Hurricane Diane NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (104)
See it if you want to be entertained. The writing is sharp, the acting strong. The play operates on multiple layers: personal, community, global.
Don't see it if you aren't open to mystical elements and lesbian interactions.
See it if You are invested in issues of global warming with all that entails; if you want a whimsical look at Dionysus et al. saving the planet.
Don't see it if You don’t want to laugh about serious issues with an absurd plan to rescue us from our worst selves.
See it if You enjoy new ways of telling old stories.
Don't see it if Lesbianism, infidelity and cul de sac living are concepts not to be made fun of. Read more
See it if Mythology, Climate issues, social norms and expectations, and politics all covered in this uber clever play with a twist.
Don't see it if Very chatty with four stereotyped women in a complex shared domestic set. Very funny. Great acting. Read more
See it if you want some genuine laughs mixed with thoughts about saving our planet. I was pulled in by the performances.
Don't see it if you don't like theater with a message or tongue in cheek fantastical moments that go from realism to ethereal.
See it if You want to see the funniest, most charming, most queer take on climate change possible.
Don't see it if You’re not open to some sitcom shenanigans or an absurdist take on a serious issue.
See it if Satirical mash up of updated mythology and real ecological disaster - funny, fast-paced, imaginative & well-done. Linear story, off-kilter.
Don't see it if you prefer pure realism
See it if fun romp revolving around the Greek god Dionysus' attempt to return to the modern world as a landscaper
Don't see it if the play generally pokes fun at affluent housewives
Critic Reviews (26)
"An astonishing new play...Ms. George has fun with these women — or girls, as they call themselves — but does not mock them. Rather, with loving attention to sitcom rhythm, she gradually anatomizes the emptiness that animates their 'Golden Girls' chatter...Ms. Silverman’s control of the tone in the first half, along with the hilarious but grounded work of the cast throughout serves the play’s intentions beautifully."
Read more
"'Hurricane Diane' works best when Blackwell is playing straight-god to the women’s mounting neuroses. But then the storm comes. As the play rounds the hour mark, it stumbles...In one way, George and director Leigh Silverman have pulled off a miracle: They’ve made a funny play about a depressing subject. But we judge miracles by how they end, and at close of ‘Hurricane Diane,' the water that had turned into wine has turned into water again.”
Read more
"George’s fantastic, heartbreaking 'Hurricane Diane' is a comedy in the most ancient, expansive sense. It’s the kind of comedy that holds a tragedy inside it, plying us with laughter until we’re tipsy, then lovingly, ruthlessly slipping in the knife. Hilarious, shattering, and full of keen observation and profound human affection, the play both lifts us up and wrings us out...Blackwell is immediately and utterly arresting...Silverman doesn’t always take full advantage of the supercharged moments."
Read more
"Veers uneasily from 'Desperate Housewives'-style satire into absurdist fantasy. The work feels strained in both aspects, never achieving the comic lift-off to which it aspires...Doesn't exactly paint a flattering portrait of its female characters, who register as little more than neurotic stereotypes...It would be easier to embrace the fantastical premise if there were a more compelling figure at its center. Unfortunately, Blackwell proves distinctly underwhelming."
Read more
"As told by the brilliantly imaginative Madeleine George, Dionysus is Diane...An attractive production by director Leigh Silverman...In the 21st century, the deity of wine and theater is most often portrayed as a man in touch with his feminine side: a drag queen or glam rocker. George boldly envisions the inverse, a female god in touch with her butch side...The majority of the play takes our breath away, either with its keen insight or gut-busting wit."
Read more
"Blackwell delivers the 90-minute play's exposition monologue with the engaging flair of an ace stand-up comic nailing the punch lines in a tight three minute set...Even at ninety minutes, the episodic plot gets a little thin, though director Leigh Silverman has her cast sharply playing the entertaining dialogue. There's a major shift in tone for the play's final moments, which is reasonable, but a little drawn out...But these are minor irritations within an enjoyable piece."
Read more
"'Hurricane Diane' is in good hands with director Leigh Silverman and her highly detailed approach to comedy, plus a fine quartet of actresses as the desperate housewives...George's message comes through loud and clear, because she has chosen to entertain rather than lecture...'Hurricane Diane' is an original -- a satire that is simultaneously urgent and welcoming, even daring to be optimistic."
Read more
"A breezy, frequently hilarious, romp....George doesn't know how to end the piece and the last 15 minutes go off the proverbial cliff...It's hard to know what Silverman is thinking but the strange, abortive ending quickly undoes the goodwill the piece has meticulously wrought. There is an imbalance in the production between the sensational chemistry between the four women and the relative staid delivery of Blackwell as Diane...It's just a shame the play is still searching for an ending."
Read more