Power Strip

See it if you'd like a gripping, gritty Syrian refugee story. Well-plotted, feminist perspective. Moving, Powerful. Bleak. Clever, resilient protagont

Don't see it if you want a perfect script. Could use some cuts. Sags a bit. Also, lead actress is strident, harsh in delivery. More nuance w. help.

See it if Feminist survivor play about a gritty outcast refugee who finds empowerment in an unlikely place. Excellent writing and acting.

Don't see it if You are uninterested in an intense drama that is highly critical of Syrian men & morals. Rape, prostitution, stabbing, blood.

Also I liked the title's double meaning (electrical power, female genitals). Though the ending was abrupt, after thinking about it, I liked it. She is going to do whatever it takes.... Read more Read less

See it if to witness a powerful, timely, achingly haunting portrayal of Syrian refugee life that infuses politics, survivalism, feminism & human drama

Don't see it if u prefer to keep your head in the sand when it comes to the human toll that Mideast civil unrest wreaks in the name of religion & politics.

Also Playwright Sylvia Khoury is one to watch! Her voice needs to be heard at a time when the Syrian refugee crisis is reported at a safe distance & its disenfranchised people do not yet have a face, a heart, a soul for most Americans to relate to. This play certainly does!... Read more Read less

See it if you’re interested in the worldwide immigration crisis, non-domestic cultures or theatrical embodiments of the struggle for women’s rights.

Don't see it if you’re uninterested in the worldwide immigration crisis, non-domestic cultures or theatrical embodiments of the struggle for women’s rights.

Also “Power Strip,” a depiction of gritty daily life in a Greek camp for Syrian refugees, is gripping, humanly wise, politically outraged &, by the end, a full-throated cry for the right of a woman to choose how to use her body, now & in the future she plans. The throughline of the piece, a series of short, detailed scenes of camp life, is interrupted by flashbacks to the Damascus past of the central character, a would-be woman doctor whose marriage plans were interrupted by personal assault & a war. The flashbacks aren’t always smoothly introduced as furniture & domestic framework drops in; & I feel there are too many. I also found the staging of the final, powerful tableau blunted by ineffective lighting. But what is powerful about the script, the quirky, finely etched characters & the dialog that expresses their hopes, their turmoils, their very selves—is so compelling, & the subject matter so important, that I’ll be sure to see anything that this playwright does in the future.... Read more Read less

See it if harrowing feminist tale; in set as stark as the moon, tells hellish tale of Syrian female refugee w/ dreams crushed by tribal purity rules

Don't see it if awkward flashbacks; inconsistent feminist pt of view: protagonist oscillates from compliant 2 outraged; SPOILER: violent end 2 abrupt

Also Multiple possible meanings for "power strip": (1) the electrical conduit used by the refugee to plug in her heater & phone; (2) the fact that the woman has been stripped of her power by the patriarchal society in Syria & as a refugee in a refugee camp in Greece; and (3) the woman's genitalia/she refers to her vagina as the strip between her legs & wonders why men imbue it w such power/significance.... Read more Read less

See it if A women doing anything to stay alive in a danger place.

Don't see it if Very talky show, with flashback of how things came to be.

Also I get some of the meaning (If I guess right). It comes down to you will do anything to live.... Read more Read less

See it if you like a powerful drama about Syrian refugees. The woman's role was very demanding and I liked the way choices to be made were expressed.

Don't see it if you do not like to see a play where people live in horrible circumstances and have very difficult choices to make.

See it if Beginning & end show terrible conditions (no heat, rationed food/water). Scenes w/knife are fraught with emotion.

Don't see it if Some middle scenes are too talky & drag. Many names are mentioned of off-stage people & was hard to follow.

Also Bizarre how a lady in the middle of front row stood up at end & was "woo-ing" at the top of her lungs during curtain call. Obviously she was affiliated with the show.... Read more Read less

See it if you're interested in a young woman's ability to do whatever it takes to get herself out of a Syrian refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece; dark.

Don't see it if people under duress in a difficult situation is not of interest to you; no interest in the worldwide refugee crisis; gritty, sad, desperate.

See it if you enjoy politically relevant plays about Syrian refugees. Also, what a woman must do in order to survive.

