Public Obscenities
Ends Apr 16 2h 40m
Public Obscenities
86

Public Obscenities NYC Reviews and Tickets

86%
(17 Reviews)
Positive
94%
Mixed
0%
Negative
6%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Great writing, Ambitious

A bilingual play about queer love, family secrets, and the limits of language.

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Member Reviews (17)

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489 Reviews | 57 Followers
80
Intelligent, Great acting

See it if well acted play of Bangla family, one does not often see. very slice of life.

Don't see it if interested in light big stories.

WH
432 Reviews | 77 Followers
82
Bengali & english (with subtitles), Too long & slow, Believable and curious, Hyper-naturalistic (to a fault), Terrific acting

See it if You like international themes and the exciting complications of multiple languages. Appreciate stories about family, art, sex, gender.

Don't see it if Need "action" and are not patient. It's very slow and ponderous-- but excellent, too. Needs a trim.

297 Reviews | 59 Followers
80
Thought-provoking, Intense, Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if you have an interest in LGBTQ stories in other cultures and you are interested in other cultures in general.

Don't see it if you have an issue with sub/super titles, accents, or talk of sex.

278 Reviews | 80 Followers
98
Great writing, Great acting, Exquisite, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if You want to see three hours whip by in a stunningly intimate, lovely, emotional, delicate show.

Don't see it if Don’t see it if you’re not open to subtitles, I suppose, or plays where the action is perhaps more internal than plot-driven. Read more

102 Reviews | 10 Followers
95
Thought-provoking, Refreshing, Great writing, Great staging, Great acting

See it if you're interested in thought provoking shows about family, queer identity, immigration; art. Fantastic cast, compelling hypernaturalism

Don't see it if you're afraid of a long show where nothing really happens and there's minimal conflict (but it does work!); you can't do subtitles Read more

78 Reviews | 17 Followers
90
Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if You like good plays with compelling stories and performances. Soho Rep and NAATCO deliver. Shayok Misha Chowdhury is someone to watch

Don't see it if you don't like intimate settings.

34 Reviews | 4 Followers
93
Great acting, Must see, Resonant, Riveting, Thought-provoking

See it if you love seeing reality play out in front of you. You really get an amazing lived in feeling for this place and these characters.

Don't see it if You want a musical??

22 Reviews | 0 Followers
85
Great writing, Great staging, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you are interested in a terrific take on what ties us together and what makes us different. A terrific story.

Don't see it if You don't have 2 hours and 50 minutes to give over.

Critic Reviews (4)

The New York Times
March 2nd, 2023

"CRITIC’S PICK: It is a testament to Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s gifts as a writer that he is able to evoke as many themes, histories and possibilities as he does in ‘Public Obscenities,’ and leave his audience not dazed or frustrated, but longing for even more.”
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Theatermania
March 6th, 2023

“ ‘Public Obscenities’ is one of those slow-boil plays that feels like it's building to something spectacular, but never actually does...In its present form, unfortunately, it's just another meandering living room drama.”
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TheaterScene.net
March 11th, 2023

The play is challenging as the first long extended scene is mainly in Bangla, the language of Kolkata, without supertitles. While the rest of the play is translated when it is bilingual, the dialogue is studded with Bangla words which are left up to the audience to figure out.
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The Wrap
February 28th, 2023

“Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s ‘Public Obscenities,’ is an absolute stunner...He has admirably absorbed the ancient writerly wisdom to show, not tell.”
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