Downtown Race Riot
Downtown Race Riot
68

Downtown Race Riot NYC Reviews and Tickets

68%
(102 Ratings)
Positive
50%
Mixed
38%
Negative
12%
Members say
Disappointing, Great acting, Slow, Absorbing, Intense

About the Show

Chloë Sevigny headlines the New Group's world premiere drama which offers a snapshot of a time not so different than today, when a new social freedom ran smack into the forces of reaction.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (102)

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674 Reviews | 126 Followers
76
Better than the rewiews on here suggest

See it if You want to see a gritty drama with a great set and very believable characters

Don't see it if You are looking for something light Read more

408 Reviews | 86 Followers
75
Absorbing, Fast-paced, Character-driven

See it if you're more interested in character-driven plays than an elaborate plot. The play moved along quickly and had some great moments.

Don't see it if you're looking for a gripping story. The focus is more on the family dynamics between a junkie mother and her two kids.

305 Reviews | 60 Followers
75
Great acting, Great staging, Profound, Upsetting

See it if you want to see a show about hoodlum kids living in 1970's Greenwich Village and the effect their actions take on their friendship & family.

Don't see it if you don't like violent plays about misguided youth and friendship trying to survive in a hostile world of the 1970's.

144 Reviews | 29 Followers
75
Intense, Underrated, The stage is too wide!

See it if You want to watch an intense mood brought on by complex teen social codes

Don't see it if I see the criticisms but I thoroughly enjoyed watching this one

126 Reviews | 26 Followers
72
Great staging, Slow, Intense

See it if you love Chloe Sevigny! And you go for anything that recreates the 70s. It's both slow and intense, but satisfying in the end.

Don't see it if you only go for stellar writing and perfect acting. This is "good enough" but not a must-see. Read more

192 Reviews | 24 Followers
71
Dizzying, Edgy, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Resonant

See it if you really like Chloe Sevigny and just have to see her on stage.

Don't see it if you don't want to see a family drama pretending to be a political story.

248 Reviews | 66 Followers
70
Ambitious, Disappointing, Edgy, Slow, Dated

See it if You want to love and hate a show at the same time. It explores relevant topics, but only superficially. It aims to shock, but doesn’t.

Don't see it if You want a payoff at the end of the show. Everything felt kind of weighted down—like even the actors were kind of bored.

256 Reviews | 86 Followers
69
Clowns downtown

See it if Fun to view the new batch of talent. Five young actors in showcase roles. Sevigny is somehow a draw, more for her name than actual talent.

Don't see it if Must be in center section. Sides are a tough view. Read more

Critic Reviews (29)

Talkin' Broadway
December 3rd, 2017

"If you are going to push the envelope in theater, you really ought to make sure there is enough inside that envelope that makes it worth pushing...Despite the subject matter, the play fails to build in much tension or suspense...More of a sketch than a fully-realized dramatic work, and it is nearly lost in the plot threads that take us, maze-like, into too many starts and stops that lead nowhere...Nothing is developed adequately enough to hold our interest."
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TheaterScene.net
December 15th, 2017

“This overheated melodrama which goes on a bit too long takes on many important themes (racial hatred, drug addiction, petty crime, sexual identity, financial insecurity, etc.) without making any pertinent point about any of them. While the dialogue and the milieu are gritty, ‘Downtown Race Riot’ recycles a great many stereotypes and clichés.”
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CurtainUp
December 3rd, 2017

"The real story here is that the young actors surrounding Sevigny are terrific. Yes their roles are for the most part painfully clichéd, but they act the hell out of them...All of these good things cannot occlude the deficiencies in the play itself...Little that was placed in our face was in the service of much. It's disappointing. There could have been a lot more here than we got to see, and this is particularly unfortunate since the production is blessed with great acting and astute direction."
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Theatre is Easy
December 3rd, 2017

"What makes Sevigny such an arresting actor is her relentless honesty...Elliott conducts this brilliant cast like a virtuoso maestro with Sevigny as his concert master...The impeccably choreographed stage combat is startling and alarming...Rosenfeld’s play is brilliant in its honest understatement. He never resorts to melodrama or sensational histrionics. His characters are just simple people trying to survive a dangerous world and doing what they can to escape its harsh reality."
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Theater Pizzazz
December 3rd, 2017

"Rosenfeld’s heart-thumping play demands that you pay attention...Ingenious directing by Scott Elliott brings this play to a level of authenticity that begs to be admired. Pace, delivery, structure – it’s tough to fault any of it. The gritty tale also boasts razor-sharp dialogue...This dynamic production is a refreshing take on much-discussed topics – and the way Rosenfeld has tied together threads of different colors in 'Downtown Race Riot' is a true testament to his story-telling prowess."
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Front Row Center
December 8th, 2017

“Not only set in 1976, much of this new play by Rosenfeld feels like it was written in that era as well. It flows along with a distinct Landord Wilson vibe...The first hour is a captivating slow burn, then it goes a little off the rails, then it blows up in your face...There are a lot of balls in the air here and the always fine director, Elliott, juggles them skillfully...In lieu of a gratifying climax...we are left with an unsatisfying, wordless fade to black.”
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Stage Buddy
December 4th, 2017

“A gripping family drama...This retelling has some lovely performances lead by Chloe Sevigny, whose proximity to her audience serves to amplify her authentic portrayal…Rosenfeld’s take on Greenwich Village’s denizens is hard to watch, for some of the right reasons…The plot is based on a true story, unpretentious and candid…Sevigny is effortlessly authentic…Temperate direction by Scott Elliott informs the pace for the evening, assisting the younger unseasoned players as best he can.”
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Front Mezz Junkies
December 5th, 2017

“Directed with focus and clarity...While the cast do their job with intensity and focus, the play never really feels urgent or dangerous...It doesn’t register as fully authentic...The real emotionality is lost in the overly wordy dialogue...The ending just left me wanting a tiny bit more to chew on...'Downtown Race Riot' never feels entirely real or as edgy as what we can read about that hot summer day out on the streets of downtown NYC. It never feels like this 'Riot' gets going.”
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