Cost of Living NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (216)
See it if You like good writing and acting. Also, if you want to understand the difficulties that face disabled people on a daily basis.
Don't see it if You are put off by stories of people unlike yourself.
See it if you enjoy challening drama about a difficult subject. The committment of the actors is astounding. There were scenes that left me breathless
Don't see it if you like comedies or do not want to see a play about characters with phycial disabailites.
See it if You want to explore the nature of disability. You want to see differently abled actors playing realistic roles.
Don't see it if You have problems with brief nudity. You don't enjoy topical romance.
See it if you like good drama about people's emotions.
Don't see it if you want to see something light.
See it if You enjoy serious but touching story lines.good acting and actor/ character diversity.
Don't see it if You prefer sweet funny trivial plays.
See it if you love a good story that has surprises, discoveries, moments that are heart-breaking, and moments that are heart-warming
Don't see it if you cannot deal with watching people who have disabilities, or with people who have disabilities who are not otherwise perfect and wonderful
See it if You want an original story and a very well written, thought provoking play. So well done and brilliant acting.
Don't see it if You need to be engaged right away. It is a little slow in the beginning but picks up steam.
See it if you like interesting story telling. Absorbing and thought provoking. Nicely staged. Great cast.
Don't see it if you don't like emotional situations.
Critic Reviews (34)
"Through her at times raw dialogue, Ms. Majok shows us that everyone's life matters...The connections and emotion in the dialogue are fantastic...The actors themselves are both physically disabled (they are not acting) so the connections they are able to make are unattainable by just a healthy person sitting in a wheel chair. Jo Bonney likely had a very easy time directing these fine actors but I am sure she put her artistic stamp on this already fine production too."
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"The acting of all four, under Jo Bonney’s direction, is on a par of excellence. The show’s main difficulty lies not with the actors’ abilities, but with Majok’s play. Full of effective moments and often deeply felt, it lacks the connective tissue to make the interactions of its intriguing characters add up to a dramatic event...A series of touching moments that lead nowhere can’t quite be called a play. Almost—but not quite. It’s a pity, because Majok has a flair for character."
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"Skillfully directed by Jo Bonney...The rest of the play, despite some gripping moments, never quite matches the poetry and pow of its first few minutes...The play does not shy away from the difficulties of taking care of another human being...The play also does not shy away from revealing the 'differently abled' as difficult, prickly, and as hard to crack as the rest of us...It almost loses us—almost—but everything and everyone else is so absorbing and real that we’re willing to forgive."
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"A play about disabilities, cast with people who have disabilities, 'Living' stands out among a few like-minded productions...Jarring as it is to watch the characters in Majok’s new work struggle with the dailiness of their lives, her play makes life’s painful rigors transparent. Fortunately, she also imbues the experience with a sharply honed comic sensibility...Best not to spoil the outcome, but it is a tender, humanizing one, beautifully directed by Bonney."
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"All four characters are beautifully drawn-their strengths and their weaknesses are very well-written...I thought both relationships were completely realistic and the struggles were compelling to watch...The way the play depicted all of the characters as human, with egos and faults and prejudices...was terrific. And the play was terrifically funny at times as well...The acting was fantastic...I love a play that upends stereotypes and defies expectations. So I highly recommend 'Cost of Living.'"
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“Majok's play featured excellent dialogue and characters with unique voices, but missing was a semblance of dramatic action. I struggled to understand the thematic significance of the specific series of disjointed scenes presented...More like a collection of scenes for an MFA acting class without something tying these often juicy scenes together…The robust cast of four worked overtime adding in the missing pieces. The nuanced performances kept the audience engaged.”
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“The arresting quality of the extraordinarily unique ‘Cost of Living’ is undeniable. Moreover, many theatergoers (including this writer) might very well find themselves significantly enriched and educated for having experienced a performance of Martyna Majok's play, a metaphor for struggling and coping with loneliness…This is a finely drawn and penetrating play. The material is bold and its treatment is formative. Watching is nothing short of inspiring.”
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“An emotionally gripping, flawlessly acted and directed world premiere…‘Cost of Living’ is about survival, about compassion, about assertion of self no matter what the obstacles. It is about the nature of love not only for someone else but for one's own self…Wit, humor, in particular, are handy tools which John and especially Ani apply with consummate skill. Without cloying sentiment, Majok posits faith in the human spirit; its ability to survive; assert itself and in that assertion, thrive.”
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