I Was Most Alive with You
I Was Most Alive with You
77

I Was Most Alive with You NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(173 Ratings)
Positive
73%
Mixed
23%
Negative
4%
Members say
Great acting, Ambitious, Intense, Absorbing, Thought-provoking

About the Show

In Craig Lucas’s new play, Ash has a blessed life, thankful every day for the gifts of his family, his addiction, and his son’s Deafness. But on one fateful day, everything is taken from him. 

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Show-Score Member Reviews (173)

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59 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Absorbing, Masterful, Must see, Riveting, Great writing

See it if You are ready for some good drama filled with intense subjects and witty absorbing dialogue. You want a real theater experience!

Don't see it if You avoid intense topics like addiction, cancer, car crashes, suicide ..yada yada

64 Reviews | 22 Followers
96
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Intelligent, Profound

See it if You love great acting and writing and understand that life and loves are complicated.

Don't see it if You want something simple and easy. You are homophobic. You want everything tied up nicely.

203 Reviews | 44 Followers
95
Ambitious, Beautifully staged, Intense, Intelligent

See it if you want an epic story with many twists and turns, based on the story of Job. The shadow cast who act the show in ASL is amazing.

Don't see it if you want a light, fluffy night of theater. Also, if you're not comfortable with themes like same sex relationships and drug use, stay away

155 Reviews | 32 Followers
95
Clever, Great acting, Great writing, Interesting staging, Thought-provoking

See it if you loved Spring Awakening done by the deaf company, like clever, intense writing with the complexities of Deaf, Same-sex-loving characters

Don't see it if you are confused where to look when ASL is spoken - you need a happy light ending

71 Reviews | 8 Followers
95
Great acting, Absorbing, Great writing

See it if You love great acting, and Craig Lucas writing. A fantastic experience.

Don't see it if If you don't handle tragic stories.

62 Reviews | 8 Followers
95
Great acting, Edgy, Absorbing

See it if Intense integration of sign language and deaf world view with suspenseful deeply human dilemmas.

Don't see it if You are looking for light entertainment and escape

122 Reviews | 13 Followers
94
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Great staging, Profound

See it if You liked Children of a Lesser God or Deaf West Spring Awakening. This is incredible theater that gives a voice to those who can't speak.

Don't see it if You like ultra-traditional plays with a linear plot.

90 Reviews | 5 Followers
92
Absorbing, Intense, Great acting, Intelligent, Thought-provoking

See it if You want to see extremely good actors discussing difficult topics with aplomb and dexterity.

Don't see it if You don't want to see sign language actors displayed in the background.

Critic Reviews (28)

The New York Times
September 24th, 2018

"Chaotic yet profound...Aside from the beauty of the signing actors’ delivery, they provide, even for a hearing audience, a channel of information that sometimes feels deeper and more direct than the spoken one. Supertitles provide yet another. But it’s a lot of information to process, and the play’s fracturing of time does not make it any easier...It has always been Mr. Lucas’s gift to reveal the awfulness behind things that look charming and to make that awfulness compelling."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
September 24th, 2018

"It should be no snub to say that 'I Was Most Alive With You' does indeed juggle many ideas and aspirations, and that as with many an expansive project, some moments shine while others are less finely polished...Harvard anchors the production, giving its big ideas, which can at times feel rhetorical...a compelling human center...Ultimately, 'I Was Most Alive With You' feels like half head and half heart...the elements themselves are less alchemically merged than laid out side by side."
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The Hollywood Reporter
September 24th, 2018

"The playwright deluges the audience with so much relentless misery that we come to feel as victimized as old Job. Although the drama has admirable qualities, 'I Was Most Alive With You' is a trial to endure...It's an awful lot to pile into a single evening, and the playwright doesn't manage to finesse it into palatable form...It's a shame, because the production is elegantly staged...and superbly acted by an ensemble of hearing and deaf actors."
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Theatermania
September 24th, 2018

"A sensitive synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern sensibilities...The result is a drama that is about as messy as real life, but infinitely more interesting to watch. Director Tyne Rafaeli's sleekly staged production reels us in and keeps us hooked...A shadow cast of actors signs the script from a mezzanine...Dennison has choreographed this interplay with impressive synchronization...The beating heart is Harvard, who gives one of the most electric performances of the year."
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BroadwayWorld
September 25th, 2018

"Somber and overstuffed drama...This reviewer and his ASL fluent guest (who was focused more heavily on the signing) was unable to see the principal cast and the shadow cast simultaneously, thus shining far greater attention on the company performing with a full set and denying those relying on the shadow company the experience of seeing the full staging...While there is fine acting throughout, the play appears overwritten and purposeless."
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Lighting & Sound America
October 3rd, 2018

“Lucas’s exhilarating and risk-taking new drama, an iconoclastic and thoroughly original probing of the meaning of tragedy in contemporary life...The rock upon which Rafaeli's production is built is Harvard as Knox..He makes scene after scene crackle...Signing is part of the play's central coup de theatre; each member of the cast is shadowed by another actor...It is a gracious gesture typical of a play that embraces the audience while forcing it to consider scalding truths.”
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Talkin' Broadway
September 24th, 2018

"Inclusion! Here's to it. Only that doesn't quite happen...If you're hearing-impaired and following the American Sign Language upstairs, you won't see any of the action below. If your eyes wander below to follow the action, you'll miss the signed dialog. Which, given some of the dialog, may not be a bad thing...Lucas's program notes suggest that he feels deeply about this play; it's a shame that he's so unable to convey a clear message."
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New York Stage Review
September 24th, 2018

"The playwright’s point for unleashing such a tsunami of misery upon the characters—as well as over the audience—is not tangible...The play/production’s experiment with the shadow performers lends gravity to this event. Director Tyne Rafaeli’s actors help to moor the drifting themes with generally solid performances. These positive components at least manage to rescue this unfocused and terribly lugubrious drama from turning laughable."
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