City Stories NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (38)
See it if You enjoy listening to stories, and can't get enough of the British accent! See it if you like small, intimate theater.
Don't see it if You can't sit still in a folding chair!
See it if you enjoy a descriptive play that is told through excellent performances that manage to engage the audience. Amazing singer and pianist!
Don't see it if you're after a big, over the top cabaret production with glitz and glamour!
See it if You enjoy British love stories, or descriptive shows. It's told, not shown, but works fantastically
Don't see it if You don't like cabaret style theatre, or don't like lyrical monologues and fantastical events or love stories
See it if you are open to fluid, open-ended poetic stories that are romantic in origin but encompass highly individual and introspective experiences.
Don't see it if You need tightly pulled together plots; a dreamy mix of reality and reverie would try your patience; expository songs aren't your cup of tea
See it if you enjoy an unusual cabaret with beautiful and poetic stories accompanied by haunting and mesmerizing music. I was totally caught up in it.
Don't see it if you don't like story telling, poetry or a lovely woman singing sweet/sad songs in an interesting voice.
See it if wonderful creative great music and acting
Don't see it if you do not like things that are avant garde
See it if Quite original. Each story was poignant and interesting.
Don't see it if you don't like cerebral.
See it if you enjoy being told a story by people whose mere words paint the scene for you with soft poetic piano bar-esque music complementing same.
Don't see it if you dislike monologue heavy, thought provoking productions; seek a musical with flashy song and dance numbers; dislike female storytelling.
Critic Reviews (11)
"The London that exists in the mind of James Phillips, who created these six short plays is a wondrous, languid place made of silky metaphor...For this seductive and consistently well-acted production, Theater B at 59E59 is set up cabaret-style, which helps it seem only logical that each play is introduced by a singer accompanying herself on the piano. Mr. Phillips’s imaginative stories are also punctuated with thought-provoking observations."
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"The poignant stories have just the right touch of fantasy that leaves a great deal to the imagination…The music in 'City Stories' is the ideal complement and the prose is enthralling. Experience these fascinating journeys into longing, love and life."
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"James Phillips writes so beautifully that one wishes he would find more interesting things to write about. 'City Stories,' is filled with striking turns of phrase and observations that linger in the mind, but the stories themselves are marked by a whimsical, airy-fairy quality that can prove cloying…Gregory's lovely piano and vocal work consistently adds to the evening's introspective mood…It's strange to be so simultaneously seduced and irritated by a play."
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"Each of the actors in the ensemble is featured in at least two stories, and each play has been directed meticulously by the playwright, who made sure to spend time differentiating the roles his actors from one play to the other...A seamless production in many ways, Phillips’ latest is nothing short of ambitious, and Gregory’s music is the perfect companion. Thoughtful and engaging, the enchanting collection of English fairy tales known as 'City Stories' is a serendipitous affair."
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“Phillips’ inspired collection of plays defies cliche...Some of the narration drags on too long, and the script favors telling over showing. When pivotal moments are just passively relayed, sometimes their full emotional impact doesn’t quite come through...But the heart of this production is its relatable humanity...Combined with the scintillating score and eloquent prose, ‘City Stories’ is worth experiencing.”
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"If the back wall weren’t black but exposed bricks you might almost think you were in a comedy club, not an evening of contemplative, semi-dramatic, lightly comedic, romantically tinted, magically realistic, imaginatively metaphoric “Tales of Love and Magic in London,” as the evening’s subtitle puts it...Trimming five to seven minutes off each play would go a long way toward keeping everyone’s eyes open. Soothing your audience to sleep is no way to run a cabaret, even a theatre cabaret."
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"Every aspect of this production manifests the unities of drama like a well-crafted monument to creativity...The poetic writing, the distinctive characterizations, the heightened dialogue and the acute sensibilities of the actors who make us believe every important word they say is stark and real. This production is a must-see. I can’t rave about it enough and I am tempted to drop in another night."
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"The ensemble is full of strong and personable actors...The dreamlike quality that is an innate part of this piece also serves as a downfall from time to time with parts getting a little wordy and moments too drawn out. But more often than not the stories carry you to that enjoyable state of melancholy...The most beautiful aspect of the entire production, and its driving force, is the positively enchanting original music from Rosabella Gregory."
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