Operation Crucible
Closed 1h 20m
Operation Crucible
80

Operation Crucible NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(94 Ratings)
Positive
95%
Mixed
5%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Intense, Intelligent, Great staging

About the Show

After a successful run as part of 59E59's 2018 'Brits Off Broadway' series, this drama about four ordinary men who survive the Sheffield Blitz of World War II, returns Off Broadway.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (94)

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86 Reviews | 16 Followers
93
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Must see, Riveting

See it if You want to see a well written and extremely well acted small play featuring 4 talented actors. Beautifully done and inspiring true story

Don't see it if Prefer large splashy productions or don’t like small cast intimate dramas. Or only want to see Plays on Broadway. Read more

302 Reviews | 99 Followers
92
Entertaining, Great acting, Intelligent, Heavy accents

See it if you like a story about the impacts of war as told by the common person (4 factory workers in this case). Amazing non-dance choreography.

Don't see it if Heavy accents, war-related, dark stage, flashes, etc affect you. Only downside was the actor's heavy accents, hard to understand sometimes.

156 Reviews | 62 Followers
91
Great acting, Great staging, Great writing, Profound

See it if you enjoy terrific acting and particularly like a ​drama about World War Two. An important play about bravery during The Blitz. Mesmerizing.

Don't see it if you have trouble understanding thick British accents and do not like being in complete darkness. Otherwise, no other reason not to see it.

77 Reviews | 22 Followers
90
Ambitious, Intense, Intelligent

See it if You like play is based on actual events.

Don't see it if You want some typical Broadway story. This is stark very well acted and has some emotional parts. Very moving

96 Reviews | 73 Followers
89
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Resonant

See it if you are interested in WWII, great British theatre, new plays, nontraditional storytelling. The powerful story of four steel workers.

Don't see it if You are uninterested in history, intimate black box theatres, small casts, non-linear storytelling.

53 Reviews | 8 Followers
88
Clever, Great acting, Great writing

See it if Great story, very clever approach to the story telling. Excellent ensemble

Don't see it if You won’t like it if you struggle with heavy English accents

414 Reviews | 70 Followers
88
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Intelligent, Clever

See it if touching story of steel workers in an English town during WWII, their trauma when the town is bombed; high-energy as they act out their jobs

Don't see it if have trouble with British accents, don't want war stories, don't like minimalist staging with no props Read more

267 Reviews | 52 Followers
87
Great staging, Riveting, Profound, Touching, Intense

See it if You like shows based on true events, and enjoy good writing, detailed choreography and terrific acting. I felt like I was there.

Don't see it if You can't tolerate heavy British accents, small theatres, or scenes done completely in the dark.

Critic Reviews (24)

Front Row Center
November 17th, 2018

“Knowles has molded and formed a fine piece of theater that shares with its audience not only this moment in time, but a doorway into the lives of the people who inhabited it. Delivered staccato, but melding together into musicality, the wonderfully crafted dialogue of the play reflects friendships of people knowing each other for a long period of time and riffing off of that familiarity in shared experience...A compelling story...sure not to leave you untouched.”
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Gotham Playgoer
November 14th, 2018

“The cast are superb individually and as a team. Their ensemble work is brilliant. Bryony Shanahan’s tight direction adds much to the production. The simple set and costumes by Sophia Simensky are apt. Seth Rook Williams’s low lighting is effective and Daniel Foxsmith’s sound design is appropriately ominous. The only negative, and it is not a serious one, is that the thick Sheffield accent is occasionally hard to decipher.”
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The New York Times
May 15th, 2018
For a previous production

“Powerfully directed with a machine-tooled precision of its own by Shanahan, limits its point of view to that of four people...Captures so efficiently the dividing of war’s devastation. And it is all accomplished on a single simple set, with a cast of four and 80 minutes of stage time...Research informs his script, yet it is woven with a confident seamlessness into a story of men who, for much of our time with them, can barely see what’s in front of them. There is not a wasted word or gesture.”
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Theatermania
May 15th, 2018
For a previous production

“In this period of physical and spiritual darkness, the show's direction shines. Shanahan isn't afraid of murk any more than she is of silence...The ingenuity of the designers, director, and script is heightened by the cast. All convince as working-class Englishmen while remaining distinct personalities...The play's emotional whammy complements its historical specificity...A reminder of both our humanity and our capacity for brutality."
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BroadwayWorld
May 18th, 2018
For a previous production

“Mesmerizing...Features an outstanding cast...The story is a timeless perspective of the chaotic effects that war has on civilians...Each of the four men's past lives and their present circumstances are portrayed with spirit, heart and some humor...The cast deftly assume multiple roles to create a portrait of each character...The actors master the show's intriguing dialogue and its rapid scene changes...An unforgettable and affecting theatre experience.”
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BroadwayWorld
September 12th, 2016
For a previous production

"A powerful and energetic piece, plunging the audience into the blazing centre of the steelworks and the darkness of the bombed-out hotel's basement, with clever choreography and simple yet effective lighting changes...Although the play isn't telling new stories per se, it skilfully blends its focus on those who worked in the steel industry with its depiction of the war...Whilst it packs an emotional punch, it rarely gets swamped in sentimentality."
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Lighting & Sound America
May 16th, 2018
For a previous production

"These moments are so many building blocks that don't add up to a play. The structuring of the episodes feels scattershot, and none of the characters emerges with a distinctive profile...The cast of four -- Salvatore D'Aquila, Christopher McCurry, James Wallwork, and Knowles -- is technically skilled, but Shanahan's direction is too high-pitched for theatre...This is the kind of narrative that is better suited to prose than the theatre. Everything about is well done, but it never catches fire."
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Talkin' Broadway
May 15th, 2018
For a previous production

“The natural rhythm of the play extends the rhythm of the quartet's teamwork...Even in straightforward narration, they literally finish each other's sentences...as the story unfolds. As directed by Shanahan, it all becomes a highly choreographed and near poetic display...The heart-pounding events are dramatically reinforced...Thanks to the strong performances and supportive design elements, Americans are likely to find themselves caught up in a war story.”
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