Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%

(21 Reviews)

Positive

90%

Mixed

10%

Negative

Members say

Funny, Clever, Great acting, Relevant, Entertaining

About the Show

This world premiere play from INTAR and InViolet Theater explores the thin line between friends and enemies.

José and Joe are neighbors who've barely spoken. When José asks Joe for help, the two become friends and finally get to know the man on the other side of the creek. But as their bond grows so does their business, and the sacrifices they once made for profit come back to bite them in the culo. What turns amigos into enemigos? What turns nations into rivals? What turns men into clowns?

Member Reviews (21)

Clever, Funny, Relevant, Quirky, Edgy

See it if Sharply written and performed satire about the relationship between an American man and a Mexican man. Creative and funny.

Don't see it if Avoid if you will be offended by stereotypes or harsh language. Some over-the-top physical humor.

Banal, Fluffy

See it if You are a fan of lame jokes presented through a series of encounters between stereotypical 'neighbors'.

Don't see it if You are easily offended by racial 'humor". The jokes aren't that offensive, but they aren't that funny either. Just not worth the time.

Critic Reviews (4)

"Because its performances are so fully rendered and points so wonderfully tackled, one does not realize that 'Neighbors' follows a parroting formula of, 'You know what the problem with you people is? Let me tell you,' until well after the fact. The majesty of what playwright Cubria has accomplished, and the astute hand with which director Moreno has rendered it, is such that it is difficult to fault him for this cheat. The end game is this magnificent production."
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“'Neighbors’ is stranded between being a naturalistic buddy comedy and a political allegory, never managing to be funny or pointed enough…The laughs are few and far between; the climax, filled with violence and epithets, feels like a desperate bid for relevance...The actors do their best with characters who are pitched halfway between real people and outright caricatures…But all the good effort involved can't stop ‘Neighbors’ from coming off as an extended, unfunny satiric sketch.”
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"Cubría’s premise is an imaginative and timely examination of class, ethnicity and U.S. hegemony. It’s sustained by well-crafted jokes melded with seriousness, earthy and fierce dialogue, culminating in a ridiculous and chilling denouement...Rodriguez and Blair have a tremendous and palpable chemistry...Director Moreno’s staging emulates the fast pacing and surreal qualities of vintage Warner Brothers cartoons, yet the antics recede to emphasize the sensitive aspects of the play."
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“The stereotypes are deliberately clownish, and the playwright has fun with them…Despite the deliberate stereotyping, the depiction of Joe and Jose does not cause offense, in part because specific biographical details in the script and the two actors’ anchored performances turn them into credible characters, and in part because 'Neighbors' gives us solid if amusing insight into what feels like some genuine cultural differences between the two nationalities.”
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