The Edge of Our Bodies
Closed 1h 25m
The Edge of Our Bodies
68

The Edge of Our Bodies NYC Reviews and Tickets

68%
(32 Ratings)
Positive
53%
Mixed
38%
Negative
9%
Members say
Disappointing, Great acting, Absorbing, Slow, Indulgent

About the Show

This unique coming of age solo show follows 16-year-old Bernadette, an aspiring young short story writer, as she journeys through New York City and teeters on the verge of adulthood.

Read more Show less

Show-Score Member Reviews (32)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
246 Reviews | 18 Followers
92
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Must see

See it if Very well written early Rapp that is at times lyrical and poetic

Don't see it if basically a one women show but it pulls it off beautifully.

286 Reviews | 23 Followers
90
Absorbing, Great acting

See it if You want to watch a fabulous actress carry an absorbing, dark and deliciously penned tale.

Don't see it if You want something especially theatrical - this could easily be an audiobook.

665 Reviews | 125 Followers
82
Clever

See it if You enjoy the writing of the greatest playwright ever.

Don't see it if You are expecting a normal Adam rapp type show. This is a solo show Read more

180 Reviews | 33 Followers
79
Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Great acting

See it if Great acting about deep issues

Don't see it if If you aren’t interested in emotions.

276 Reviews | 38 Followers
75
Clever, Entertaining, Quirky, Raunchy

See it if You liked Catcher in the Rye; this is mostly a gender-flopped that, even down to an awkward hotel room sex scene.

Don't see it if You don't like unreliable narrators, Catcher in the Rye, or teenagers who think they're sophisticated and grown.

408 Reviews | 86 Followers
72
Absorbing, Disappointing, Slow

See it if you are interested in a solo show about a teenager trying to connect and find some excitement in her life in desperate and unhealthy ways.

Don't see it if you don’t like solo shows or were hoping for something more thrilling or insightful. The stage design was dark and noir, but story was not.

267 Reviews | 52 Followers
71
Great writing, Ambitious, Great acting, Slow

See it if You like dark, confusing solo shows with great acting and an absorbing story.

Don't see it if You are looking for something light, or don't like solo shows and minimalistic productions.

66 Reviews | 15 Followers
70
Ambitious, Disappointing, Quirky

See it if You are a fan of Catcher in the Rye.

Don't see it if You have a little patience for teenagers.

Critic Reviews (17)

The New York Times
April 11th, 2018

"A coming-of-age tale, we're meant to believe. Yet from its first moments it seems a retro variation on another theme entirely: a familiar male pipe dream revolving around a girl...It's a head-scratcher to be staging it post-#MeToo...Mr. Rapp, who absolutely can do better tosses in some references to Jean Genet's 'The Maids', and toward the end reframes events with a dramatic device. I'm still not buying it."
Read more

Time Out New York
April 10th, 2018

"Malloy is alone on stage for almost the whole play, skillfully walking a fine line between brainy sophistication and adolescent longing...An impressive feat of acting on Malloy's part...Rapp plants seeds in the script's early scenes that lead to later dramatic reveals but draw more attention to the playwright than to the character he's created; despite some genuinely affecting and haunting moments, 'The Edge of Our Bodies' feels like a theatrical stunt-the kind a girl like Bernie would love."
Read more

Theatermania
April 10th, 2018

"An aching look at the depth of the human heart...However, despite an inventive, looming production, the piece itself never stops resembling a short story that Rapp decided to turn into a play but forgot to make theatrical...A descriptive story whose conceit works against the theatricality Rapp is forcing upon it...Might not register very well as a play, but Molloy, Stone, and this production find their way into it from the inside out, and create something indelibly human in the process."
Read more

BroadwayWorld
April 12th, 2018

"This is a coming of age story like no other. The show stars Carolyn Molloy who performs Rapp's well-crafted dialogue superbly...Carolyn Molloy delivers a compelling performance as Bernie, the dramatic teen who is trying to make sense of the world around her...'The Edge of Our Bodies' is a refreshingly honest show that is relatable for people of all ages."
Read more

Lighting & Sound America
April 11th, 2018

"Whatever one thinks of 'The Edge of Our Bodies' -- and, despite some baffling theatrics, it contains a great deal of beautiful writing -- it is a golden chance to make the acquaintance of Carolyn Molloy...She seizes the stage with her first sentence and retains her grip until the stark finale...The only thing separating 'The Edge of Our Bodies' from a literary reading is a baffling pair of devices...Even when one wants to resist Rapp's writing, it is nearly impossible."
Read more

TheaterScene.net
April 13th, 2018

"Jacqueline Stone, who also directed the Chicago production in 2016, has allowed Molloy to use the same reading voice throughout which eventually becomes tiresome. Part of the time Bernadette's story sounds like something remembered in recollection, part of the time she sounds like she is living it at that moment. Which is it? Having told us that she wants to be a short story writer, is this her first completed short story?"
Read more

Theatre is Easy
April 12th, 2018

"Rapp’s play is driven by an exquisite text and has a remarkable actor in the passenger seat...Beautiful. The text is exquisite and breathtaking...Essentially a live reading of a really good short story...Molloy is compelling, achieving theatre magic when she describes her encounter involving Marc...For a moment I forgot that the show is primarily a solo performance...Never self-indulgent or ostentatious, shedding just enough light to illuminate what he wants us to notice behind a thin veil."
Read more

Front Row Center
April 11th, 2018

"The audience had a hard time figuring out what was going on...We knew the character was telling us about an event in her life. But the trappings were so inscrutable, we spent more time trying to figure out the context then concentrating on her voyage...An uphill battle for Carolyn Molloy who did a terrific job of imbuing Bernadette with vitality and authenticity...By the end, I was confused and, frankly, mad. I felt I had been subjected to a test that had been set up for me to fail."
Read more