Dan Cody's Yacht NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (137)
See it if Character driven stories that explore real problems interest you.
Don't see it if realistic linear plot lines with political themes bore you.
See it if opening scene/rich father tempts middle class teacher 2 abandon integrity is intriguing; fine set helps flow of scenes
Don't see it if motivation of father 2 help teacher obscure; full of cliches about rich vs. middle class; riff on Gatsby falls flat; histrionics in acting
See it if You know it's troublesome when the best recommmendation is the revolving set Actors strive for some believability aboard this sinking ship
Don't see it if Problematic is a passive/aggressive compliment for the obnoxious drama Heavy handed treatment of topical issue Hughes' usual lame direction
See it if You love topical, current plays that weigh both sides of an issue — in this case, wealth/privilege with respect to education.
Don't see it if You want to see another tepid, average MTC play that will appeal to their old, white, wealthy subscriber base without ruffling feathers.
See it if you like a good cast; plays about education, privilege, inequality and morality
Don't see it if you have seen enough plays on this topic; you want to understand the motivation of the businessman toward the teacher and her daughter.
See it if you like shows about social issues of class, education, individual betterment.Acting is mediocre.Main characters' actions are unbelievable
Don't see it if you want a coherent, believable story.Plot doesn't hold together, doesn't match characters as we know them.Set is interesting.
See it if Rick Holmes gave a terrific performance. He is fun to watch.
Don't see it if The play was such a cliche and had nothing new to say beyond, rich = bad, poor = good. Facile.
See it if willing to think a bit deeply but also want to sit back and enjoy and deftly-acted production about parental sacrifices and responsibility.
Don't see it if seeking the unexpected; dislike linear dramas about prestige, privilege, and playing games with people; annoyed by pushy and elitist people. Read more
Critic Reviews (30)
“If the setup seems a bit reductive and possibly condescending, just wait...Means to be a truth-telling thought experiment about wealth and opportunity but never gets close to a credible argument. Worse, it seems to have caught a bad case of entitled obnoxiousness from its main character...It would be hard to overstate how unlikely this plot is...Logical holes in the plot, so gaping that they make you wonder whether ‘Dan Cody’s Yacht’ is meant as satire.”
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"The revolving wood-paneled set is an apt metaphor for the stiff and repetitive 'Dan Cody’s Yacht.' Anthony Giardina’s drama attempts to humanize the hot-button topic of economic inequality but...it is less a play than a polemic...These characters have no relation to real people; they’re mouthpieces for oft-argued political positions, pressed into a narrative filled with plot holes and blind spots."
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“A relevant topic worthy of exploration, but the darkly comedic drama feels like a sociological treatise in search of a play...Despite the play's provocative elements, little of its plotting rings true...Hughes provides a smooth production...Bush is highly appealing as the morally conflicted Cara, and Holmes is so charismatic as the smooth-talking Kevin that you understand why people fall sway to him. But their efforts are not enough to prevent ‘Dan Cody's Yacht’ from eventually sinking.”
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“Timely, fast-paced and, alas, frustrating, the new play ‘Dan Cody’s Yacht’ sails into the choppy waters of American privilege...Is see-worthy, it’s not watertight. Or always plausible...There’s a nagging leak at the center of Hughes’ fluid and well-acted production...Since Rick’s behavior is the main plot, the fuzziness effectively beaches 'Dan Cody’s Yacht.'"
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“A set of stakes that are never convincing enough to make us see his story as anything but a thought experiment in an overly controlled vacuum...Perhaps if these things were unequivocally true, we'd feel the pressure that the ‘Incorruptible Cara Russo’ feels to corrupt...Rather than a story about a moral bulwark manipulated by a flawed system, we get a story about a gullible woman manipulated by a domineering man. We've seen that story before, and I think we're ready for a new one.”
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"Director Hughes' sharply played mounting of Giardina's biting and discomforting social commentary...It's been said that privilege is the state of not being concerned about issues that don't directly affect you, and Giardina's observant, darkly comic piece debates the boundaries of such concerns, to the point where financially secure white liberals in the audience may find themselves squirming a bit."
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"One of the prime virtues of 'Yacht' is its recognition that not only the privileged are inclined to circle their wagons when faced with fundamental change...So much of the play is turned over to the endless back-and-forth between Kevin and Cara that he risks coming off as a nag and a bore...The devil should be more appealing than this; otherwise, what is the point of sinning? This is nothing against Holmes whose work here goes a long way toward giving Kevin some necessary shading."
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“So well played and well written that it surprised the audience...Heavily expository...which is why the play takes a while to jell...Giardina skillfully keeps us entertained while laying the groundwork for the Act Two payoffs...Giardina's dialogue is both heightened and natural...In a cast without a weak link, Whyland's Angela stands out...Chalk it up to Hughes, whose direction, as usual, cultivates a wealth of character detail without being showy about it.”
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