The Emperor Jones
Closed 1h 10m
The Emperor Jones
81

The Emperor Jones NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%
(94 Ratings)
Positive
93%
Mixed
5%
Negative
2%
Members say
Great acting, Great staging, Intense, Absorbing, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Irish Repertory Theatre revives Eugene O’Neill’s groundbreaking play about the rise and fall of Brutus Jones, a despot who ascends the throne using lies, intimidation, and the politics of fear.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (94)

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812 Reviews | 133 Followers
84
Ambitious, Absorbing, Clever

See it if you enjoy great theater, wonderful set and lighting and effective use of puppets.

Don't see it if you enjoy comedy or a happy ending.

441 Reviews | 88 Followers
83
Absorbing, Intelligent, Profound, Great acting

See it if Excellent production, well acted and staged. A quick 65 intense minutes!

Don't see it if You only like musicals and light drama.

624 Reviews | 152 Followers
83
Inventive, Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Intense

See it if you're interested in an atypical play by O'Neill and witnessing a man's descent into madness. Great acting by Obi Abili, great direction.

Don't see it if you're looking for a whimsical night of theater; you dislike experimental theater and/or the use of masks and puppetry.

398 Reviews | 120 Followers
82
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Intense, Thought-provoking

See it if You like an absorbing play that uses puppetry and dance to explore the subconscious of a black dictator. Obi Abili is remarkable.

Don't see it if You don't like dark plays that are dated in their language and racism.

273 Reviews | 36 Followers
80
Absorbing, Great acting, Riveting, Intense

See it if You like drama and intensity

Don't see it if If you don't like intense drama

186 Reviews | 36 Followers
80
Interesting, Delightful, Enchanting, Absorbing, Great acting

See it if You like O'Neil's old play with a puppet staging. Interesting and creative. Good acting too

Don't see it if it's difficult to understand the conversation sometimes

216 Reviews | 223 Followers
79
Great acting, Great staging, Intense, Creative, Great puppetry

See it if Intensely clever and creative theater with brilliant use of puppetry, dance and costuming, superbly acted by Obi Abili.

Don't see it if Do not enjoy heavy drama.

hw
292 Reviews | 54 Followers
79
Ambitious, Great staging, Intense, Thought-provoking, Resonant

See it if to see a surreal, mystical creation, not quite a play- about race and blackness, written by a white man a century ago. Fascinating.

Don't see it if you seek a structured evening of dialogue; there is very little. the play is mostly hallucination, and nearly a one-man show.

Critic Reviews (25)

This Week in New York
March 13th, 2017

“It’s hard to deny the sheer power of the play, which is both uncomfortable to watch and utterly captivating in this intense and intimate production…Abili fully embodies the role, his fear palpable…Murray makes Smithers a fine foil for Jones…Everyone involved deserves kudos…It might have been written nearly a century ago, but 'The 'Emperor Jones' can still shock, providing no easy outs, particularly in this poignant version that bookends the Obama years.”
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