Cost of Living NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (216)
See it if You like to see new dramatic stories about people with disabilities and their caregivers being told and presented on the NY stage.
Don't see it if You want to see something uplifting. Read more
See it if You're not offended by disabilities, sadness, interracial couples, cussing, brief nudity. Staging was nice. I cried, but, I'm biased. I wish
Don't see it if I didn't miss the 1st 15-min or else, i'd give it a 100... No reason not to see this.....
See it if You like to be challenged intellectually, and emotionally, enjoy great acting, and writing, and appreciate bravery.
Don't see it if You don't want to see a play about people with disabilities and their issues. It's not bleak, there's plenty of humor, but it is emotional.
See it if You like great, relevant drama with a sense of humor.
Don't see it if you like fluffy stuff.
See it if In relationships w/ disabled people and their caretakers, the stronger person isn't always who you might think. Deep themes, great acting.
Don't see it if You do not want to see severe disabilities, sexual issues/nudity, exploration of vulnerability and who needs who.
See it if You like sensitive dramas about struggling people with wounds and flaws.
Don't see it if You like mindless entertainment.
See it if You like plays with class consciousness that make you think
Don't see it if You need traditional plots
See it if you’re looking for excellent performances, intimate settings, and difficult subject matter handled well.
Don't see it if you can’t handle nudity or you are uncomfortable with medically complex situations. Read more
Critic Reviews (34)
"Slams the door on uplifting stereotypes...Majok has engineered her plot to lead naturally to moments of intense and complicated pungency...As long as the play doesn’t try to nail down its doublings, it remains immensely haunting. Bonney’s staging helps keep the tension aloft...When Majok aims for conventional cause and effect, that complexity suddenly flattens. 'Cost of Living' almost doesn’t recover. That it does is largely thanks to the cast, which is as powerful as any now on a NY stage."
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"There is a scene in Martyna Majok’s 'Cost of Living' that I will never forget...It’s a moment of sad, sexy, vulnerable beauty. Nothing else in 'Cost of Living' quite equals this scene...Although Majok raises salient issues of physical and economic disadvantage, the play is uneven, and the brief final linking of its two halves feels forced. It is inspiring and encouraging, however, to watch its two disabled actors push the boundaries of their bodies’ visibility onstage."
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“A bittersweet play…Sullivan is a riveting performer with a load of attitude…Jo Bonney’s carefully calibrated direction allows for smooth transitions in the shifting relationships between clients and caregivers…Sullivan gleefully guides Ani from savage insult to insult…By toppling old prejudices, Majok forces us to revisit our easy assumptions about people who really don’t want to be called ‘differently abled’ and caregivers who could use a little love themselves.”
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"Featuring superb performances from its four-person ensemble, the drama provides a piercing look at the obstacles faced by disabled people and the human condition in general...The play is not without flaws...It's confusing in its structure and chronology...But the characters, dialogue and situations resonate with emotional truth...Under the pitch-perfect direction of Jo Bonney, Williams and Abraham deliver deeply affecting performances."
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"A deeply human depiction of life with disability...The weakest aspect of 'Cost of Living' is that it never coalesces particularly well, the distinctly individual story lines feel like separate entities with a forcefully joined conclusion...But there's still a whole lot to savor, namely the way it doesn't condescend to any of the characters...Majok mines their senses of humor, diverse personality traits, and opportunities to be both likable and hateful...Sullivan is particularly excellent."
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“Although Martyna Majok's plays have been performed around the country, ‘Cost of Living’ appears to be her mainstream New York debut. Not only does she make difficult material theatrical, her ear for dialogue is impeccable. With intense and arresting performances by Jolly Abraham, Gregg Mozgala, Katy Sullivan and Victor Williams, ‘Cost of Living’ is a window on a world that will be new to most theatergoers. It has a great deal to teach all of us.”
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"'Cost of Living' is a gut-wrenching contemporary drama...Majok hasn't written stock characters for us to pity...Ms. Bonney has helped all these talented actors to bring their characters into believable life...The nonlinear storytelling is easy enough to follow and manages to build up to some unanticipated surprises. And Majok has not compromised her play with a Hollywood ending. Too bad that she did feel compelled to wind things up with an epilogue."
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“Everyone should see ‘Cost of Living.’ It’s moving and heart-wrenching and will even make you gasp in parts. But is it a great play? I find myself as conflicted as its characters…Majok gorgeously draws four fascinating characters, all of whom capture our empathy, and the nuanced and sophisticated performances make this an evening well worthwhile...The play feels as though its 'wheelchair-themed,' and lumping these two characters together just feels crass."
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