Familiar NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (119)
See it if you enjoy outstanding ensemble acting, and writing that can turn on a dime from making you laugh uproariously to bringing a tear to your eye
Don't see it if you don't like melodramatic last-minute plot revelations. This play is good enough that it could stand on its own without the plot twist.
See it if You came in the US long time ago and want to see how you're looking from the side
Don't see it if Just see it
See it if This show has a great cast that acts up a storm but the subject matter was not really that engaging. The set was amazing and the audience me
Don't see it if You don't like living room comedies.
See it if So well done, this play is engrossing and enjoyable. Certainly one of the best plays of the season. A strong ensemble and stand-out perfs.
Don't see it if No reason not to see this play if you love theater and great acting. This show has it all. "Don't see it"? *Do see it!*
See it if you enjoy shows about family dynamics and how in the end we have more in common than we think
Don't see it if you are stubborn about only seeing musicals
See it if a Kaufman-and-Hart-esque, ingenious, warm and funny play about diaspora, heritage, and family
Don't see it if you're looking for something formally edgier-- it's a delightfully old-fashioned drama with a fresh political perspective
See it if Have an open mind and have no issues with nudity.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with cultures other than Americans. If you are xenophobic.
See it if You like shows that help you learn about other cultures and see things you thought you understood from a different angle.
Don't see it if You're not interested in seeing any kind of multi cultural family.
Critic Reviews (41)
"This lively, overstuffed new play runs the gamut from sitcom to high drama...The mood gradually darkens and the revelation of a shocking family secret changes everything...Taichman has nimbly steered the actors through the change of tone. The strong ensemble acting succeeds in making the specific seem universal...The humanity and good humor went a long way toward making me willing to overlook some of the holes in the plot. It’s far from perfect, but well worth seeing."
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"'Familiar' is affecting...What makes this play special is that Gurira constantly throws in little twists that turn what could have been caricatures into more complex characters...The acting under Rebecca Taichman's nimble direction, is all-around fine...This is one case where I'm celebrating the play more than its players. For Gurira has shone a light on parts of both the black and the immigrant experiences that too often get overlooked."
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"The play is busy, and over-populated...but it also takes an amusing, compassionate look at an issue that should resonate with people of many different backgrounds...With so many characters the show sprawls...Toward the end, a shattering revelation is tossed in from left field, abruptly darkening the tone of the play. 'Familiar' certainly has its flaws. But, well-acted and exuberant, it does capture the possibilities for fun and fury when you’re a hyphenated American."
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"A well-told immigrant-family drama... It’s not just familiar names that make this two-act story about assimilation, tradition and identity comforting and rewarding—it’s how universal the story, finally, seems...The gold in Gurira’s relatable immigrant story is an insistence on even-handedness and a dexterous way of introducing characters who gradually blossom into complex individuals, with motives anyone can appreciate and respect."
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"'Familiar' finds Gurira seamlessly blending farce, social provocation and old-fashioned melodrama to create a thoughtful, tremendously entertaining whole...The first act is a marvel...The second act is more conventional, and contains a few revelations about the characters' pasts that strain credulity. But the director and the superb cast keep all of this barreling along, scoring big laughs the one instant and making incisive observations about racial and generational differences the next."
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"'Familiar' has too many characters and too many shallowly-developed story lines...Yet there's a lot to like. A play about well-off African immigrants and the conflict they feel when faced with poorer, more traditional relatives is refreshing to see on stage — and it's an engaging idea. Plus, much of the first act is very funny...The play isn't helped by surprisingly stilted direction from Rebecca Taichman, who's work is normally very fluid. Mostly, this feels like a missed opportunity."
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"Danai Gurira's penned a terrific story about the emotional struggles of an African family who moved to America...Mr. Tippett and Ms. Tunie take the top slots in this play among an already great cast of actors...Ms. Gurira needs to tighten this leaky ship, however. Too long. Far too many unexplored paths dropped on us and never quite explained...A very entertaining look at a not-so-familiar problem within the context of family."
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"With its confession-packed climactic scene, 'Familiar' is about as American as it gets...In this, the play doesn't surprise us so much as fulfill expectations (by the end, we're all waiting for family secrets to erupt). Unlike the protagonists in many such dramas, though, Gurira's family keeps moving and finds a way to laugh. The gentle surprise, here, is not in the confessing but in the carrying-on."
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