Prodigal Son NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (107)
See it if you like John Patrick Shanley's writing and have ever wondered what he must've been like as a teenager. Fantastic performances all around.
Don't see it if you think you might be put off by the occasional uneven, slow, or offensive bit.
See it if author's autobiograpy is easy to spot here, sometimes unhappy to watch, always riveting with this new young lead
Don't see it if another coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water story is uninteresting to you
See it if you or your children just couldn't find their way. Timothee Chalamet delivers this angst-filled coming of age story. Moving.
Don't see it if don't like plays by John Patrick Shanley. Although not his best work, this feels personal.
See it if like great acting
Don't see it if don't like surprises
See it if you want to be impressed with intelligent, expressive acting and thought-provoking questions about the nature of life and destiny
Don't see it if you want to have all of your questions answered at the end
See it if you want to see a fantastic cast.
Don't see it if you are looking for something that is not tired and overdone. The last 10 minutes ruined it. Too cliche.
See it if You enjoy plays dealing with teenage angst and you don't mind a few extra plot twists that don't go anywhere.
Don't see it if You expect a well constructed play from a respected playwright. Very disappointing.
See it if You want to see a performance by Timothée Chalamet before he becomes a big theatre star.
Don't see it if You want to see something more than a Catcher in the Rye rip-off. There was also some gay revelation I found offensive.
Critic Reviews (36)
"A poignant look at the playwright's own difficult youth. Heartfelt and frequently well observed, the play — now at Manhattan Theatre Club in a production directed by the author — teeters between restraint and emotional overload, eventually (and unnecessarily) succumbing to the latter."
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"By the end of the day, it's just another coming of age story, another tale of a young, white Christian boy becoming a young, white Christian man. (Can I get some Neil Simon or some women or some non-Caucasians up in here?) It was entertaining enough, but nothing special. "
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"It's pure Shanley: big ideas embedded in lots of impassioned and sometimes funny dialogue spoken by characters you feel you know...In the central role of Jim, Timothee Chalamet is terrific—every tilt of his head and slump of his shoulders is perfectly calibrated to construct this character—a brilliant boy who reads intensely, greedy for ideas, desperate to grow up to be a hero, and tormented by adolescent angst...Nostalgia without sentimentality: a nice combination."
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"A beautifully produced and inspiring play...Kindness and second chances help but these only take you so far. It’s an upsetting and disappointing confrontation with reality, and what Jim takes away from it, that puts him in throwing distance of redemption. Actually, I wish this point had been given more emphasis...The play is beautifully staged."
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