Come Back, Little Sheba NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (83)
See it if you've forgotten how emotionally fraught William Inge's brand of kitchen-sink realism can be... even here in his first play!
Don't see it if intense performances literally within arms' reach violates your sense of personal space.
See it if If you like period pieces, very well acted and directed simply.
Don't see it if You're in the mood to laugh. Read more
See it if you are a fan of Inge, are curious how this production differs from the film or other versions, want to see the play through modern eyes
Don't see it if you're not a fan of Inge or 50's drama, expect more action or don't like an immersive set that puts actors right next to you
See it if classic american plays about regret and societal expectations
Don't see it if light entertainment
See it if You want to see a classic play done very effectively. The audience is incredibly close to the action. I loved the set for this.
Don't see it if You want to see a fun short play. This is serious and long. No laughs in this one. Read more
See it if You would appreciate a good staging of an old classic. You like to analyze characters to understand the climax of the play.
Don't see it if You don't care for dated shows [1950's] or you find dramas about disillusioned older people depressing.
See it if You want to see an excellent production of a classic play
Don't see it if You are seeking a light play
See it if You are a completist when it comes to mid 20th century drama and like intimate productions.
Don't see it if You find turgid melodramatic slice of life plays irritating.
Critic Reviews (19)
"As long as people experience emotions of loneliness and regret, these dramas will still be relevant, as Transport Group's William Inge in Rep proves...Some refer to Inge's plays as dated, but I've never found that. The symbolism and parallels between the older and younger characters can be a little heavy-handed, but there is so much truth that still resonates. Cummings has placed both plays in an intimate setting, which makes the sadness even more palpable."
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“Performances feel exaggerated and artificial...Despite strong comic performances (that don’t succeed as well as they could because they lack the necessary dramatic counterpoint) from John Cariani, the cast fails to adequately plumb the plays’ deadly serious depths. When complex characters are not given their adequate due, they become one dimensional. 'Sheba' ends up feeling like an afterschool special about the dangers of ‘going all the way.’”
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"'Sheba’s' script—at least its first act—comes off these days mostly as clunky and overwritten...Transport Group’s new staging doesn’t do the script any favors by presenting much of the action in a broad, cartoonish way. Director Jack Cummings III frequently has his actors move in an overly choreographed manner...What happens to Lola should be devastating, and with Mac Rae it really isn’t. Kolinski, on the other hand, gives an engrossing, multi-layered performance."
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"Engaging and relevant...The desperate starkness of Inge’s plays is particularly relevant and challenging in this post-election era...Under Jack Cummings III’s direction, the members of the ensemble cast uniformly deliver authentic and believable performances...He chooses to direct 'Come Back, Little Sheba' broadly. There is no subtlety there and that detracts from the power of Inge’s script."
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"Mac Rae is perfect as the depressed housewife who longs for more. We see a truthfulness in her performance. Joseph Kolinski nails the desperation and longing that sinks him into oblivion. John Cariani is highly amusing as the two mailmen and the milkman...Jack Cummings lll’s direction allows Inge’s words to speak for themselves and that is the magic of the Transport Group. He brings these worlds up close and personal."
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"Sadly, everything in this production feels misguided...Seeing 'Picnic' and 'Sheba' back to back does neither show any favors. Their bland similarity is emphasized and lessens whatever impact each might have on their own...One after the other, 'Picnic' and 'Sheba' don’t evince recurring themes but simply feel like the same story done with a mild twist to make it seem new...The casting only emphasizes this...Happily, actors can make hay even with soapy material."
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"Revelatory reassessments of 'Come Back, Little Sheba' and, especially, 'Picnic,' perceptively directed by Cummings...Cummings’ productions rescue both 'Sheba' and 'Picnic' from the customary bonds of realistic staging...Liberated from their usual ultra-naturalistic trappings, both plays appear richer and more significant than in recent revivals; and the characters’ time-bound slang, as well as Inge’s occasional dramaturgical grandiosity, seem somehow outside time, rather than out of date."
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“Heather Mac Rae gives a beautifully calibrated performance as Lola Delaney…The triumph of Mac Rae’s portrayal is that she lets us see the beguiling young woman Lola once was...There is an essential sweetness, even an innocence that grabs our sympathy…Joseph Kolinski delivers a strong turn as Doc. The turmoil seething below the careful demeanor is always apparent, threading the play’s quiet, seemingly uneventful moments with a foreboding tension.”
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