Nat Turner in Jerusalem NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (107)
See it if Turner's divinely inspired rebellion as the roots of Black Lives Matter. Poetic script beautifully directed and acted. Philip Brannon soars
Don't see it if The wooden seats have backs and cushions and are not uncomfortable. It must have cost a lot to reconfigure NYTW. The experience is worth it
See it if you want to be sort of told what happened during the Nat Turner revolt and enjoy beautifully haunting lighting and props.
Don't see it if you want a fleshed out, real, glimpse into the mind of Nat Turner. The other actor shows much more range and emotional connection.
See it if You like intense, well-acted, drama.
Don't see it if You don't like minimal sets and non-traditional seating. Dramatic, upsetting religious discussions.
See it if you want to see: exceptional acting by Phillip James Brannon; a window into one example why racial and ethnic suppression do not work.
Don't see it if historical stories do not interest you; you do not like talky plays with little action; you dread a story that you know will end in death.
See it if you need a refresher course re: pre- Civil Was A two-hander worth seeing.
Don't see it if have trouble with small cushions for wooden bleacher type sets.. (only 90 minutes or so though)
See it if are interested in the story of nat turner. sadly it draws comparison with current issues
Don't see it if are uncomfortable watching a very intense story of racial issues.
See it if You are interested in themes of historical race-relations.
Don't see it if You do not enjoy only solo and partnered dialogue-driven work.
See it if curious about Nat Turner and have patience for poetic writing and little plot
Don't see it if get bored easily by repetition and lack of traditional action
Critic Reviews (27)
"Appears as timely and topical...The play is a series of short, not particularly revelatory scenes...Most commendable is Brannon's ability to make words sound spiritually inspired even as they then suddenly ricochet off his targets like bolts of lightning. How they bounce off the more contemptuous personalities of both Gray and the guard is the most interesting aspect of the play...Davis's play is ultimately overly preachy and determinedly testy in its redundancies."
Read more
"If it all sounds monotonous, it is, but it also has redeeming features. Playwright Davis’s dialogue can be a little stilted, but it has a strong poetic spine. It’s rich with Biblical references and provocative images...And then there’s Brannon as the title character. Right from the start, when he’s talking to his chains, he’s fascinating...'Nat Turner in Jerusalem' gives life to a familiar but easily forgotten name from the history books, but it doesn’t coalesce into a satisfying drama."
Read more
"We float between the horror of what is described, and understanding his rage and reason for vengeance. It’s a delicate balancing act that both writer and performer do a superb job with, although the direction doesn’t carry much forward movement...Through this play, which at times is a bit slow, erratic, and static, we are forced to see the connections of slavery and racism that have spanned generations in this country and invade our modern daily lives."
Read more
"The play raises the kind of enduring questions that are vital to the conversation needed around the issues of systematic racism and white privilege...Megan Sandberg-Zakian’s staging is effective and she utilizes Susan Zeeman Rogers’s stark set to simulate the various points of view extant in Mr. Davis’s matrix of moral ambiguity and treasure trove of rich and enduring questions...Nathan Alan Davis’s remarkable new play reveals that ultimately justice does not always prevail."
Read more
“Turner’s story has particular resonance in our racially charged climate but I’m not certain Davis’s flat treatment does a lot to alter the dynamic. For all his suffering, it’s hard to sympathize with the messianic Turner, who ascribes his bloody actions to the word of God, not some deeply ingrained conviction invoked by slavery’s inhumanity, although he clearly propounds such beliefs. The chief reason to see the play is Brannon’s striking portrayal of Nat Turner."
Read more
"More effective–and affecting–as a statement on how far we haven’t come in this country when it comes to race relations than as truly riveting drama, 'Nat Turner' is worth 90 minutes of your time...The best reason to see the work is to witness the galvanizing performance of Phillip James Brannon as Turner...While some of Davis’ writing is quite lovely, viewing 'Nat Turner' can also feel like watching Al Sharpton preach for 90 minutes: exhausting in both good and bad ways."
Read more
"Unfortunately, the experience of actually sitting through the 90 minutes of 'Nat Turner in Jerusalem' is not as rewarding as one would hope. I wondered about the point of many of the choices...Yet, for all its missteps, there is no denying the beguiling presence at the center of the play – that of Phillip James Brannon’s performance as a Nat Turner who is both uncommonly intelligent and otherworldly."
Read more
"This is a play in search of its conflict. The lightly anachronistic language sits heavily in the mouths of the actors...Davis has an interest in and a seeming reverence for history that doesn’t always serve him well. A playwright with a more distinctive approach to language and genre might have found surreal terror or brutal comedy in these events. But Davis’s version, under the stolid direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian, is disappointingly static."
Read more