Less Than 50%
About the show
Actor and stand-up comedian Gianmarco Soresi stars in this witty unromantic comedy at 59E59. More…
Based on true events about marriage, millennials, and navigating through it all, 'Less Than 50%' is armed with a shifting fourth wall and stand-up comedy which could change at a moment's notice However, underneath the humor lies a serious issue. How do children of divorce find their way to love and commitment?
"This show has a great deal of comic appeal but it also smacks of reality. The unique two-hander uses a clever combination of storytelling, stand-up comedy, and a play within a play...'Less Than 50%' is a contemporary show that will appeal to a vast audience. Whether you're in love, longing for the right relationship, or your romantic life is falling apart, you will be captivated and entertained." Full Review
“A play within a play about rehearsing a play with a scene partner who is also an ex...This is a completely relatable situation in modern-day NY, and Soresi infuses a familiar tale with his unique humor and plot twists so it stays interesting...Soresi’s writing and acting are excellent...His comedy is insightful and well-delivered...Catalano is a great actress playing an annoying actress...It is a fast-paced 90-minute display of emotion, comedy and theatrics, enjoyed by adults of all ages.” Full Review
“A very romantic self-proclaimed ‘unromantic comedy’...Much of the beauty of the work is in the surprises layered throughout...however, there were a few moments leading up to the ending that could have made for a more believable and satisfying conclusion...Nonetheless, ‘Less Than 50%’ is a wonderful piece of storytelling with immense heart that benefits greatly from the biting humor and believability Soresi brings beautifully to the stage. A laugh-out-loud great night at the theatre.” Full Review
"Generally upbeat, it has bits of music and dance, lots of amusing lines, occasional profanity, and various theatricalist touches…The comedy's situations are more conventional than its format…It's taken for granted that much of this is fictional but it's also clear that much of it really happened (more or less)…Soresi's humor…clever as it often is, often lacks subtlety and is a bit too self-conscious. Hale, though, is about as refreshing a comic find as any presently on a New York stage." Full Review
"Soresi has a great and somewhat goofball presence behind the mic, with a funny in-your-face, big grin style, cracking jokes that land, for the most sake...For the first two-thirds of the 80 minute piece, the curved road is tight but the driving is expertise...In the end, it’s almost nightmarish, the Seinfeld stream of consciousness that comes in at approximately the two-thirds mark. It’s overly drenched in cynical drama and dark quirky cartoonish negativity." Full Review
"Soresi is best when doing snatches of stand-up addressing the audience with some very funny lines pertaining to family, romance, and sex...The overall plot...whether romantic or unromantic, becomes a strain even at a running time of 80 minutes...Both Soresi and Hale are very talented, and they work oh-so hard at trying to breathe reality into the tale...Fortunately, the comic elements, especially as seen in Soresi’s standup gifts, do earn laughs." Full Review
"The real problem is Soresi’s life is just not that interesting...But the good news is that Hale and Soresi are both talented comedic actors, and many of the scenes are engaging...If the play had been a little more about Laura and a little less about Gianmarco, it would have been far more complex and layered. The lesson for emerging playwrights: sometimes you have to give up a little to end up with a lot more." Full Review
"'Less Than 50%' is a distraction and, unfortunately, not much more...It is not remarkable in any particular way...On the plus side Soresi is a talented performer who is eager to try and try and try. He is often a pleasure to watch. Ditto Hannah Hale who is the actor playing the real Laura. They are both charming and talented actors and I look forward to seeing them again sometime in a play that is not defying gravity as well as logic." Full Review
"Gianmarco says he’s a triple threat and, in this case, he does cover the gamut from comic to actor to storyteller, and is a good stand up comic...Yes, some silly, funny stuff going on that will get a response from the younger folks in the audience. Beyond that, this is a sad commentary on the frightened now generation, their lack of commitment to relationships and romantic involvement...Jen Wineman directs this rather confusing 90 minute commentary." Full Review
"The play's now-we-mean-it-now-we-don't structure has a wearying effect...Everything in 'Less Than 50%' sounds like it could use a laugh track. When his character isn't acting like a jackass, Soresi is an appealing performer...Jen Wineman's direction proves helpful in terms of pacing the action and providing some welcome nuance...'Less Than 50%' concludes with a twist that is brazen even by the standards of what has come before, but, by this point, it's hard to care." Full Review
"'Less Than 50%' is a play that, unfortunately, lives up to--or rather, down to--its title. Though it tries to be many things--and most prominently a recollection of a relationship gone wrong--it keeps on retelling and undermining itself, becoming incoherent and nonsensical. A 'disclaimer' at the beginning of the script even says it is a 'semi-autobiographical' play: 'There are truths, half-truths, less than half-truths, and downright fabrications.'" Full Review
for a previous production "One of the most fresh and innovative romantic comedies I've seen in the past few years...For the entire 90 minutes these 2 characters battle it out, jumping in and out of roles across a wide spectrum of time...Freedman helps weave all these different elements together into a wonderful theatrical tapestry. The fact that it flows as one continuous arc is a tribute to Freedman's directorial skill with comedy." Full Review
for a previous production "The two have good chemistry and their constant bickering on almost everything keeps the audience entertained...This show will keep you laughing and engaged as you follow their journey. The breaks that the stand-up bits from Gianmarco provide are comedic gold, using his skepticism to poke fun at the many popular beliefs surrounding dating and relationships. By the end, you may even realize that your own relationship is not as dysfunctional as you thought." Full Review
for a previous production "Cynical yet sweet...The play offers a view of contemporary romance that is simultaneously humorous and heartfelt...A script that expertly balances the saccharine with the serious, even as it is a bit overlong, and perhaps slightly more complicated than is necessary...Director Max Freedman also deserves accolades for so organically orchestrating this play...A romantic comedy for people who’ve grown weary of romantic comedies." Full Review
for a previous production "It's no doubt this is intended as a starring vehicle for Soresi, who acknowledges and pokes fun at his own solipsism throughout; his Woody Allen-style woe-is-me garnering familiar laughs in what started as a stand-up act and could easily be a satisfying one-man show...The stand up segments of this show are strong, and the show moves at an entertaining pace...'<50%' feels especially unfair to Laura, the simultaneously unpresent and omnipresent other half of Gianmarco's story." Full Review
See it if If you really enjoy being treated to an exquisite surprise in an intimate theater. Great play within a play within a play.
