Breeders NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (40)
See it if You want to see something really different that feels completely real and truthful and current about what is usually taboo to discuss.
Don't see it if You can’t walk up four flights of stairs. It’s worth the climb. I loved this show.
See it if You like a good play, well performed , absorbing and perfectly produced
Don't see it if You have an aversion to gay parenting or animal husbandry
See it if Human and hamsters exploring relationship issues, from amusing to horrifying. Don't expect cute: much darker than it sounds. A real find.
Don't see it if If you think it's for the kids.
See it if you are curious with the emotional dynamics involved with expectant parents -as reflected in the lives of a gay couple & a pair of hamsters.
Don't see it if you don't like gay couples & simulated animals on stage portraying relatable feelings & situations...and if foot fetish makes you squirmish. Read more
See it if Dark comedy about how the process of becoming a parent can make people crazy and change their relationships. Creative, deep and funny.
Don't see it if My college-aged kids disliked this play. Perhaps because they couldn't relate?
See it if want to see a great small show that has a chance to make it big
Don't see it if are looking for a big Broadway type production Read more
See it if you’d like an intriguing play that questions the possibility of unconditional love & commitment (but still manages to feel rather happy)
Don't see it if you think loving parenthood = most natural thing ever and it inevitably strengthens couples—suggesting otherwise is immature and distasteful Read more
See it if You enjoy relationship-centric comedies with a silly, surreal edge. You enjoyed the animal sections of You On The Moors Now.
Don't see it if You want a serious piece.
Critic Reviews (10)
"'Breeders,' though quite funny and thoughtful in parts, falters...Amusing for an instant, the parallels very quickly grow tiresome under Jaki Bradley’s less than light-footed direction. Worse, the satire deflates into whimsy. But things improve as the two stories, or at least the two pairs of actors, eventually start to interpenetrate...Giles has a good eye for satire and a twitchy ear for dialogue...What Giles hasn’t yet managed to do in 'Breeders' is transcend his cute gimmick."
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"Both nature and nurture take it on the chin in 'Breeders,' Dan Giles’s sly and keen-witted dark comedy...Scrappily directed by Jaki Bradley, 'Breeders' goes in unexpected directions: It includes a hilarious scene of deadpan violence, a soupçon of Greek tragedy and a kind of sex play I don’t think I’ve seen onstage before. At its heart is a cheeky inquiry into the naturalness of domesticity that transcends distinctions of species, sexuality and gender."
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"As the action of 'Breeders' shuttles back and forth between humans and hamsters, a feeling of ennui sets in: The decision to duplicate the conflict among differing species does little to add humor or dramatic interest. Mikey and Dean's endless, circular arguments quickly become grating...Bradley's direction does much to add some snap and pace to the action, but she can't prevent 'Breeders' from being an evening of neurotic fretting by four characters who hardly seem worth one's time."
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"Uneven but likable...The two narrative universes don’t really cohere. Still, the play has its entertaining and insightful aspects...There are plentiful comic one-liners and also sharp observations in Mr. Giles’ well-crafted dialogue...The tensions, concerns and sensibilities of the long-term gay couple all ring true, but interspersing these with the mildly entertaining hamster story feels like a strategic theatrical device that undercuts the main plot to no great effect."
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"A wonderfully quirky, elegantly crafted new play with some startlingly unsettling moments...It takes a lot to shock me, and shock me 'Breeders' did, on more than one occasion. Bradley’s direction does not shy away from these moments, allowing them the space they need to be fully understood. Thankfully she has some brave performers willing to take the risk...Giles’ play is smart. He doesn’t show all of his cards until the moment is right...This play is well worth your time."
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"A very funny play that commands frequent fits of laughter. However, at its core are Giles’ complex characters quietly suffering through their loneliness...Bradley is a good director because you don’t see her. What you see are actors with a clear understanding of the text, and a design team led by someone who empathizes with the play’s world and its complicated relationships...We are set free to laugh at the silly absurdity of our own complicated relationships and desires."
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"Giles has created a bunch of unique and very individuated characters...All while layering parallels of excitement, love, desire, frustration, and the nervousness that comes with the idea of approaching parenthood...The stories unfold seamlessly, skillfully shifting from one to another and somehow maintaining an authentic yet quirky tone that never seems to fall into ridiculousness...But like the bedroom scene that didn’t need to be there, the play lacks a big emotional payoff."
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“Giles's dialogue, deftly humorous on the page, too often fails to register on stage in Jaki Bradley's languorously directed production, played for quiet naturalism at such low energy you want to offer even the human characters nutrient pellets. There are cute moments scattered through the generally static action but the actors, despite the apparent honesty of their work, need more comic charisma to satisfy the play's demands.”
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