How to Keep an Alien NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (24)
See it if for a heart-warming, laugh-filled take on romance. Kelly is a charmer w/ the gift of the gab. You'll root for her as if she was your sister.
Don't see it if you want big things from theater. This is a small, intimate piece in a barebones setting. I'd see this again, tho, instead of The Encounter.
See it if you like smart quirky shows that make you think about some ideas from some different points of view.
Don't see it if you don't like one person monologue plays, that's basically what this is.
See it if You would enjoy a humorous, touching autobiographical tale that is part theater, part standup comedy.
Don't see it if You want to see something darker or more dramatic. You prefer a larger ensemble than 1 lead and 1 supporting role.
See it if You enjoy a well delivered, funny story about one woman's personal experience.
Don't see it if You are a grouch.
See it if Like the Irish and/or love witty storytelling.
Don't see it if Are hard hearted.
See it if Even if you don't like one person shows. This is Irish storytelling/humor at its best. A little multimedia also mixes things up a bit.
Don't see it if You're looking for a show about UFOs.
See it if you enjoy whimsically told tales of personal experiences.
Don't see it if you prefer stories with lots of action, big casts and hugely dramatic conflict. This show is quieter and more charming than those.
See it if You want to see fresh themes in Irish theater, enjoy one actor shows done well,
Don't see it if You work for immigration enforcement
Critic Reviews (15)
"Ms. Kelly enhances her tale with the help of a spirited stage manager, Paul Curley, and a limitless supply of one-liners, many of them delicious...Her comic style varies nicely from straight-faced to vivacious, from deadpan to a pan that is very much alive, especially her irresistible, maniacal grin...Ultimately, the show doesn't offer much drama or conflict...Ms. Kelly’s greatest trial is a camping trip with her girlfriend’s family."
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"Kelly tells us the tale with complete unselfconsciousness, throwing herself completely both physically and emotionally into each new situation, acting each part and person perfectly...Hardly a fairy tale, Kelly has to confront her fears and ambivalences, figure out what she wants from her life and whether or not she has the guts to go for it. And she keeps us laughing and rooting for her the entire time. A love story for the ages. A writer and a performer to watch. Don’t miss it."
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"Directed by Gina Moxley, Kelly’s performance is funny to its core. The audience was kept in stitches as Kelly colors each moment of her bureaucratically challenged romance with hilarious insights into the process of falling in love...Despite the unending success of the show’s comedy, some of its emotional moments could have been more developed...Performed with comedic aplomb and wry freshness, 'How to Keep an Alien' makes for truly fantastic theater."
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“It’s a familiar conundrum, and a reliable source of rom-com fodder, which Kelly invests with wit and originality in her show…Kelly’s turns of phrase and her self-deprecating style make this a consistently hilarious performance, which also displays considerable emotional depth while sending up the boisterous conventions of stand-up comedy…'Alien' attests the transformation of Irish society, which has gone from quasi-theocracy to legalizing marriage equality by popular vote.”
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"A sweet, charmingly spun tale of modern love and state bureaucracy…The setup blends elements of traditional stand-up comedy and queer solo performance…With just some desks and bookcases for scenery, the production uses sound effects to create a vibrant, zany mood. But there are more reflective moments, too…Onstage, Kelly cuts an affably geeky figure, deftly balancing Irish wit with broad physical comedy and moments of touching sentiment."
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"Witty, smartly written and saturated with a love for language, there are moments of true literary poetry among the smart self-deprecating humor. Well-structured, well-paced and with well-delivered jokes, Kelly clearly has a background in comedy. She delivers her story with genuine charm, physical comedy and true theatre geekiness...Director Gina Moxley did a fantastic job of keeping our attention 100% engaged."
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"A sweetly funny new play…Onstage Kelly trades barbs, jokes and brilliantly executed vignettes from the real journey that loving an alien has led her through with actor and stage manager Paul Curley…Nothing is funnier than life or death anxiety, and Kelly mines a rich seam with this material. Life, she reminds us, is not a movie; it’s an underestimated gas bill. Do not miss this show."
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“This yarn about a same-sex couple navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of immigration unravels effortlessly…Sometimes you have to laugh. But it's the abnegation of real human suffering that makes it difficult to take the trip. Not only does the piece lack a context of political controversy of LGBTQ lives in a priest-riddled country, the humdrum of everyday living is conveniently sidestepped. The potentially crippling financial costs of applying for papers are raised early but then dropped.”
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