Iphigenia in Splott NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Sherman Theatre presents a contemporary drama inspired by the Greek myth, which drives home the high price people pay for society's shortcomings. Part of 59E59's annual Brits Off Broadway festival.
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See it if Amazing solo performance. I was drawn into the character's intense experiences. How much of her suffering was fate vs. her own choice?
Don't see it if You are not interested in themes of class disadvantage and alcoholism in a caring but impulsive character.
See it if you want to experience an amazing one person performance.
Don't see it if you're put off by difficult to understand accents, fast speech and deeply negative personalities.
See it if I was mesmerized throughout the show, almost forgetting to breathe. The acting/writing/direction are exemplary. Don't miss this play.
Don't see it if you don't like one person shows; cursing and bullying offend you; confrontation makes you uncomfortable & life's a bitch topics depress you.
See it if you want to see a dazzling performance by an amazing actress.
Don't see it if you don't like one-person shows, don't like profanity, don't like unsympathetic characters, or don't like struggling with a Welsh accent Read more
See it if You enjoy strong one-woman shows that rely on the strength of the actress and not over the top production value.
Don't see it if You have trouble with accents or don't want to real life to intrude on your theater. Heart wrenching and powerful, this is not for the weak.
See it if you enjoy great acting and an absorbing story. A timely critique of how our society looks down upon the less fortunate.
Don't see it if you don't like one person shows.
See it if You want the joy of finesse delivered via a jackhammer of a performance. This is a beautifully crafted reimagining of Iphigenia's sacrifice
Don't see it if Brit accents are a deterrent. It took 3-4 minutes to find the rhythm of her voice. I could not be a casual listener, nor did I want to be.
See it if You enjoy one actor plays. Sophie Melville gives a nuanced, sympathetic, and beautiful performance.
Don't see it if You have trouble understanding Welsh accents.
Critic Reviews (27)
"I first met Effie last year...I’d almost forgotten the disturbing, exciting pleasures of her company in this fast and furious production, directed to scorch by O’Riordan...'Splott' is a work with a confrontational social conscience, a state of mind that’s rarely conducive to subtlety. But though its conclusion has a didactic abruptness, Owen’s script otherwise operates on a seductively sensory level, in which we seem to absorb fully the nature of a woman and her world by osmosis."
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"It exceeds our expectations with a surprisingly sensitive story by playwright Gary Owen and a winning performance from Sophie Melville...Effie's behavior becomes less shocking and more sympathetic as the play progresses. By the end, we even come to see her as noble in certain ways, an impressive feat for the kind of character most of us would cross the street to avoid...You may not walk away from 'Iphigenia in Splott' loving the protagonist, but it is hard not to respect her."
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“This superbly crafted one-woman show features excellent staging and an awe-inspiring performance…A deeply affecting view of humanity with all of its promise and pain…Sophie Melville is stunning as Effie. She captures the drama, passion and occasional humor of her challenging role. Effie is a dynamic character, one that is at first seems nasty and contentious, but later evokes sympathy...Melville masters all of these dimensions…A gripping, must-see play for metro area audiences.”
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"The playwright's attempt at making her into a transformational figure of suffering doesn't really fly...Without an actress of Melville's powers, Effie might be insufferable. There's no worry of that here; Melville, a petite blonde with a massive presence, holds our attention as if through sheer force of will...Even if 'Iphigenia in Splott' is more a collection of vivid passages than a fully realized play, Owen is clearly a gifted writer, and Melville shows definite signs of incipient stardom."
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"Gary Owen's sizzling monologue of a play...And what a tale it is, encompassing both tough-gal rants and an unexpectedly painful and tender account of raw vulnerability...Thanks to the playwright's perfect ear for the language of his protagonist, Sophie Melville's thrilling performance, and Rachel O'Riordan's direction, our hearts go out to Effie and stay with her through the highs and lows of the entire rest of the 80-minute play."
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"Sophie Melville’s electrifying performance as a disaffected young woman surviving in a depressed Welsh town is the muscle of playwright Gary Owen’s intensely bleak solo play...Melville powerfully enlivens this tough 80 minutes. She is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, and heroically surmounts the challenging material...The writing is poetically descriptive and moderately engrossing...Director Rachel O’Riordan’s dynamic staging injects compelling visual flourishes."
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“Gary Owen’s ingeniously contemporary adaptation...The language of the play is deliciously raucous and the story flows through your veins like jolts of electricity…Melville’s portrayal of Effie is perfection…A lean production without a single unnecessary stroke…The play also taps into important social issues…Offers one of the most satisfying theatrical experiences around, with top-notch writing and an electrifying solo performer, and does so in a way that almost seems effortless.”
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"Tour de force...Sophie Melville captivates in an eviscerating, powerful performance...Owen’s script turns on a dime and Melville runs this marathon, pacing the space like a panther, owning the audience from moment one. The acting and production are theater at its most forceful and engaging. Intelligent, moving, highly relevant at sparking conversation on the wide-range of issues Effie raises...An incisive, powerful production."
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