My Eyes Went Dark NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
107group presents a tragedy inspired by true events about a Russian father driven to revenge after losing his family in a plane crash. Part of 59E59's annual Brits Off Broadway festival.
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See it if You're fine with small shows, small casts, actors playing multiple characters, intense themes, and a surprisingly good show for cheap.
Don't see it if You need big sets, linear plot, neat tidy outcomes, or a lot going on. This is a taut little show that surprises.
See it if The victim has a hard time forgiving if the perpetrator doesn't acknowledge their responsibility.
Don't see it if You are not up for an dark, intense story with a lot of grief and anger. Read more
See it if you are up for a serious, darkly themed story which is intensely well acted. Emotions and thoughts of vengance run high. Very well done.
Don't see it if you don't want to think or feel, this is not a frivolous play. The narrative is sometimes confusing, but always becomes clear.
See it if you enjoy productions that will make you reevaluate how we view "the other".
Don't see it if you are looking for spectacle or don't like actors playing multiple characters.
See it if tragic play about the effects after one man's family is killed in a plane crash; told with two actors, one playing several roles
Don't see it if need to concentrate to understand because story can be confusing, esp. in beginning. Some time events are out of sequence. Minimalist set. Read more
See it if you enjoy thought provoking drama about tragedy and human emotions; interesting staging and lighting/sound effects; non-linear time frame
Don't see it if you hate extremely sad and intense drama, multiple characters played by one actor, non-linear plot development; are easily confused.
See it if you like good acting, and can follow a story that moves back and forth in time.
Don't see it if you want to see something simple.
See it if You enjoy strong storytelling and a pair of excellent actors; minimal set and powerful lighting and sound design
Don't see it if You want to be entertained, have difficulty following actors who change characters or struggle to follow a story without props or scenery
Critic Reviews (22)
"The staging...effectively guides the play through hopscotching shifts in setting and time. Too often, however, the script jumps face first into scenes, then flounders as the exposition-laden dialogue tries to pick up the slack...Ms. Jayasundera moves deftly from role to role...Mr. Conlon’s Koslov is an unfinished sketch, barely shaded beyond his revenge...The peak emotional moments verge on the melodramatic...'My Eyes Went Dark' at once presents us with too little and broadcasts too much."
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“Wilkinson's precise ear for dialogue makes his succession of brief scenes convincing, and ‘My Eyes Went Dark’ has power as a high-intensity acting showcase. But there's too little analysis of the mechanisms of revenge and forgiveness. Instead, the play offers intense, histrionic moments that we thrill to as voyeurs, not as thinkers. Actual grief and actual murder are repurposed for our dark entertainment, and there's something ugly in that."
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"The two-hander features the extraordinary acting talents of Declan Conlon and Thusitha Jayasundera. Conlon's portrayal of Nikolai Koslov is an evocative, heartrending performance. Jayasundera plays multiple roles that fill out the entire story...'My Eyes Went Dark' is a very timely piece of theater that examines a tragedy from a rarely seen perspective. It is an intriguing play that will surely captivate metro area audiences."
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"Conlon is especially brilliant at signaling submerged emotions, a skill that proves invaluable here...Given the fragmented nature of Matthew Wilkinson's script, the narrative is occasionally a little confusing...Still, under Wilkinson's direction, there are many passages of unsparing power, and Conlon and Jayasundera hold the play together through a potent combination of talent and nerve."
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“Performed in a small, intimate space with only a pair of chairs onstage, the play's potency is not borne solely by the Lear-like power of Conlon's performance. He is equaled by co-star Jayasundera, an accomplished actress who portrays multiple other characters who cross Koslov's path…These two finely wrought performances are honed to a sharp edge by the playwright, who also directs…A most unsettling evening that raises at least as many questions as it addresses.”
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“Written and directed with thoughtful precision by Matthew Wilkinson...The production is a performance tour de force around which soul tragedy, self-betrayal and vengeance combine to break open an enlightened revelation by the play’s conclusion…Wilkinson’s work and this production are an intriguing mental exercise…The play’s power and dynamism are trenchant. This is an exceptional achievement in a production that is stylized and expressionistic.”
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"Mr. Conlon’s Koslov doesn’t quite ever succeed in making us feel much real sorrow. His emotive range tends to be professionally efficient, but veers dangerously towards the melodramatic…Mr. Wilkinson, as the director, shares some of the responsibility for this shortcoming. More dauntingly, the action takes place over a broad range of locales...and at a pace much more suited to film or television than to the stage...Jayasundera, however, acquits herself remarkably well."
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"This beautifully told tale of utter grief and sadness is slowly parceled out to us over the 90 minutes we spend with these two souls that inhabit this perfectly crafted small space. Declan Conlon and Thusitha Jayasundera, the two very fine actors that have gifted us with their presence and talent, make it feel huge though...Although Wilkinson’s deep and layered drama has moments of disconnect, the play and the performances overcome those unfocused scenes as a whole."
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