Kunstler NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (36)
See it if Serious theater goers who like to see realistic drama.It is engrossing.You can relate to the characters.It will be playing in Pittsfield Ma
Don't see it if You only like musicals or happy endings.
See it if A very interesting look back at the life and times of noted and controversial activist lawyer, William Kunstler, mostly in the form of ...
Don't see it if a lecture to law students, from civil rights movement, to Chicago 7, to Central Park 5; gives a real sense of the man and what he did.
See it if You are old enough to remember who Kunstler was and the huge part he played in American legal history i.e. Vietnam Nam era, civil rights era
Don't see it if You don't like small cast shows. There are only 2 actors. You need costumes and scenery to enjoy a show. You have no interest in legal event Read more
See it if You are of the 60's, and remember the headline lawyer. McCarthy completely embodies Kunstler. Younger, you may enjoy learning some history.
Don't see it if You want action, a story, progress. What you get is a re-enaction of an invented event. No drama, but tension and compelling performance.
See it if You like dramas that remind of us recent history, particularly of icons who influenced a dark era in a positive/negative way.
Don't see it if You don't care to know anything more about William Kunstler and the history of liberal movements of the 60's & 70's.
See it if you want to see Jeff McCarthy give the performance of his career!
Don't see it if you want to hear about some of Kunstler's well-known cases given a cursory treatment.
See it if You want to be entranced by a brilliant portrayal of a brilliant man. You like small, spare, and essentially one-man shows
Don't see it if You don't care about interesting New York characters from another era. Read more
See it if Excellent character exploration of a remarkable and principled civil rights lawyer. Terrific performance by McCarthy.
Don't see it if You want a more ground-breaking play or dislike memories of a fading but hopeful liberal era.
Critic Reviews (16)
“A compelling portrayal of the high-profile trial lawyer…This fascinating production provides a unique insight into Kunstler's life and times. With superb staging, this two-hander features the impeccable acting talents of Jeff McCarthy and Nambi E. Kelley...McCarthy's stunning performance brings William Kunstler and his bombastic personality to life right before your eyes....Regardless of your opinion of Kunstler, you will find 'Kunstler' to be a captivating and entertaining show.”
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"The best thing about Sweet's new play is McCarthy...He is thoroughly convincing...For much of the running time, Sweet is content to follow the Dead Celebrity Playhouse method, allowing Kunstler to review his judicial greatest hits...All of this is engaging, but because 'Kunstler' tries to cover so many cases, each ends up receiving cursory treatment, and...the stories begin to pall...Still...I imagine that plenty of people will thrill to stories from the days when liberalism was on the rise."
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"'Kunstler' stars Jeff McCarthy, masterfully exuding charm and a kind of shaggy elitism...For much of the 90-minute production, you are in the hands of a master storyteller...Under Meagen Fay's direction, the production is a lively exploration of the celebrated lawyer...It's these more subtle elements that elevate and give depth to the proceedings and make it a worthy evening of theater, whether you are a Baby Boomer, a Gen X-er or a Millennial."
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"A strangely miscast lead actor is the chief flaw of this unsatisfying bio-drama...Director Fay emphasizes the vaudeville elements of the play and has McCarthy in full throttle, but does slow the pace down for the serious portions. Sometimes it’s too slow as tedium periodically sets in...Kunstler was a formidable and colorful figure who was involved with a number of historic incidents. He is certainly worthy of dramatization, but 'Kunstler' is overall a missed opportunity to do so."
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"McCarthy nails the man's overall persona with an almost uncanny authenticity...A well-crafted and smartly organized script that's infused with generous dollops of humor...The narrative is detailed enough to serve as a colorful history lesson for the younger generations. For older viewers, the play will rekindle their own memories of the Civil Rights days, the Vietnam protests and Watergate scandals. Mr. Sweet's vivid integration of so many of these historic events is remarkable."
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"A riveting, if rambling, 90-minute trip down memory lane…McCarthy beautifully channels Kunstler's tendency to blur the line between self-deprecation and arrogance. It’s a warts-and-all production and Kunstler acknowledges both the compulsive womanizing that ended his first marriage and the innumerable personal and political gaffes that he made."
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"Quick! Don’t dally!! Race to get tickets for 'Kunstler,' the splendid play by Jeffrey Sweet featuring a dazzling, the-sky’s-the-limit performance by Jeff McCarthy...The work is inventively and most effectively directed by Meagen Fay...This work could easily have become a shrill screed. But thanks to the skill of the author and the charm of the actor it’s a fascinating theater experience, as well as being educational."
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"'Kunstler' excels at every level, bringing alive not only a famous character, but the era in which he lived and the controversies in which he played so lively a part...In the hands of the playwright, Kunstler’s compelling eye-witness account of five tragic days in Attica prison in September of 1971 in itself makes this theatrical experience worthwhile...It is a fitting compliment to 'Kunstler' to say that Kunstler, the theatrical iconoclast, would approve. So will you."
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