Daphne's Dive NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (91)
See it if You like beautiful writing, smart staging and careful acting. Beautifully executed!
Don't see it if You only see shows that take place in NYC or only see musicals.
See it if You enjoy seeing the dynamics of a family of origin and choice over 20 year time span
Don't see it if You want light entertainment. Your not able to be open minded about different life styles.
See it if you like real drama that makes t=you laugh and cry while it deals with real life issues
Don't see it if want to escape
See it if U want to watch a powerful story about a group of unrelated people who adjust to stages of life challenges over a decade Acting is superb!
Don't see it if You dislike the use of alcohol consumption Have no compassion Think some plays are too much like TV shows - get out more to see live acting!
See it if You like plays about the neighborhood - it reminded me of 1986-2000 in the West Bronx - For me the characters and daily melodrama was real
Don't see it if You want something light or comfortable - this is complicated and could upset or offend Read more
See it if enjoy a multi-talented cast.live the lives of real people
Don't see it if you do not want to hear about the sadness and happiness that engulfs all of us
See it if you want a play that tackles real-world issues and explores communities of color. See it for a strong performance from Samira Wiley.
Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with themes of abuse, violence, sexuality and alcoholism.
See it if you want to catch a brilliant performance served by Vanessa Aspillaga. The rest of the cast is great, too, but Aspillaga...wow.
Don't see it if you need your plays to unfold along a singular line of action toward a cogent conclusion, and not a more elliptical/evocative structure
Critic Reviews (28)
"A warm-spirited if loose-jointed new play…Hudes has a supple feel for characterization and a wide-ranging sympathy for life’s waifs and strays…Not all that takes place in 'Daphne’s Dive' strikes me as entirely credible…The play’s episodic structure can make it seem like a series of television episodes plucked from different seasons. But with hosannas being sung over the vaunted brilliance of television these days, to describe a play in such terms isn’t derogatory. It’s more like high praise."
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"A slow-burning, vibrantly sketched portrait of a scruffy North Philly booze joint run by love-scarred Daphne. Most bartenders listen to others’ problems, but Daphne’s cheerful reticence about her own demons makes us lean forward. Sweetly centered yet able to project panic and terror in a heartbeat, Aspillaga anchors Hudes’s episodic narrative, which spans 1994 to 2011 and is as much a portrait of a gentrifying community as a splintering group of friends."
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"Hudes has a fine grasp of the friction created by the social tectonic plates that shift according to the waves of gentrification and governance. Each of these characters is good company — there’s a distant echo here of 'Rent,' and not just because of Rubin-Vega’s welcome presence. It’s all beautifully calibrated under the direction of Thomas Kail...The performances are all of a piece but Wiley is outstanding...She’s an actress you cannot take your eyes off of; she shines."
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"Quiara Alegria Hudes' new drama begins in 1994 and takes place in a North Philly watering hole run by the guarded Daphne. Seventeen years bring dramatic and traumatic changes for the bar owner and her intimates...Working with go-to director Thomas Kail, Hudes serves a group portrait that packs compassion but lacks cohesion."
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“Hudes writes juicy dialogue for these colorful characters...and Rubin-Vega delivers her explosive lines with gusto. Wiley’s wide-eyed Ruby is also a joy to watch as she matures in grace and intelligence. But without a plot or something of consequence at stake, the play slips into the conventional vein of those static ensemble pieces set in diners, barbershops, hair salons, and bars. Not even director Thomas Kail manages to pump some life into that static genre format."
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"Hudes displays a strong feel for her well-drawn characters and their hermetically sealed milieu. But that doesn't prevent the play from feeling both overstuffed and undernourished, its melodramatic plot developments rushing by as if the playwright was checking off a list. And while there are some poignant, well-observed moments, too much of the dialogue feels forced and rambling. The piece has been evocatively staged by Thomas Kail and the performances feel fully lived-in."
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“Samira Wiley is first seen as a scrawny 11-year-old and is 29 by the end of the play. It’s to Wiley’s unassuming skill that she’s equally convincing as both...Warmly staged by ‘Hamilton’ director Thomas Kail, the show suggests a real sense of community, with people with whom you’d actually want to hang out...Daphne Rubin-Vega gives her best performance in years. Admittedly her character has many of the best lines but Rubin-Vega has a ball with them.”
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"You’ll rarely hear a theater critic say a show should be longer...But 'Daphne’s Dive' could use a little more length and a lot more exposition...Hudes and director Thomas Kail tackle a big chunk of time in 100 intermissionless minutes. But there are stories that beg to be told, and details that demand to be filled in...Hudes has created a group of characters that most anyone would want to share a drink with. One round just isn’t enough."
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