Fiercely Independent NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (52)
See it if You want a play about a troubled married couple locked aeay for 24 hrs.
Don't see it if If you want a quality well written play. Slow, and boring.
See it if for the good actors doing their best with a script that needs work.
Don't see it if you want a fully thought out story line - leaves much to wonder about as characters need further development.
See it if intriguing situation: troubled couple spends 24 hrs in hotel 2 determine whether 2 stay together; 1st 30 mins dramatic back & forth
Don't see it if cliche-ish Husband/Wife complaints; after 30 mins play fails 2 build tension/ present insights into couple's diffs, so ending is, so what?
See it if u want the marital equivalent of watching paint dry: See an unhappy couple play a card game, order room service, dance a bit, whine & bicker
Don't see it if you expect the insight, drama, tension or psychological study of the Bergman film Scenes From a Marriage (which was an obvious influence). Read more
See it if Couple spend 24hours together to see if they want to stay together.
Don't see it if Its like been in a the therapy session. Not told the enough information about the couple, just that they are not happy with each other.
See it if tuning into fragments of a long, failed self-help therapy session for a failed marriage might somehow benefit you.
Don't see it if you can skip listening to 75 minutes of a couple bickering over—well, it’s not clear what they’re bickering over. Read more
See it if good acting 75 minutes subway right there interesting solution to major problem
Don't see it if subject needs additional input 75 minutes seats too tight esp. for the legs
See it if The actors are good & keep the play moving as best they can; topic is interesting and would have been more involving with a better script.
Don't see it if you want real insight into the breakdown of a marriage; I was not able to grasp what the actual problem was/why is Julie the injured party? Read more
Critic Reviews (7)
"So well written, so well acted and is overall an experience that people are not likely to forget. I loved every captivating minute of it. This is a rare kind of show that does not have a message or agenda, and does not seek to sway our opinions about relationships in any way; it is not meant to change, but compels us to simply watch and feel (with every emotion we can muster) - to attempt to understand the agony of a relationship on the brink of falling apart."
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"Let's talk about the talent: Gallogly and Smith are, in a word, fantastic in 'Fiercely Independent.' They listen to each other intently, their responses are spontaneous and natural, and their chemistry is evident. Even when they're not speaking, their inner dialogues are continuous and their intents are crystal clear. Gallogly and Smith are by turns playfully fun and painfully electric."
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"Caitlin Gallogly and Christopher M. Smith bring a strong sense of realism to their roles...However, neither actor can overcome the limited storytelling provided in the script...Rather than getting an engaging deep dive into a frayed loving relationship we get a tsunami of tedious bickering...Caitlin Gallogly’s layered performance is the best reason to see this world premiere of 'Fiercely Independent.' The work itself would benefit from a little therapy."
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"It’s not clear what relation the title of this play has to do with its content. There is nothing fierce about it...The story of incompatibility and confusion starts nowhere and ends pretty much in the same place...As Robert and Julie, Smith and Gallogly work very hard to create some sort of heat, but in addition to lacking ferocity, the narrative lacks arc...Of course, the script does neither actor any favors...A play that talks a lot but says nothing."
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"A mundane drama of marital discord. Something of a defanged Strindberg exercise, with its venom drained and its character insights and local color washed away…As the mercifully brief, 70-minute play advances, the actors-attractive, capable, and worthy of better material (she especially)-do their best to wring some life from their clichéd lines and situations. Johnson, acting as her own director…is unable to inject tension or a sense of dramatic progress into the action."
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"Johnson has striven for simple dialogue that spares the audience the excitement of major fireworks. For a play about the end of a marriage, there’s awfully few arguments and not much verbal conflict. The animosity simmers in the moments of silence, not in explosive confrontation...I’m not sure it makes for good theater...Without any dramatic highs or lows, however strategic the mundanity might be, the play strides a little too close to regular life."
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“In this highly naturalistic play, written and directed by Tony-winner Johnson, Julie and Robert attempt to save their marriage...Gallogly and Smith are both remarkable performers...It is easy, at times, to get ahead of the story. The story largely follows a predictable trajectory...The patterns of their arguments become easily traceable and the dialogue is nevertheless smart, naturalistic and occasionally hilarious."
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