Becky Nurse of Salem NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsMember Reviews (91)
See it if you are up for a fun take on the Salem witch story characters. It also packs a powerful message on opioids.
Don't see it if you want a dazzling set - there are a lot of scene changes here done by the cast. A bit long for the content.
See it if fan of Diedre O'Connell, can stand an abusive, angry stubborn main character, curious about Salem's history, mix of dreams and reality
Don't see it if an out-of-control know-it-all title character turns you off, don't like references to supernatural, don't like tidy unearned happy endings,
See it if You enjoy Deirdre O’Connell on stage — she’s in every second of this and is terrific.
Don't see it if You’re looking for the next great Ruhl play. This is solid, but lacks the heft and depth of some of her previous work.
See it if you want a pretty good show that is elevated to terrific by the amazing Deirdre O'Connell.She is worth seeing in anything.This show is good.
Don't see it if Play was a bit dull.It sort of dragged.But O'Connell is so good that I didn't care about the material!
See it if You want a fresh take on the Crucible and witch trials. Creative, spiced with intellectual humor. Very entertaining.
Don't see it if You are not open to new concepts in theater. Show was bit weird but then again it’s a show about witches.
See it if you are looking for a new, interesting, and unusual play about the Salem Witch Trials told through the misty eyes of a descendant.
Don't see it if witnessing Deirdre O'Connell work her own magic on stage doesn't interest you. You have no idea what you will be missing. SHAME ON YOU! Read more
See it if Curiosity
Don't see it if Quickly overstays its welcome. Could have been so much more.
See it if You would enjoy seeing a dark comedy with decent actors. A bit slow and over the top at times but for the most part kept my interest.
Don't see it if You would prefer a more cogent and faster paced comedy.
Critic Reviews (14)
"The play spends two hours dancing around a vaguely defined feminist message...It hasn’t figured out the spell that will bring real magic to the stage."
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"3/5 Stars. Sarah Ruhl seems to be interested in the ways in which historical hysteria gets echoed in today's highly polarized America, but some of her parallels...are more convincing than others...Although director Rebecca Taichman elicits solid performances from most of the actors, she doesn’t manage to smooth over the tonal shifts...Even so, Deirdre O'Connell works wonders."
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"This [point] serves as a reminder that neither historical nor current witch hunts were ever about the supernatural, but about the very natural experience of being a woman with power."
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"I couldn't help thinking about the art of meme creation as I watched Sarah Ruhl's 'Becky Nurse of Salem'...It's clear that Becky Nurse isn't driven by the objectives of its characters, but the motives of its author."
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Becky's problems are many and varied, including some notably poor personal choices, and her story is an uneasy mélange of comic, dramatic, and magical elements spiked with textual exegesis and feminist commentary. Its plot is less than persuasive, its comedy surprisingly mild, and its ideas often too obviously imposed on the action. It's a witches' brew that probably could have stood a little more time bubbling in the cauldron.
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"The off-the-wall plot twists notwithstanding, the adventures of Becky Nurse provide us with a delightfully offbeat evening of theater in the company of some first-rate actors. And that's witchcraft of the finest sort."
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"Too bad the author hasn’t used more of her own first-rate playwrighting witchery for this Arthur Miller-like political indictment."
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"O’Connell effortlessly navigates Becky’s highs and lows, not to mention forays into basic witchcraft. She is, in a word, spellbinding."
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