Can You Forgive Her? NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (166)
See it if financial issues scare the hell out of you, or the idea of not living up to who you thought you'd be as a kid scares you. Real, scary, true.
Don't see it if you want escapism from modern American economic malaise, or you're so judgmental that you'd write off complex characters for bad decisions. Read more
See it if You are interested in the effect of the economy on people and their relationships. You like shows that are primarily conversation
Don't see it if You have problems watching drunk or cynical young people. Read more
See it if you welcome frank, non-PC discussion of relationships between men/women and anyone/money or anyone/parent, and effects of them on choices.
Don't see it if you prefer large scale or musical/dance productions, light themes with minimal introspection, literary or historical subjects or linear plot
See it if You wanted a balance between playing by the rules, making the rules, and rules ruling you.
Don't see it if You only prefer extravagant musicals. Read more
See it if If you like solid plays that have a great ensemble of actors that examine deep seated feelings of loss and difficult relationships
Don't see it if If you want lighthearted plays that won't challenge your own state of mind
See it if You're a fan of great acting. Amber Tamblyn is fabulous. She can play any role. Go see this.
Don't see it if You have children with you
See it if you enjoy black humor.There are hilarious moments, but the show is quite dark.It's bitingly sarcastic and the characters aren't likable.
Don't see it if ..you prefer pure comedy or family-friendly fare. This isn't madcap comedy or slapstick.
See it if You enjoy plays that deal with themes of depression and "stuck" people unable to move on.
Don't see it if You're upset by sexual talk, the "F" word and absurdity.
Critic Reviews (29)
“The characters speak a kind of bad-faith dialogue, often mechanical or contrary to logic…‘Can You Forgive Her?’ does not, over the longish haul of its 95 minutes, make much drama out of its question mark…The tone is so wobbly that the play draws laughs when it wants to be taken seriously. The opposite is sadly true as well…Despite its perceptiveness about women and marriage today, the play as a whole suffers from the same self-cancelling vagueness as its heroine.”
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“Gionfriddo’s new play is called ‘Can You Forgive Her?,’ and after 95 punishing minutes, the obvious answer is no. We cannot forgive the playwright for a haphazard drama knocked together out of unbelievable situations. We cannot forgive the lame characters and thin dialogue…DuBois's direction has no zip or style…Barely a single thing on stage seems right: actors are miscast...The play lingers briefly and sourly in the mind, waiting to be forgotten—if not, you know, that other thing.”
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“Tanya and Graham are the central, and least likable, characters…Things get even less interesting with the arrival of David, an emotional blank who wouldn’t be worth our time were he not being played with a cunning edge by Frank Wood…The coincidences beggar the imagination…Ella Dershowitz grows harder and less sympatico...Darren Pettie all but disappears as Graham. Eshan Bay has wild eyes as Sateesh, but he isn’t threatening for a moment in this blunt-edged play.”
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"Life is all about hard choices. The same goes for this disappointing contemporary dark comedy...Over 90 minutes that feel longer, characters name-drop Robert Frost and Shakespeare and gab nonstop about choices, money, morals and class as they try to figure out their next moves. The evergreen themes are worth exploring. Too bad they don’t connect in satisfying ways."
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“A whimsical piece of work…For all its honorable ambitions, it turns out to be more of a party than a play…The banter between Graham and Tanya is clever and yet sober enough to make us think that we’ve got a handle on the playwright’s intentions...Miranda (Tamblyn) shows up and the whole play switches gears…All her stories are jaw-droppers…Despite DuBois’ savvy helming, none of this brittle conversation leads to a plot, let alone a resolution, but it is what it is—great gallows humor.”
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“This dark comedy proves far too inconsequential to justify spending time with its mostly unlikable, weightless characters…The play, sluggishly directed by Peter DuBois, sporadically succeeds in showcasing Gionfriddo’s talent for pungent dialogue...The charismatic Tamblyn provides much needed sparks and Wood garners consistent laughs…Their efforts are probably not enough, however, to prevent theatergoers from wishing they had made the life choice of seeing a different play.”
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“Not entirely cohesive, but it does give Gionfriddo space to break new ground on the topics she writes so well…Tamblyn makes an outstanding off-Broadway debut…Unfortunately, despite the glowing jack-o-lanterns that punctuate her entrance, nothing particularly haunting happens for some time following Miranda's arrival. We even forget the supposed stakes of the situation…The story does finally come to a chilling climax complete with spooky shadows and lighting.”
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"The dialogue has the hard, bright quality that marks it as the playwright's work, but the details are largely dreary, dealing as they do with absent fathers and incompetent, needy mothers...Tamblyn needs to work on her voice; she navigates the play's lengthy exposition on a single strident note...There are memorable moments...but too much of the time 'Can You Forgive Her?' feels rather flat and rudderless, a series of confrontations in search of a cogent theme."
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