Kill Floor NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (23)
See it if you want a startling new play with a huge heart, understated lyricism, trenchant observations, and deep soul
Don't see it if you'll have a hard time when things get upsetting, desperate, or grim (though the play strikes an elegant tonal balance)
See it if you like shows with thoughts, and character development.
Don't see it if you only like fluff.
See it if You like to see plays by new playwrights and good acting.
Don't see it if You're bothered by the slaughter of animals and blood on costumes.
See it if you feel there are too few stories of the reverberating effects of prison on the lives of mothers and their children.
Don't see it if you would get queasy hearing about slaughterhouse processes.
See it if you enjoy stories about regular people with every day problems, or if you like stories about complicated family and personal relationships.
Don't see it if you want a comedy or if you don't like plays about relationship problems, in any form.
See it if You like a new fresh voice in playwriting and enjoy a coherent story
Don't see it if You need theater to be more than an intense TV script
See it if You like new, different plays by new playwrights, even if the material is very dark.
Don't see it if You like more uplifting work. This is a downer.
See it if You find awkward and uncomfortable conversations and situations between characters amusing.
Don't see it if You don't find uncomfortable scenes or awkward conversations entertaining. As this show is one uncomfortable situation after another.
Critic Reviews (11)
"'Kill Floor' never strikes a false or strained note as Mr. Koogler observes the awkward cut-and-thrust of the relationships among the characters. But there’s not a whole lot of potent drama, and even though it runs just 90 minutes, the play’s pacing can feel desultory. Nevertheless, the actors burrow into their roles with impressive ease and dexterity. While they do not have a lot of, er, meat to chew on, they flesh out the fine writing with the ample humanity they bring to their characters."
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"Ireland acts up a storm in this slight (and vaguely unfinished) piece...While the drama (keenly directed by Lila Neugebauer) treads tamely along a predictable path of bad things happening to good (flawed) people, Ireland can still deliver shocks."
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"There is no let up from the sadness, frustration and bitterness. Because of this the plot often becomes predictable, despite these fine performances...If we feel trapped as an audience, the exercise can be self defeating. We are all ready to descend into the basement of any character and see where the wild things are. The only caveat is that we have to be certain that the door at the top of the stairs is left open."
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"The play has a schematic quality nonetheless; the frequent scenes involving the two young men feel particularly forced. Director Lila Neugebauer succeeds for the most part in bringing out the work's more sensitive aspects, and Ireland once again demonstrates that she's one of the finest young actresses on the New York stage. But despite the strong efforts of everyone involved, too much of the play feels like heavy lifting."
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"In many ways, we can tell that 'Kill Floor' is Koogler's first professionally produced play. Structurally, it has too many subplots that could use some smoothing. His dialogue has a tendency to veer into half and unfinished sentences. That's a shame since the script is otherwise so fresh. However, 'Kill Floor' is a dream come true for actors, featuring meaty conflicts and two-character scenes that are both tender and pungent."
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"This is a play where nobody is happy with their life and it's only through the efforts of a fine company that the 90 minute piece sustains interest. Ireland, as is her habit, paints as fascinating a portrait as possible, but is certainly deserving of a meatier role."
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"For Koogler to live up to the promise he displays here, he needs to expand and deepen his focus, and be willing to give us more to view, more to gnaw on, while still maintaining a grasp on the mystery he so clearly loves...Too often we're like the Parnell cows: moving blind, waiting for the crack of completion that never arrives. The difference is, the cows don't need to know where they're going or why their journey matters. We do. And that's what Koogler hasn't provided in 'Kill Floor.'"
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"'Kill Floor' is an intriguing debut for Koogler...Ireland is riveting as the gutsy protagonist...While Ireland is the main draw, there's some mighty fine acting here by the rest of the cast...As adroitly directed by Lila Neugebauer, 'Kill Floor' does offer food for thought...Count on it changing the way you look at the all-American burger."
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