Don't see it if There is no reason not to see this play. It is delightful, funny, and absolutely absorbing.
Also We went on a recommendation of a friend and we loved it. My wife and I... Read more Read less
See it if You're looking for an incredibly clever, layered, meta show that is well acted across the board and consistently entertaining.
Don't see it if You get confused easily or are bothered by bits that occasionally are stretched too long.
See it if you enjoy smart stand up and complicated emotional resolutions.
Don't see it if if you can't stand to hear undeleted expletives.
See it if you enjoy a combination of stand up comedy and an experiment in metatheatrics. The comedy is genuinely funny and some interesting twists.
Don't see it if you're easily confused by breaking of fourth wall and unconventional play structuring. Play still needed some fine tuning/cuts when I saw it
See it if You like a slightly different romantic comedy tugs at your heart strings:
Don't see it if You don’t care for a relationship play that can be a bit confusing and is a little too long.
See it if you like play-within-a-play(-within-a-play, etc). Part stand-up comedy, part written play, part real-life, it's funny and clever.
Don't see it if you want a linear play. Some raunchy/edgy jokes. The play follows a story, but cuts between the play itself and the creation of the play.
Also The play was great - funny, clever, cool twisting of a play and the wr... Read more Read less
See it if You like character neurotic driven plays.
Don't see it if You are looking for a linear plot.
See it if This show was clever in its structure and conceit. I give it big props for its execution.
Don't see it if you're expecting to be blown away by the protagonist and his journey. While it's well done, I didn't care about him.
See it if you enjoy an unusual comedy. Very witty writing and staging. Really fitted for a small venue. A story about relationships, funny, touching.
Don't see it if you like a straightforward comedy. The action goes back and forth, sometimes off the stage or into the audience.
Also The ending needs more work and was a bit confusing but on the whole th... Read more Read less
See it if Soresi is a talented comic and there are some funny moments but not enough meat to justify a play.
Don't see it if Typical commitment-phobe v marriage minded woman BS.Plot seems to be an excuse to tell a bunch of jokes.Laura just serves as straight man.
Also Seems like Soresi thought he had enough material for a captivating sto... Read more Read less
See it if You like fast paced theater with smart dialogue, funny and talented actors. Intimate venue and a great use of space
Don't see it if You don't like fourth wall breaking or plays within plays within... A little confusing at times don't expect clear answers.
See it if A wounded ex-lover gets a redo on his romance when he shares the stage with his ex. Some jokes and hearfelt displays of emotion. META!
Don't see it if Tracks way too closely to the ending of "Annie Hall" or any Allen comedy. In the sharing, the fourth wall is up and then down and back.
See it if you like above average, modern not-so-romantic comedies.
Don't see it if you're looking for the next bit hit.
See it if You’d enjoy the energy and humor of a Fringe-Festival production that has made it to Theatre 59E59. Very well produced. Good directing.
Don't see it if A show tells you what is going to happen then shows you what did happen then tells you what you just saw and heard over and over for 90 min.
Also Too bad there’s a lack of chemistry between the lead actors who mainta... Read more Read less
See it if You want a unique approach to modern romance.
Don't see it if A play that is easy to follow.
See it if You want to see a manic depiction of the clash of a relationship cynic vs a romantic. The play w/in a play, w/in a play is a play too far.
Don't see it if You need greater motivation for being a commitmentphobe di*k than ones parents' serial marriages and an apocryphal email.
Also The characters were approachable and attractive and played with energy... Read more Read less
See it if If you like watching two talented young actors you can see them here albeit in a play thst needs work. Some good standup comedy though.
Don't see it if It is very confusing and much too long. If you like a logical play with a beginning, middle and end this is not for you.
See it if You want an upbeat, fun night at the theatre. The play appeals to a wide audience, so could be a fun date with a partner, parent or friend!
Don't see it if You don’t like funny plays?
See it if you enjoy Woody Allen-like humor, stories of evolving relationships, and unconventional plot structures
Don't see it if you want something more straightforward, and you don't enjoy comedies
Also It's a play about the making of a play, which itself is a semi-autobio... Read more Read less
See it if Inside an exceptionally bright, tortured, complex, funny man, driven by artistic ambition, destroying the love he so desperately needs.
Don't see it if You don't like or can't keep up with intense, convoluted, fast-paced, and not entirely linear storytelling.
See it if you want to see a creatively presented relationship story that incorporates some fun theatrical staging and "fourth wall" evisceration.
Don't see it if you're easily offended by the occasional raunchy joke, but don't let that prevent you from experiencing this fun piece of meta-theatre.
See it if Fiction and nonfiction blending together to make & break a relationship that appeared to have deeply affected the actor. Immensely intimate
Don't see it if Expect direct eye contact with a pace that demands undivided attention to fully appreciate where he is coming from.
Also This is what off-broadway is about. Tiny stage never feels small. Esse... Read more Read less
Cast & Creatives (10)
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