Heartland (59e59) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsShow-Score Member Reviews (64)
See it if you enjoy challenging topics being delivered by incredible performers. The writing is simple, but extremely powerful. Loved it! Resonant
Don't see it if you are looking for light entertainment with no thought provoking difficult themes. Also, don’t see it if you are easily triggered
See it if an EXCELLENT show that seamlessly weaves a beautiful story of honest portrayals of complex lives thru war, love, loss, learning and growth.
Don't see it if You want a fluffy play…a comedy or a musical. This is top notch entertainment. I was really impressed with this but it was serious! Read more
See it if you want to be pulled through a rollercoaster of emotions, from happiness and sadness to outage and respect. The acting is superb.
Don't see it if you want something flashy, talk of faith/war upset you, bilingual scripts confuse you, or you don't like shows that start light & end heavy. Read more
See it if you like shows about refugees
Don't see it if you dont like family issues
See it if you want a show that gives you a slice of life, a life most of us aren't really aware of.Very touching.Gorgeous set.Well worth seeing.
Don't see it if you prefer rom-coms.This is a play that is serious but not turgid.Go see it!
See it if political plays with important questions interest you. The Geva theater company should come to NYC more often, it did a great job.
Don't see it if you do not want to see an intense drama or do not care about what is going on in the world. Read more
See it if Play made me invested to point of tearing up at end. Deep yet universal issues-family vs love vs ideals. Makes you think-oft best u can ask~
Don't see it if You'd be offended at the one stop responsibility solution for the Afghani war placed on USA. Great to be challenged & have mind opened.
See it if You are interested in a story of 2 generations and 2 nationalities + how they connect + pull apart. The countries are the US and Afghanistan
Don't see it if You have no interest in these 2 countries and how they are inextricably linked now and in the past.
Critic Reviews (5)
"As Dean has written these characters, though, they don't really expand much beyond their functions as allegorical emblems...As a result, 'Heartland' comes off as an adult after-school special: something that is 'good' for us, even if it is less than memorable dramatically. The three performers do what they can to bring this glorified history lesson to life...Much of the play's impact relies on the conviction the actors bring to their characters."
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The trouble with Heartland is that the characters seem to have been shaped to fit the plot, rather than the other way around, resulting in a drama that feels contrived and preachy… Overall, Heartland is a well-intentioned piece undone by its tendency to sermonize and spell out its idea. It is so convinced of its own right thinking that it leaves the audience with little or nothing to discover for itself.
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"On the one hand, it is a tender love story that unfolds in the midst of war. On the other, it is cry of rage against one aspect of that war, a 'j'accuse' aimed at agencies of the United States government that, in the interests of national security, added fuel to the fire that has blazed for decades in Afghanistan. With 'Heartland,' you cannot get one without the other...The scenes in Afghanistan, where Geetee and Nazrullah meet, are as sweet and warmhearted as in any well-written romantic comedy, and love proves that it can bloom under even the harsh conditions of a battle zone."
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While Gabriel Jason Dean’s Heartland is an enlightening play about Afghan culture mentioning the classic poet Rumi and the contemporary novelist Atiq Rahimi, some of it will still be opaque to American audiences. On the other hand, it also reveals how American involvement in other countries may have the opposite effect of that which is intended. The fine production, however, makes this a compelling though subtle story of an extended family in its understated way.
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"Hope blooms even in the darkest and cruelest of times in 'Heartland'...The dark moments cast a quick shadow over the play, like a cloud moving over the sun. Under the direction of Pirronne Yousefzadeh, however, the play is primarily playful and snappy, and most scenes are infused with tremendous humor."
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