Of Good Stock NYC Reviews and Tickets

"If there is little plot to speak of besides sitcom-style scenes of confrontation, bonding and heavy drinking, the play does provide full portraits of the characters...The production features spirited performances all around, a detailed revolving set and quite a few cute and touching moments, but it doesn't quite overcome the play's light-as-a-feather flimsiness and predictability."
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"With little plot to speak of in Ross' slice-of-life play, the story turns on the relationships that fluctuate within it. As such, director Lynne Meadow makes a science of each, building a world that feels effortlessly realistic while also artistically cohesive...Ross does not reinvent the wheel with her portrayal of sisterly camaraderie, but as the women share a profanity-laden catharsis over a bottle of scotch, you have to feel glad that this particular wheel was in stock."
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"Borrows every trick in the dysfunctional family comedy playbook...A generic trio of neurotic sisters and set them to squabbling in allegedly hilarious fashion, with one or the other bursting into tears and running upstairs every ten minutes or so. If you can imagine the first draft of a Nora Ephron screenplay with the emotional beats laid out but the motivations and witty repartee not yet put in, you'll have an idea of what 'Of Good Stock' is like."
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"An unsteady combination of undercooked and overdramatic...Ross does not address too many fresh issues in painting portraits of the Stockton trio, even within the boundaries she herself sets...Still, even the familiar can impress if it's presented well, which is thankfully the case here."
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"Ross writes about a dysfunctional family—a familiar topic to anyone who has ever seen a play—but she makes it fresh...The dialogue, which involves a lot of hilarious teasing, rings true. Ross writes how people actually talk, with characters speaking over each other. This is indicated in the script and director Lynne Meadow navigates it well, so it's not difficult to understand what is being said."
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"Ross knows how to craft believable, interesting characters, funny lines, heartbreaking dialogue, dramatic plot points, as well as men who are more than appendages to her women. Yet, despite all of its plusses, the play ultimately feels a tad insubstantial...The bigger issue here, though, is Ross never makes the stakes high enough. Sure, this 'Stock' is tasty, but it really could use a bit more meat in it."
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"The ensemble fearlessly portray characters who are not very likable and with whom we might have difficulty empathizing with, but it’s testament to their commitment that they each deliver truly memorable performances...There is a bittersweet quality to 'Of Good Stock' that lingers with you after the show is over. Ross doesn’t seem to have set out to deliver a cautionary tale, and yet the play contains warnings that sometimes come off as reflections of ourselves."
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"The production has some touching moments about family, love, and marriage, but it skates along on the surface and the emotional payoffs come far too late...The men feel a bit like the audience’s proxy (and their observational roles are made much more substantial by the great cast)...Once the sisters stop fighting with each other and start fighting for each other, the play finds some genuine emotion but it was perhaps too long a road to that moment."
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