Kunstler
84

Kunstler NYC Reviews and Tickets

84%
(36 Ratings)
Positive
94%
Mixed
6%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Intelligent

About the Show

The Creative Place International in association with AND Theatre Company present a biographical drama about radical attorney and civil rights activist William Kunstler, played by Jeff McCarthy.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (36)

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179 Reviews | 92 Followers
70
Thought-provoking, Relevant, Intelligent

See it if You enjoy what is largely passionate storytelling, exploration of the highs/lows of due process/our legal system and mechanisms of change

Don't see it if You want rich interactions among the characters or a large production; it is not memorable and didn't spur discussion afterwards

145 Reviews | 34 Followers
57
Intelligent, Resonant, Fine

See it if You are older and enjoy reliving the history and learning some interesting details. Humor was attempted and sometimes successful.

Don't see it if You aren't interested in seeing a high energy lecture on many of the cases Kunstler was involved with. Format of play was lazy and spare.

45 Reviews | 13 Followers
88
Entertaining, Clever, Absorbing, Great acting

See it if It was educational and, absorbing.

Don't see it if You don't like think pieces.

31 Reviews | 7 Followers
84
Entertaining, Great acting

See it if you are interested in history and enjoy a two-person play.

Don't see it if you want to see more interaction between the actors, more dramatic or challenging play

15 Reviews | 5 Followers
85
Absorbing, Great acting, Relevant, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if You like plays based on actual people and events. You are given a history lesson as well as an explanation of morality for different people.

Don't see it if You don't like watching essentially one person monolaguing explaining his career and past.

4 Reviews | 3 Followers
95
Absorbing, Great acting, Intelligent, Masterful, Relevant

See it if You like theatre based on real-life people and real problems.

Don't see it if You prefer theatre where helicopters land on stage or cats dance for your amusement.

1 Review | 2 Followers
100
Great acting, Great writing, Profound, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if DOn't just go to see it - run!

Don't see it if You're an elderly person who can't hear well. There is a lot of information coming at you and you need to be able to follow

1 Review | 3 Followers
100
Great acting, Great staging, Great writing, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if Solid professional theatre - the real deal, especially at these prices!

Don't see it if If you are politically conservative

Critic Reviews (16)

Stage Buddy
February 23rd, 2017

"Playwright Sweet offers up a clever script exposing a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of what really went down during these high profile cases...McCarthy plays Kunstler with passion and vigor, seducing the audience with his colorful portrayal of the often misunderstood man...Director Meagen Fay makes excellent use of the space, allowing her actors free rein to channel the energy of the auditorium, keeping the flow and pace always interesting and spontaneous."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
February 23rd, 2017

"The primary difficulty with 'Kunstler' is playwright Jeffrey Sweet’s script itself...Mr. McCarthy’s performance energy seems to rise and fall with the irregularities in the script and Meagen Fay’s direction is apparently not strong enough nor consistent enough to keep the action moving forward on an even keel...'Kunstler' does provide moments of interesting narrative: one just needs to lower one’s overall expectations to appreciate those moments."
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Theatre's Leiter Side
February 23rd, 2017

"Kunstler is the subject of Sweet's mesmerizing play of that name, sharply directed by Fay...brought to life in a strikingly magnetic performance by McCarthy...McCarthy electrifies the audience with Kunstler's brilliance, his passion, and his ability to recount his inside and outside the courtroom antics with verve, commitment, and humor...It's simply excellent theatre, with a magnificent central character given a splendid performance in a consistently engrossing tale."
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W
February 27th, 2017

"Playwright Jeffrey Sweet’s portrait of Kunstler is as entertaining as it is riveting...Jeff McCarthy lopes down the aisle, white mane in permanent flight. Inhabiting Kunstler like a second skin, the actor delivers tirades as credibly as ba-dump-dump jokes...Director Meagen Fay gives us a living breathing man, humanity and idiosyncrasies intact. Stage business is subtle, pacing is pitch perfect."
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Off Off Online
February 28th, 2017

"After a strong beginning, 'Kunstler' settles down into a wandering monologue, and leaves some vital questions about its subject insufficiently answered. Still, this Kunstler-at-law is lively company...Encouraged by director Meagen Fay to break down that blasted fourth wall, McCarthy keeps wandering into the audience, hugging people, handing them fragments of speeches he’s written down. It’s a showboating performance...It’s more of a lecture than a play."
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Blog Critics
February 27th, 2017

"Much of his character is revealed, indeed uncannily inherent, in the profound and inspired performance by Jeff McCarthy in the title role...'Kunstler' is superb primarily because of McCarthy’s incisive portrayal and because of the playwright’s selection of the groundbreaking moments in Kunstler’s life...Very fine direction by Meagen Fay...The play is vibrantly drawn...I cannot praise this production enough. It is a walk through history that evokes today’s political and social climate."
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Off Script with Dan Dwyer
February 24th, 2017

"Sweet smartly eschews a one-man show...The most informative, fascinating, and yes, entertaining, 90-minute trip through the Vietnam era...Sweet’s character study is most remarkable for saying what it says without being didactic. Besides playwright, Sweet is an author and journalist. It shows. Sweet lets Kunstler and the record speak for themselves. And in so doing, 'Kunstler,' gives renewed voice for the fight for civil rights that still needs to be fought."
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Andy B Sports
February 27th, 2017

"It is not that big a stretch to say Jeff McCarthy IS Kunstler, as his riveting performance in 'Kunstler' transformed me back in time...Both McCarthy and Kelley, alone and together, give us great insight and revelations about events, many seminal, in which Kunstler was an integral part. There is much I learned and there is a terrific, revealing, heartfelt conclusion to this superb play, about a man that truly engaged on behalf of causes."
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