Old New Year NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (24)
See it if you like quirky and unusual performances. This one fits the bill.
Don't see it if you want to see a more conformist production
See it if You enjoy experimental theatre with clever staging and an enthusiastic cast, but an unengaging plot.
Don't see it if You can't take non-linear plots, or uncomfortable seats, lights in your face and poor sightlines for long periods of time.
See it if you're interested in an experimental use of space and interactive media, and themes of immigration (including non-English dialogue).
Don't see it if you want deep character development, genuine surprise endings, or strong plot arcs. It's more a meandering slice-of-life than a narrative.
See it if you are open minded to other cultural styles of drama & humor. I suggest coming w/ a Russian pal would help to not get lost in translation.
Don't see it if you like a typical american light drama & traditional staging as this is 1.5 hr. of intense & loud dialogues by a hyper cast in open stage. Read more
See it if You're Interested in Russian or Jewish experience . Like young frenetic episodic experimental angst.
Don't see it if Want a straightforward play. Don't like multiple characters unclear storylines. Have no interest in Jewish/Russian immigrant stories
See it if you want to see a different kind of show with engaged and pretty good cast. The book is weak. Cool use of space.
Don't see it if value a great book. The story here is weak, whereas the cast efforts make it more enjoyable.
See it if you want to support local theatre, or have a strong connection to the Russian Jewish experience (apparently this is what it was about)
Don't see it if you are expecting great things, or want a fully fleshed out pro production. Lot's of shouting... Read more
See it if You want to see something very different. You are open to new things. You don't expect a play with depth.
Don't see it if You are not interested in what some might call experimental theater. You like traditional theater.
Critic Reviews (3)
“Unfortunately, all this talent, passion, and raw intelligence finds inadequate outlet in ‘Old New Year’s’ chaotic, disparate stories…The characters are not wholly unsympathetic or without depth...There are simply too many subplots insufficiently integrated for us to become invested in any of them…The standard of coherence may be less stringent in experimental theater, but a production still has to work as theater, and ‘Old New Year,’ sadly, doesn't.”
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"Actors gamely throw themselves into the text, and are able to elicit a reaction from the audience, however the lack of a compelling narrative leaves them with a Sisyphean struggle...There seems remarkably little at stake, and little or no reason to root for any of the characters...'Old New Year' is never able to rise above its status as a thoughtful experiment. It is not a disaster, but neither is it the life-changing, genre-defying work it seems to set out to be."
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"The story doesn’t resolve or grow much, but its characters mostly feel authentically dramatic and interesting...Can’t quite decide if it’s a way for members of the community to reckon with its own dynamics or a way to represent this community to the rest of the world...Definitely veers a little into weird-for-weirdness sake, but a redeemable amount. The various story lines are unfocused, but its characters come to life. It won’t cause epiphanies, but its characters make for enriching company."
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