Party Face NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (220)
See it if You like television sitcoms. This is just believable enough to be a fun bit of fluff to escape in for a bit that ends up with some depth.
Don't see it if You’re looking for a show with great meaning or that will change your life.
See it if you seek an easy, feel-good (& sober, at times) sitcom-on-stage, featuring nice performances, especially from the ever-charming Hayley Mills
Don't see it if you expect a laugh-a-minute comedy or you expect any heft from this rather predictable, broad, run-of-the-mill family dramedy.
See it if Nothing really gels in this "feminist"- styled comedy (?) Well appointed & acted but the serio-comic situations fail; an extended sketch
Don't see it if Always sad to see a talented ensemble (esp Mills & understudy Cimmet) flounder at sea; even sadder when the lack of laughter is palpable
See it if you are a boomer & as a kid Hayley Mills was your fantasy British big sister.
Don't see it if you can take a pass on seeing an agreeable play that goes down as smooth as a sit-com (albeit one with a serious subject). Read more
See it if to cheque in on the radiant Hayley Mills, otherwise, there's not much here for 95 min of comedy fluff about a daughter sprung from the bin.
Don't see it if lighthearted treatment of mother/daughter relationships or recovery or mental health are of your concern.
See it if you enjoy family-centered comedy-dramas, you appreciate female-driven stories, you’re a Hayley Mills fan &/or you enjoyed the film Lady Bird
Don't see it if reliving all the times your mother’s praise came w/a stinging criticism tacked on the end would be too traumatic. Actually, see it anyway.
See it if want an old fashioned comedy that feels more like a classic sitcom
Don't see it if want any substance
See it if you enjoy TV sitcoms with typical characters: the overbearing mom, the mousy sister, the strong sister, the crazy friend, the sexy neighbor.
Don't see it if you hate sitcoms, you dislike attempts at humor which fall flat. You may find yourself chuckling in spite of it all, but play has no depth.
Critic Reviews (20)
"An unlikely comedy...What's strange about the play, which is written in a realistic style, is how implausible it all seems...Each character is made to move and speak in ways that contradict even a passing knowledge of human behavior and reap only sporadic laughs...There are glimmers of a state-of-the-nation play here, in which shiny surfaces mask the dissatisfaction underneath...The actresses appear to be enjoying themselves...At least someone is having a good time."
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"Collapses quickly into a pile of soggy canapés along with the five poorly-written but gamely-acted women guests...One hour and 50 minutes of meaningless babble while everyone pours wine and nibbles olives, stringing words together just so the audience won’t feel alone...One waits tiresomely for a shred of insight or some ray of revelation, but the characters remain stubbornly superficial...The cast is fine, even if nothing any of the women do feels real or remotely believable."
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"As a Bechdel test case, it comes up short. But as a comedy, the Off-Broadway production squeaks by...Another big plus: It’s a treat seeing Hayley Mills...The cast does a good job navigating the script’s whiplash tonal shifts from goofy and raunchy to tender and stone-cold sober...It’s also odd that topics are broached but left unexplored, such as Carmel’s fading memory. But in the end, it's a modest but fun 'Party.'"
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"Despite taking place in present-day Dublin, 'Party Face' feels out of touch with contemporary sensibilities and seems to be on the wrong side the ongoing conversation about women's rights. Mahon traffics in stereotypes...That Bearse has directed television is very apparent throughout. The character work is broad and unnatural, and perhaps a director with more stage experience could have coaxed performances that were more multifaceted out of this company."
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"Mills is a delight...The girl of your youthful moviegoing has matured into a fine high-comedy technician...However, she is starring in a vulgar sitcom that is inferior to much of what one can currently find on network television...The cast works hard, trying to enliven characters who, stylistically, are all over the map...Maybe this familiar laughter-and-tears cocktail and the presence of Mills will be enough...Personally, however, I think Mollie's husband was smart to flee this party."
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"Unfortunately, there is little more to commend this feather-light play that only rarely moves beyond insipid sitcom mode even when, upon occasion, it attempts to deal with serious domestic issues...The cast members embrace their sketchy roles with all the style and grace they can muster...But what the production sorely needs is to find a balance between a tone of dark (not silly) humor and its potentially insightful examination of the conflicts that have shaped these women's lives."
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“The best reason to see Isobel Mahon's ‘Party Face’ is to see the ever-lovely Hayley Mills who used to play mischievous teens and now is playing busy-body mothers. The play is diverting though it has nothing new to say about women and their contemporary roles. Under Amanda Bearse's direction, the play also gives Klea Blackhurst another off-beat comic role in which she shines.”
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"Plays out more like a very special episode of some TV sitcom than any sort of truly illuminating family drama. But it’s equally inarguable that the work provides some good laughs, relatable situations, and, above all, the chance for five actresses – led by the still-radiant Hayley Mills – to dig their teeth into this so-so material, all of which adds up to a watchable evening of theater."
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