I And You NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (122)
See it if if you are perplexed as to why the folks at 59E59 Theatres thought this was a good choice for New York audiences. Amateurish, at best.
Don't see it if you enjoy good dialogue, good acting, and good staging—you'll find none of that here.
See it if Teenage theatre goers might enjoy this more, although one of the problems was that the two actors seemed a bit old to be teenagers.
Don't see it if You or anyone in your family has a chronic illness likely to result in death.
See it if You like a show that holds your attention throughout, and then a twist-- a surprising and totally unexpected ending.
Don't see it if If want to see a production that is totally predictable and light.
See it if Ok it's a little heavy on the lit references-- but really well acted and interesting twist at the end was EVERYTHING
Don't see it if You want big splashy production or have an irrational dislike for Walt Whitman
See it if You like shows about teens and surprise endings
Don't see it if Dislike the above
See it if You want a twist ending that attempts to justify the ludicrous story that preceded it.
Don't see it if You want to see high-quality new work.
See it if You like twist endings that change the whole show
Don't see it if You don't like listening to two teenagers talk for two hours
See it if you like teen angst and an overly repetitive storyline. You like massive plot twists, this has a huge one.
Don't see it if you hate teen slang, texting, or dramatic fake crying that's supposed to be realistic.
Critic Reviews (32)
"Cynics might see Caroline and Anthony as descendants of two notorious cultural stereotypes...The performances, while lively and in the moment, don’t go far in contradicting this assessment...If you believe that the end justifies the means in play writing, then 'I and You' could be described as a success. Its conclusion is genuinely shocking, on several levels, and does a lot to explain any inconsistencies that may have annoyed you before."
Read more
"About halfway through, you give up hoping that an offstage, oft-mentioned mom will suddenly appear, and you become aware of how much playwriting skill it takes to keep an audience focused on a 90-minute two-hander that is basically an attenuated sketch...The actors are lively and likeable...I wanted to care more about them or else spend 15 minutes less in their presence. No 'gotcha!' denouement can substitute for restlessness."
Read more
"I’m not sure which is more dispiriting: the play itself or what it says about the theatrical scene in the hinterlands...'I and You' isn’t at all dumb — rather, it tries too hard, like the two teenagers who are its only characters, to wear its intelligence insouciantly...What we were supposed to care about is not what’s really been going on; 'I and You' is a classic bait-and-switch, with about as much profit to the hapless audience."
Read more
"As written, acted and directed, the two-character drama comes off as really phony…Over 80 minutes of teenspeak…By the play’s end, preceded by a pull-the-rug-out turn, all is revealed. As if that explains and absolves the clanging script and clunky artificial performances guided by director Sean Daniels...Some may see Gunderson’s construction and 11th-hour shift as a heart-warming payoff. My take: it’s a cop-out. No mystery, there I stand."
Read more
"While the twist ending explained quite a lot, the unnatural shifts in tone and extreme reactions would have worked better if we had had some hints of the revelation to come. Director Sean Daniels delivers an otherwise stirring production...Gunderson recognizes that adolescence is itself a sort of twilight zone, and Whitman's cosmic poetry fits right into her themes. It's a compelling enough conceit that dramatically shouldn't have needed a bombshell to make it fly."
Read more
"Gunderson has written an extraordinarily compassionate work with a shock most won't see coming…Director Sean Daniels creates an enormously sensitive production that is befitting of the script, with two vivid, believable performances at the center….Admittedly, there are a few heavy-handed elements in the play...But those qualms can mostly be overlooked. Big-hearted and simple, 'I and You' is one of the most life-affirming plays you'll currently see onstage."
Read more
"Don't miss the New York Premiere of this award-winning play that is meticulously crafted by renowned playwright, Lauren Gunderson...'I and You' is an original and absorbing play that is an important work of modern theater...The two actors bring the perfect tone to this extraordinary play...'I and You' is a play like you've never seen before."
Read more
"'I and You' isn't unpleasant, and at times it offers flashes of insight, but structurally it is a bundle of contrivances that doesn't begin to earn the emotional knockout punch that it wants to deliver. Like her characters, Gunderson has a little more homework to do."
Read more