Play Like A Winner (NYMF) NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(28 Reviews)

Positive

93%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Funny, Entertaining, Clever, Great singing, Great writing

About the Show

Part of the New York Musical Festival: A satire of the soccer mom world based on the award-winning play 'All About the Kids' by Caytha Jentis.

In the fiercely competitive world of girls’ soccer, how far would you go for your child? At curtain, Coach Nick lies dead at center stage, impaled by a corner flag, while a chorus of soccer players sings in his honor. Kathy, a soccer mom, steps forward to tell us the story of how all this began… An official selection of the 2017 New York Musical Festival Next Link Project.

Member Reviews (28)

Repetitive, Dated, Great singing, Fluffy, Overstuffed

See it if you enjoy great voices singing good songs. PLW is meant to be satirical, but school sports headlines have been crazier. Not enough laughs.

Don't see it if you want tight plotting. Act I is far superior to Act II. Too many unnecessary songs. Too much unnec'y swearing. Altho new, PLW feels dated. Read more

Cute, Entertaining, Slow, Needs trimming, Needs a less nonsensical end

See it if It's cute and fun. Good music. Some great jokes.

Don't see it if Many of the cast are not up to their task, less in the singing than in the acting. Ending was abrupt and nonsensical. Some plot gaps. Read more

Critic Reviews (4)

"'Play Like a Winner' is the kind of musical comedy that sucks you in whether it’s your cup of tea or not...With book and lyrics by Erik Johnke and music by David Wolfson, this is a well-polished, occasionally foul-mouthed caricature of suburban soccer-mom life, aimed squarely at that demographic...The fine cast is led by Jessica Tyler Wright...Toward the end it’s a little like playing 'Clue,' where you know the victim and the murder weapon and you’re waiting to find out whodunit."
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"The subject lends itself well to dark satire...But Erik Johnke (book and lyrics) and David Wolfson (music) have not yet struck the comic tone that, like good satire does, unearths buried truths beneath the surface of the material. As of now, 'Play Like a Winner' leans on simple melodies and crude shock value that make you uncomfortable without the payoff of satisfying insight. It's a play that might win a few laughs, but that's not enough of a winning strategy."
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"The book and lyrics are not clever enough to produce the undercurrents of a true satire but rather remain on the surface with a loutish book and relying on vulgar lyrics to produce laughs...The music is unobtrusive and produces some pleasant melodies but at times does not support the intent of the song. The cast is remarkable and does what they can to elevate the material...It may provide a bit of raunchy fun but needs to revamp and find its target audience."
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“The cast is blessed with powerful voices and sound terrific on David Wolfson's score. They also managed to create moments of hilarity from the script and lyrics by Erik Johnke…What’s lacking is strong comedic choices and a devilish sense of humor. The show needs to blindside you with a unique twist. Right now, it’s a little crude and not that amusing. The songs, though tuneful, don’t stand out. In the end, the game has been played, but it’s more like a tied score.”
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