Is This A Room NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%

(156 Ratings)

Positive

86%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Intense

About the Show

Vineyard Theatre presents a new play staging the verbatim transcript of the FBI interrogation of Russian election hacking whistleblower Reality Winner.

From the show:

A true story, still unfolding. June 3, 2017. A 25-year-old former Air Force linguist named Reality Winner is surprised at her home by the FBI, interrogated, and then charged with leaking evidence of Russian interference in U.S elections. Reality remains in jail with a record-breaking sentence. The FBI transcript of her interrogation is the heart of IS THIS A ROOM, conceived as a play and directed by Obie Award-winner Tina Satter, in which an extraordinary human drama unfolds between the complex and witty Reality (Emily Davis), and the agents who question her. As Reality’s autonomy shrinks before her eyes, a simmering real-life thriller emerges, asking what it is to have honor in this American moment, and how the personal can reverberate globally.

Show-Score Member Reviews (156)

85%

Absorbing, Great Acting, Resonant, Thought-Provoking

See it if it was very powerful to watch real events on stage, the actress was excellent for the role

Don't see it if scenes of interrogation, capture, fear bother you

96%

Absorbing, Ambitious, Clever, Fascinating, Intriguing

See it if You are interested in an intelligent and riveting dramatization of a real time arrest of a whistle blower by the FBI.

Don't see it if You aren't interested in real life events.

92%

Brilliant, Moving, Depressing

See it if you want to see a brilliantly orchestrated musical without music.

Don't see it if you are disturbed that an idealistic American can only protest by commuting treason.

80%

Clever, Great Acting, Indulgent, Riveting, Thought-Provoking

See it if A woman willingly admits to the FBI her crimes of leaking classified information. Intriguing investigative techniques, entertaining.

Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with a one-sided presentation that uses redaction to hide the facts. Read more

50%

Ambitious, Confusing, Excruciating, Indulgent, Intense

See it if enemy of the state stories interest you.

Don't see it if you are scratching your head over title of this the play, the way the story is presented will only further confuse the hell out of you. Read more

95%

Absorbing, Great Acting, Intelligent, Profound, Relevant

See it if You're interested in current events, drama, great acting. Makes you examine what you might do if faced with choice to do something bold

Don't see it if you're looking for light musical fare.

100%

Absorbing, Great Acting, Great Staging, Must See, Riveting

See it if one of the best shows i've ever seen. incredible acting and one of the coolest theatrical experiences i've seen

Don't see it if you are feeling anxious - it's stressful

90%

Great Acting, Great Staging

See it if you love fascinating characters

Don't see it if you dont like true stories

Critic Reviews (13)

For a previous production

CRITIC’S PICK "Why’d She Blow the Whistle?: Tina Satter’s remarkable docudrama recreates the bizarrely banal interrogation that led to the arrest of the intelligence contractor Reality Winner."
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For a previous production

4/5 Stars "The production smartly balances vérité and stylization, offering its own interrogation of the event…But 'Is This A Room' has a movingly human presence at its core. Davis gives a performance of heart-wrenching rawness and lucidity."
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For a previous production

"When I learned that the show would move to the Vineyard for a longer engagement, I was thrilled to see it again—it contains one of my favorite pieces of performance ever. Pencils down, voting over."
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For a previous production

"Is This a Room Dramatizes the Interrogation of NSA Leaker Reality Winner: Tina Satter's new play exposes the weight of body language in exercises of power."
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For a previous production

"Real Life Provides The Intriguing Script For Tina Satter's Tense Drama 'IS THIS A ROOM'"
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For a previous production

"Seeing Winner -- an achingly vulnerable Emily Davis -- struggle to make small talk with these strangers, who shuttle between chatty repartee and veiled threats -- is an authentic white-knuckle experience."
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For a previous production

4/5 Stars "A stark and striking new work of documentary theater, a sharp slice of real life that gives audiences something current and substantial to chew over afterwards."
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For a previous production

"The second problem is that since it is a transcript it is not very dramatic, going back over the same material again and again, trying to catch Winner out or be careful to cover all legal bases. The dialogue remains mundane for most of the performance."
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Trailer

Creative team