Dry Powder
77

Dry Powder NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(127 Reviews)
Positive
82%
Mixed
14%
Negative
4%
Members say
Great acting, Intelligent, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Funny

About the Show

The Public Theater presents the world premiere of a new comedic drama about the people shaping, and skewing, the American economy, starring John Krasinski, Hank Azaria, and Claire Danes.

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Member Reviews (127)

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716 Reviews | 157 Followers
82
Absorbing, Clever, Thought-provoking, Funny, Intelligent

See it if you like intelligent theatre dealing with current issues, enjoy comedies with meat, are a fan of Clare Danes & John Krasinski

Don't see it if a complicated idea like leveraged buyouts makes you squirm, don't like business/economic stories, or aren't a fan of the financial industry

650 Reviews | 284 Followers
79
Expert portrayal of greed/absurdity of high finance

See it if /for brilliantly capturing Mitt Romney's private equity world and the moral blindness and humor inherent in its testosterone-laden dynamics

Don't see it if /since portrays world in two dimensions (wall street/bad, main street/good)/characters with limited emotional range; predictably money wins

635 Reviews | 237 Followers
83
Absorbing, Entertaining, Great acting, Confusing, Intelligent

See it if You're really interested in seeing yet another Wall-Street-is-bad play.

Don't see it if You didn't like The Big Short or similar films/plays.

535 Reviews | 488 Followers
80
Relevant, Incisive, Great writing, Compelling, Disturbing

See it if you want to see a very incisive, very contemporary take on the relationship between money and values.

Don't see it if a bit of finance jargon will bore you.

488 Reviews | 316 Followers
55
Quirky, Intense, Banal, Disappointing

See it if You want to see the celebrity actors. You like short plays with no intermission.

Don't see it if You've already had a day at the office. Most of the play takes place in business meetings.

479 Reviews | 262 Followers
79
Absorbing, Intelligent, Funny, Terrific acting, Clever in-the-round staging

See it if you enjoy plays by a fresh new writer. I look forward to seeing Sarah Burgess's next play. Also, if you enjoy/understand finance.

Don't see it if you do not understand finance.

459 Reviews | 117 Followers
75
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Relevant, Entertaining

See it if you want to see a terrific cast and first-rate production values.

Don't see it if you are expecting to learn anything new or significant about private equity firms.

406 Reviews | 188 Followers
89
Relevant, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Clever, Intelligent

See it if You enjoy watching great actors deliver a well-written play about a current topic. It is both funny and dramatic at the same time.

Don't see it if You cannot pay attention to intense non-stop dialogue. If you need hearing assistance , get the device before the play begins.

Critic Reviews (30)

The New York Times
March 22nd, 2016

"These people may live their jobs, but watching them do so does not have infinite appeal, unless you enjoy clucking at amorality for 100 minutes…If there’s an element of stiffness in Danes’s nonetheless tartly funny performance, it probably derives from a glaring lack of nuance in the character...For all its flashy talk, 'Dry Powder' mostly brings us the unsurprising news that the folks who work in the higher realms of high finance are very, very interested in making lots and lots of money."
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Time Out New York
March 22nd, 2016

"The play's depiction of class and consciousness is more nuanced than it may seem at first. Burgess conveys not just the language of the high-stakes game she depicts—financial jargon is woven nimbly into the snappy dialogue—but also the differing mindsets of its players…The play makes sharp points about the power and limitations of protesters, but its focus is on Wall Streeters’ view of themselves...'Dry Powder' feels extraordinarily timely."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
March 22nd, 2016

"What is troubling about 'Dry Powder' dramaturgically is that almost none of its crises or challenges arise from character. Rather, they arise from externally induced plot developments...That 'Dry Powder' is nevertheless a fully engrossing and entertaining play is a testament to Burgess’s terrific dialogue and to the beautifully paced and acted production...If only the excesses of our beautiful free-enterprise system were as amenable to correction as a promising young playwright’s!"
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The Hollywood Reporter
March 22nd, 2016

"Thoroughly unsurprising...That's disappointing, as a lot of A-grade talent has been assembled for this vigorously acted world premiere…The twisty financial details are mapped out with admirable clarity in Burgess' writing, but that doesn't make it any less predictable…Kail distills the drama into a fast, fat-free staging…The actors have a firm grasp of their characters and bring plenty of bite, which keeps it engrossing and often quite funny…But this is an unrewarding, one-dimensional play."
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Variety
March 22nd, 2016

"A frighteningly funny play…It falls to director Thomas Kail and his diamond-cut cast to make this dry subject enthralling and horrifying…Danes’ cool characterization of a businesswoman with ice in her veins is harsh, but very funny. The showdown between Jenny and Seth may seal the fate of Landmark Luggage, but it’s only the plot, not the point of this timely play, smartly directed by Kail with focus and efficiency."
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Deadline
March 22nd, 2016

"Burgess writes smart dialogue that crackles…There are echoes of Caryl Churchill and David Hare in the theme of corporate dehumanization...'Dry Powder' lacks the concision and the devastating rhythmic patois in Mamet plays, a ruthless poetry. That makes for a very long unbroken hour and three-quarters…I suspect the actors will loosen up as the run continues, but at the critics’ performance I saw they seemed uncomfortable and stiff, as if exploring the play in an early reading."
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New York Post
March 22nd, 2016

"Sarah Burgess’ play doesn’t quite rise to the level of its deluxe cast and director. It takes a while to get going — too long. The show’s first half bogs down in pseudo-important business talk…Krasinski and Danes comfortably play to their strengths…But the show itself belongs to Azaria, who’s scarily believable as a manipulative Master of the Universe…You only wish the actors — and the playwright — toyed more with ambiguity. In the end, the characters do just what you’d expect of them."
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New York Daily News
March 22nd, 2016

"'Dry Powder' is a dramedy about finance dusted with cynicism that’s an inch thick. That’s about as deep as Sarah Burgess’ slick, timely, well-acted but predictable play goes…Credit Burgess, a relative newcomer, for her fast-paced script…The play’s talk of leveraged buyouts and business lingo is ever accessible. Direction by Thomas Kail cranks the tension and entertainment value to the max…But superficial and stereotypical characters nag."
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