Operation Crucible NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(94 Reviews)

Positive

95%

Mixed

Negative

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.

"Operation Crucible" (code named by the Germans referring to its unique 18th century steelmaking) is based on the true story of the December 12, 1940 bombing of the Marples Hotel in the industrial city of Sheffield. It took only one German bomb to decimate the seven-story hotel into mere rubble. Unbelievably, four men survived the attack, only to be trapped in one of the hotel’s remaining and intact cellars. "Operation Crucible" is their story.

Member Reviews (94)

Intense, Resonant, Dizzying, Synchronized, Energetic

See it if Relationships among 4 steelworkers before, during, and after they are trapped. High speed choreographed movements and utterances.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy theater that is part dance & performance art. You are looking for more than a relationship and survival story in wartime.

Absorbing, Riveting, Great acting, Compelling, Great directing

See it if you'd enjoy a gritty, compelling, evocative, sparsely staged 4-hander about surviving UK working class life & the Luftwaffe bombing of 1940.

Don't see it if you have no interest in WWII and/or Britain; you have an allergy to stage smoke/fog; you're looking for something lighthearted & undemanding

Absorbing, Intense, Intelligent

See it if Time passes for four Brit blokes trapped in a steelworks after a bomb strike. Nicely choreogrphed foundry. Ensemble works well together.

Don't see it if Blokes in a black box. Working-class accents. Monologues. Darkness. No props or set. Bomb strike hits midway through 75 min. running.

Absorbing, Intelligent, Beautifully crafted, Great direction, Great precision acting

See it if you're interested in survival in England during WW2 & life/friendship in a steel factory. Beautifully performed, choreographed and written.

Don't see it if small, dark spaces make you feel claustrophobic; you are looking for a feel good play or a musical. This is an intense, well acted play.

Great acting, Great staging, Intense, Masterful, Absorbing

See it if you want to see a superb ensemble in a taut drama about a WW II event in England

Don't see it if have trouble with British accents Read more

Absorbing, Great acting, Intense, Resonant, Intelligent

See it if You enjoy beautifully told stories about a moment in history that isn't discussed a great deal. Great acting and movement on a small stage

Don't see it if You have trouble with accents or plays that jump between moments and force you to keep up.

Disappointing, Intense, Entertaining

See it if You are familiar with a Sheffield accent. The 4 actors do a great job of entertaining but the story is hard to grasp

Don't see it if If you’re looking for something that is easy to follow.

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

Critic Reviews (24)

“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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“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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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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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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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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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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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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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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