Consider the Lilies NYC Reviews and Tickets

62%

(18 Reviews)

Positive

45%

Mixed

33%

Negative

22%

Members say

Great acting, Disappointing, Slow, Ambitious, Indulgent

About the Show

Tony nominee Austin Pendleton stars in House Red Theatre Company's inaugural production, a world premiere love story with tragic consequences.

Paralyzed by the fear of getting old, Paul (Pendleton) is a legendary, lonely, alcoholic painter engaging in reckless behavior. His younger actor-turned-agent, David, struggles to return Paul to his former glory. These soulmates face their demons together, creating a strong yet volatile bond, leading each to perform desperate acts for love.

Member Reviews (18)

Emotional well-acted needs editing too long

See it if Gay alcoholic artist struggles with self-doubt and obsession with handsome agent. Austin Pendleton is a treasure. Eric Davis fine as agent

Don't see it if Seems like an early draft. Two minor characters could be cut. I also liked Peter Collier as the cocky young artist.

Disjointed, Great acting, More than a tad misogynistic

See it if you want to see the masterful Austin Pendleton in a play he feels strongly about, as well as a solid performance by Eric Joshua Davis.

Don't see it if you're looking for a cohesive plot or a well written female character, and you have no patience for themes that take you in multiple circles Read more

Disappointing, Extremely slow moving

See it if you like Austin Pendleton.

Don't see it if If you like a play to keep your interest and not keep repeating the same theme.

Cliched, Banal, Indulgent, Slow, Overlong

See it if You're an avid fan of Pendleton & up for a repetitive, unresolved, nearly 3 hour mellow-drama with art-world clichés; rarely rings true.

Don't see it if You expect a developed exploration of the author's disjointed program statement regarding art & identity, self worth & conformity. Read more

Ambitious, Clever, Great acting, Great staging, Masterful

See it if A full- performance by a master actor/director intrigues you

Don't see it if You expect a fully polished neat ending type of play

Banal, Disappointing, Excruciating, Slow

See it if You love Austin Pendleton and can sit through two and a half hours of slow moving mostly drivel to find a few good lines in his scenes

Don't see it if You want a well-edited, well-directed and well staged production - most of thus is really slow and lacking in theatrical substance

Reconsider alert

See it if AP fan, no cost or friend/relative in cast.

Don't see it if Playwright poor director. Contrived situations prevail. 2:45 unduly long given material. Same material covered in every scene. Laggard pace. Read more

Ambitious, Thought-provoking, Slow, Intelligent, Interesting

See it if you might be interested in a story about an aging "bitter, bisexual alcoholic."

Don't see it if you don't like Austin Pendleton or want to see something light.

Critic Reviews (6)

"A sprawling shambles of a play. It is sorely in need of serious pruning, shaping, and revision…Kudos to Austin Pendleton and to Eric Joshua Davis for their efforts at breathing life into their respective, if poorly developed, characters. But there is way too much repetition, tangential conversations, pointless meandering episodes, and odd bits of business, so that the time drags on considerably until the play finally comes to its end more than two-and-a-half hours after it began."
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"Fitfully entertaining but ultimately exasperating, Stuart Fail’s unwieldy drama 'Consider the Lilies' is enlivened by the venerable Austin Pendleton’s captivating performance...Fail has a facility for lively dialogue with numerous setups and punch lines that land. However, there is also a lot of stilted exposition and lengthy, stiff philosophical discourses...Fails’ direction is straightforward but doesn’t inject much energy."
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"While Fail has a talent for dialogue and witty one-liners, the first three-quarters of his play lacks action…For my money, the play is worth sitting through if only to see the excellent scene between Collier and Pendleton. But Fail would do very well to take another look at his script in order to rid it of much that feels extraneous, including three whole characters and at least an hour of run time. As it stands, Pendleton’s graceful performance and million-dollar smile is worth every penny."
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“If ever a play needed sharp direction this is it; instead, the play's structural weakness is exaggerated by Fail's egregiously sloppy staging on a bland, shabby-looking set of beige apartment walls, amateurishly designed and even more amateurishly lit by S. Watson...Fail's pacing is ragged, his actors seem to be blocking themselves on the fly, most scenes lack dynamic tension, there's a laughably phony beating, and, sadly, much of the acting is inadequate.”
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"Fail flirts with a lot of subtextual plot possibilities, but it all left me puzzled or disinterested. Still, Pendleton amuses as always and newcomer Peter Collier, who appears as a wise-ass, aspiring, and punkish young artist in the second act, had genuine spark."
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"Austin Pendleton didn’t disappoint here, but he’s the main element of interest…The characters are given to repeating in claustrophobic loops rather than advancing. Themes are introduced such as abandoned children and uncaring parents, and new characters are brought in to keep the drama going...But the situations and language veer toward commonplace (the play could benefit from a red pencil.) The resolution is arbitrary, whether you see it as positive or negative."
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