Angel Reapers NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (35)
See it if You like movement to tell a story.
Don't see it if if you don't like dance.
See it if you want an intense production. Complex choreography steal the show. Study the history of Shakers to make full sense of the show.
Don't see it if like dancing and/or religious themed plays.
See it if you enjoy experimental theatre without a clear narrative, or you're interested in an "old world" kind of atmosphere.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy experimental theatre.
See it if if you are a student of Shaker dancing which was really good and dominated the production
Don't see it if you like a plot
See it if You want to see a show and don't want to think about anything. This is a very intense show with clever interpretive dancing.
Don't see it if You want to see a show with a strong storyline. There isn't much of a story and all of it is through interpretive dancing.
See it if you like performance art
Don't see it if want to hear dialogue and enjoy a plot and conclusion.
See it if you enjoy inventive choreography, skilled dancing and dresses designed to billow out to make the women look like angels
Don't see it if you want to see dance integrated into a show that provides insight on individual Shaker characters, to engage audience; this doesn't
See it if You like experimental work with an interesting setting.
Don't see it if You want your theater with a firm through line and strong story.
Critic Reviews (25)
"The dance movement is beautiful, but the pas de deux pairings, which occur periodically throughout the piece, are exquisite. They evoke longing, confusion, and conflict which estranges these worshipers from their own humanness...A spirit of connection and collaboration is deftly depicted on stage in the performances as well as evoked in almost every component of the production’s other creative contributions."
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"Much of this piece is about the longing to connect, but refreshingly it also reflects their belief in connecting, however structured and strict — they lived, worked, danced and worshiped together and as much as possible drew these elements into a communal life...I would not even consider missing this. It’s not only a fully realized piece of history, it’s dance at its best. At its best dance talks to us in ways nothing else can. There is no other way to tell the story of the Shakers."
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"The welcomed revival of 'Angel Reapers' is an important and engrossing study of the dynamics of the theological matrices of the Shakers and other faith systems...The outstanding ensemble cast of actors, dancers, and singers, under Martha Clarke’s inventive and assiduous direction, rehearse with chilling authenticity just how sublimation fails to keep at bay the repressed id...If there are answers, they will be addressed in the remarkable and must see 'Angel Reapers.'"
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"Derived from the ecstatic nature of Shaker worship, the dancing involves lots of impressive stomping and whirling and shaking. To the extent that there is a plot – and there isn’t really — it’s presented through movement...Still, one can enjoy Martha Clarke’s choreography, and respect the effort of the creative team and performers, but nevertheless feel let down that the result is not a more layered and informative work."
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"‘Angel Reapers’ is slow warming up as the performers demonstrate their worshipful behavior in dance and movement; there are periods where the sameness of the visual elements and music, while lovely, grows dull...Happily, despite the lack of a plot, drama eventually appears, in relation to frustrations inspired by the sect’s sexual restrictions...A male homoerotic attraction as well as a lovemaking sequence involving partial female nudity offer brief, if questionable, transgressive moments."
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"There is no central plot to the piece. This is a work that celebrates the visceral–religious fervor, spiritual strife, and, yes, furtive sexual coupling...It is the dancing that carries the story...All of it is performed with sublime skill by the six women and five men in the cast. The production is greatly enhanced, as well, by encapsulating set, costume design, and lighting, all of which serve the dance elements splendidly and pull the audience into the heart of things."
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"What is wonderful about this piece is the rhythmic stamping feet on bare floorboards. Ms. Clarke’s choreography is inventive, interesting and simple, but never reaches a climax...The dancers are uniformly wonderful and the direction by Ms. Clarke well done...For me separation between church and theatre is blurring this year and watching sex in what is supposed to be a service is a turn off."
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"Clarke devises fascinating moves of longing for her company of 11 actor-dancers. Bodies twist around each other and explode in rhythmic outbursts. There is a thin sliver of narrative with bits of storyline...The company is intensely fluid and expressive, employing scant back history to convey three-dimensional people...'Angel Reapers' is a mood piece more suited for dance fans than theater aficionados who expect a more robust story with their choreography."
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