Daphne's Dive NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (91)
See it if You want a beautiful, emotional drama about life, pain & finding comfort in others. Samira Wiley is excellent.
Don't see it if If you prefer shows that are more plot-heavy. This play is more driven by character and relationships than events.
See it if you enjoy family sagas set over 18 years, good acting that keeps characters alive, want to see Pulitzer winner Hudes' newest work
Don't see it if plays set in bars bore you, you are expecting something major or momentous,
See it if You Liked American Airlines last season. Like thoughtful theatre. Like good acting. Appreciate flawed but good writing.
Don't see it if Set=disaster. Created for another space? Major Flaw. Why create a one sided set 4 a play performed two sides. Too big for space. Detracts
See it if you enjoy small theatre vibe
Don't see it if you expect something big
See it if you want an intimate slice of life dramedy by a fabulous writer
Don't see it if you want light, easy breezy.
See it if a complex portrait of an immigrant family chasing the American Dream and local politics over the past three decades is of interest.
Don't see it if You are lazy about thinking about how the current political environment is really a past and present experience too many are still living.
See it if you respond to character-driven plays and enjoy stories than span more than a decade.
Don't see it if want plot more than atmosphere.
See it if you enjoy small plays about big ideas. It took a while to get into it, but once I did, I found it absorbing.
Don't see it if you like a lot of action in your plays. It's very talky, but appropriately so.
Critic Reviews (28)
"As much as the ancillary characters help define the community that we follow for 17 years, their sheer multitude makes it difficult to invest in any one journey...We get brief visuals that hint at the characters' inner lives….As Kail demonstrated with 'In the Heights' and 'Hamilton,' community rapport is his specialty, and he builds another convincing example at Signature Theatre…Hudes, Kail, and their accomplished cast have made 'Daphne's Dive' more than the sum of its parts."
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"Much of Quiara Alegría Hudes' 'Daphne's Dive,' chronicling seventeen years in the lives of the regulars who gather at a cheap North Philadelphia corner bar, may seem familiar. But the writing is warm and inviting and director Thomas Kail's very strong cast makes this new drama worth a visit...Without a continuous plot, 'Daphne's Dive' is more of a portrait of lives realized through a collage of events."
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“It can't be said that Hudes has entirely mastered the chronicle format as, too often, the really good stuff tends to happen offstage...Still, ‘Daphne's Dive’ is never dull, the people are likable...Worth seeing for Samira Wiley alone...It's a remarkable performance...More pleasant than powerful, but it makes for a reasonably lively night out; as theatrical cocktails go, however, it has a few too many ingredients to make a strong impression.”
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“To put a metaphoric spin on her title, she dives into these characters pasts and presents, pain and passions. The result is a believable but hardly a feel-good portrait of an era showing a group of people trying to help each other...Under Mr. Kail's direction, the cast taps into the play's most powerful moments….While an intermission would interrupt the script's flow, that flow would have been improved by tightening the script to lose about ten minutes."
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"A thoughtful ensemble drama about finding home in an unconventional place...Not primarily plot driven, the play serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas...Despite the heavy subject matter at times, there are a lot of laughs to balance it out...Kail has woven together a lovely multilayered production...While the structure of 'Daphne’s Dive' is a often predictable, it is a compassionate chronicle of the rewards of community."
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"'Daphne’s Dive' is inhabited by seven people who come to vibrant life, thanks to a superb ensemble cast and the woman putting alternately poetic and fiercely realistic words in their mouths: Quiara Allegria Hudes…Director Thomas Kail lets the piece unfold at its own pace, which may feel a little too leisurely for the show’s first 15 minutes. But the momentum builds...Kail and his crackerjack cast ensure that we always believe that these people are deeply connected to each other."
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"'Daphne’s Dive' is one of those plays that makes you wonder if anyone read it before they decided to produce it. While the characters are the exact ones we need to see more often on the stage, the play itself was a surface offering. This play told me about these people but never let me in. Kind of like a chef who describes the dish she is about to prepare but forgets to bring it to your table. I want to taste the food."
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"Wiley’s performance is intense and passionate...Her performance keeps the audience connected throughout. The rest of ensemble is top-notch as well...The writing explores each character’s story, the struggles and losses, and delves into complicated motivations...With so many conflicts, Hudes does not always delve deeply into each, but the ensemble rises to the challenge...Hudes’ latest work is an unapologetic and brave look at America."
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