The Edge of Our Bodies NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (32)
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.
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.
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
See it if Great acting about deep issues
Don't see it if If you aren’t interested in emotions.
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.
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.
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.
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)
"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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?"
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"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."
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"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."
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