Don't see it if you do not like abrupt endings. Also, if you do not enjoy realism and what people do in order to survive. This is not light fare.

See it if you want a story about the life of refugees.Fascinating story.Good exploration of women's issues.Too slow, but good.

Don't see it if you are looking for a pretty show or a fast paced show.The time drags, as it does for the refugees waiting for a meal or a home.

See it if you admire new plays that mine as deep as the status quo runs. You object to your value hinging on being the woman of someone else’s dreams

Don't see it if you're comforted by religious tradition & legacy despite/because of ruinous double standards.

Also Difficult conclusions, yet so satisfying. Somewhat abrupt plotting, but hardcore undercurrent churning below the surface. Critical and uncompromising look at the link between relationships at the individual level and the larger system that validates them.

Many reviews are noting the refugee camp context of the play. External conflict is specific to Syria, but Yasmin’s internal conflict is hardly exclusive to the Arab world.... Read more Read less

See it if You like shows themed similarly to The Jungle, but focused on one woman's life. Feminist orientation but religious roots get in the way

Don't see it if Dark slow moving dramas with overly pregnant pauses at times is not your thing

See it if disturbing story of refugees from war-torn Syria; more particularly a woman's fight for survival while surrounded by patriarchal views*

Don't see it if don't want dark story, violence, flashbacks or contrived parts. Don't want a story about woman taking back her own power.

Also *of female purity.
The descriptions of the refugee camps lose their impact in the dialogues. So this is more about a woman's fight than refugees in general.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in seeing a show about how low a person can sink under the right circumstances. This is a play about human nature.

Don't see it if you don't like intense dramas about people doing desperate things.

See it if Learn how war and then being a refugee fuels exploitation of the vulnerable, esp. women. Patriarchy in religion works against women.

Don't see it if War, rape, human suffering aren't your thing. Less plot, more struggles and the slow death of hopes...

Also Diversity: all Middle Eastern cast! Female protagonist.
Ticket from in-person box office for $30.... Read more Read less

See it if great acted central character in a very relevant play

Don't see it if want something light then this is not for you. need a bit more background of the characters but one gets the idea

See it if A very current play about international immigration and politics. Strong acting and scripts that is very relevant.

Don't see it if It immigration, politics and empowerment is not your thing, then this most likely won't be your play to see.

See it if a moving, intense depiction of life in a refugee camp and the compromises we will or won't make in our lives.

Don't see it if Fairly predictable plot unfolds and is full of bathos. Unfortunately, the lead gives the weakest performance in the production.

See it if Strong portrayal of how life is upended for a refugee, how women are blamed when victimized, how one woman will do whatever it takes 2b free

Don't see it if You want a neat happy ending. It’s gut wrenching

See it if I've been making the Off-Off Bdwy rounds (mainly female playwrights) & POWER STRIP is the best of the bunch. Linear story w/ flashbacks. GO!

Don't see it if Don't see if you don't like seeing stories about refugees, paranoia, and romances torpedoed by religious laws & horrifying circumstances.

See it if Physically agile actors. Interesting staging. Sound that deserves a show of it’s own.

Don't see it if A play with holes you could drive trucks through where half the story happens offstage. Syrian refugee camp in Greece. Young woman rejected

Also by fiancé and boyfriend for religious reasons when they discover her sexual past including rape and prostitution which she chooses for the money to escape her desperate life in the camp.
Second act deus ex machina lawyer gives her almost all the money she needs. When she seeks the return of part of the money she lent boyfriend as a good deed, her life turns to violence.

I hated the actors from the beginning. Superficial, phony performances from young actors with irritating speech patterns ranging from high-pitched and tight-throated to shrieking. This sketch of a play is getting an undeserved production at Lincoln Center. Why?... Read more Read less

See it if you want a contemporary play with a surprising protagonist

Don't see it if You are looking for a musical or something light

See it if Youre interested in the refuge crisis, especially for women and sexual exploitation

Don't see it if Youre not interested in a non emtional and distancing delivery

Also I use head phones and they were only sporadically worked so that affected my appreciation of tge play... Read more Read less

See it if You like relevant, powerful plays about Syrian refugees, performed in an intimate theater.

Don't see it if You want a happy, upbeat play