed mother-daughter relationships, easily confused by simultaneous time frames & actors in many roles

Critic Reviews (19)

CRITIC’S PICK. "In ‘Anatomy of a Suicide,’ Pain in Triplicate: Alice Birch’s cleareyed and comfortless play follows three generations of women tethered to life by the thinnest possible filament."
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5/5 Stars. "The structure of the play is disorienting, at times even overwhelming. But Lileana Blain-Cruz's direction provides clarity amid the cloud of pain. The production is exquisitely timed and calibrated."
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"Horror Stories of Womanhood: 'Dracula,' 'Frankenstein,' and 'Anatomy of a Suicide'"
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"The director Lileana Blain-Cruz and her cast skillfully navigate the challenging setup, suggesting desperately interlocked narratives that, miraculously, never feel morbid."
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"Carla Gugino appears in the NYC premiere of this award-winning experimental drama about three generations of troubled women by 'Lady Macbeth' screenwriter Alice Birch."
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"In 'Anatomy of a Suicide,' Family Legacy Lives in the Past, Present, and Future: Alice Birch writes a clamorous symphony of inherited trauma for three generations of women in her new play at Atlantic Theater Company."
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"The director Lileana Blain-Cruz and her cast skillfully navigate the challenging setup, suggesting desperately interlocked narratives that, miraculously, never feel morbid."
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Alice Birch's new play begins as an exercise in organized chaos, gradually arranging itself into a triptych of tragedy covering three generations of women in a single family. It's a tough, bold piece of writing that proves troubling in ways both intentional and not.
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