Out of Time NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsShow-Score Member Reviews (33)
See it if enjoy one-acts by seasoned veterans.
Don't see it if was expecting a full story - this is 5 vignettes. did not take advantage of the cast by having them just deliver monologues.
See it if you'd enjoy a meditation on growing old and the lessons learned along the way. It was profound; will be thinking about it for a long time
Don't see it if it does get a little slow so if you're looking for action, adventure or a plot, this isn't your show
See it if Slowly but carefully threading precise analogy needles with post-pandemic reflections on aging, grief, and family. Great acting and writing.
Don't see it if 5 different monologues feels a bit disconnected, harder on the audience — 2 or 3 would've been more digestible. Some parts felt rambly. Read more
See it if you would enjoy five different monologues that reveal a elder stage of life. The actors bring some light moments. Sound & lighting excellent
Don't see it if you do not like one person talking to you for 2 1/2 hours. It moves a little slow and could use voice amplification not to miss every word.
See it if you want to immerse yourself in a series of first person narratives. The five stories are varied and performances are strong.
Don't see it if you're looking for a light hearted, splashy show. There are lighter moments but overall on the serious side.
See it if you are interested in Asian-American playwrights & performers; enjoy solo monologues, concerned about issues of aging, grief & resilience
Don't see it if Don't like monologues, no patience for one lengthy monologue; no interest in Asian-American theatre or discussions of aging & grief
See it if you want to be introduced (or rather re-introduced) to icons of the Asian American diaspora performing in new work where they are the stars.
Don't see it if an uneven collection of monologues may deter you. Some of the new pieces work far better than the others.
See it if you enjoy Asian themed shows, you like monologue plays
Don't see it if you don't like monologue plays, you prefer interactive characters, you want a thru-line plot to the show Read more
Critic Reviews (10)
"Not all of the art-making succeeds in Les Waters’s uneven production at the Public, but every actor is one you’ll want to see again, and that is a large part of the point. So is the potent sense of worldviews and experiences that the American stage has generally ignored. 'My Documentary' is a beautiful piece of writing...'Ball in the Air': The monologue is all confusion, written in short chunks that seem to come from three different strands of narrative that aren’t so much braided together as stacked on top of one another."
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"4/5 stars...At two and a half hours long in total, most of these monologues could have benefited from stricter editing, but ― memento mori: each performer is over 60 years old. Though time is the one thing we cannot replace, after listening to each character speak, I felt that their earned wisdom might spare me future pain...But even when the playwrights’ choices were exasperating, I was always grateful to 'Out of Time' for reminding me that life is fleeting ―and not just my own."
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"Not only does it feature five new monologues written by Asian American playwrights, but all five give Asian American actors over the age of 60 the kind of acting showcase they aren't normally afforded. If only the short plays themselves were as worthwhile as the concept binding them together...Regardless of how variable its material is though, 'Out of Time' does at least boast the spectacle of some of our most underappreciated Asian American stage performers working in top form. And director Les Waters's affection for this ensemble is apparent in the production surrounding them."
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This is a baggy, shapeless collection of monologues featuring Asian American playwrights and performers linked, tenuously, by themes of aging and loss. There may indeed be an engaging and moving production inside this ill-focused offering, which clocks in at a lengthy two-and-a-half hours; at the moment, however, it is hard to discern.
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"With the exception of the very first piece, the whole evening comes off as less of a fully realized collection than an exercise in the art of the monologue. Despite gathering some very fine actors, director Les Waters, who is credited as well with conceiving the evening, has not found a way to connect the dots."
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"4/5 stars...This review’s matter-of fact opening tone is intended as a lead-in to the accumulative effect the five monologues gather as they’re superbly performed and immaculately directed. Put succinctly, the 'Out of Time' whole ultimately exceeds the sum of its parts...The mostly grim speeches were engaging without sticking to the memory as a strong dramatic plot does."
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"The National Asian American Theatre Co. (NAATCO) commissioned five playwrights to create monologues for a cast of Asian Americans over the age of 60. 'Out of Time' is the title of this noble endeavor; the pandemic, aging and mortality are the common themes. The opening piece is the most accomplished."
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"The production is a vital offering that presents the distinctive and powerful voices of Asian Americans over the age of sixty in five newly minted solo works by award-winning Asian-American playwrights...This vibrantly hued mosaic is brought together with the unique lyricism of four women and one man and brought to life by the superb acting ensemble...'Out of Time' is an amazing evening at the Public."
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