Reconciling (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (15)
See it if you like to see a talented playwright and committed young actors taking risks with new material...and succeeding.
Don't see it if you expect a mature company. These right-out-of-drama school actors are working hard but they will be even better in five years.
See it if Clever premise, well executed but ultimately disappointing
Don't see it if Non-linear plotlines confuse, following multiple conversations simultaneously (quasi-Altmanesque) irritates
See it if You want to be thoroughly engaged from the moment the house lights dim at the start of the play,to the very end of the 60min show.Excellent!
Don't see it if You're a very linear thinker and don't like surprises, because this script is a sheer delight as three stories bounce around & mesh together
See it if you want to see an ambitious attempt to show 3 different story-lines occurring at the same time. I give it a B- grade.
Don't see it if you will be disappointed how the attempt to portray 3 story-lines often does not satisfy the ambitious goal and can be rather predictable.
See it if you like shows that are "fresh," in their presentation. The acting is great, the premise is interesting and the writing was spot on!
Don't see it if you would rather see the same old, same old.
See it if For three independent stories told simultaneously, with actors picking up and dropping roles, all synchronized so some lines do double duty.
Don't see it if You should see it.
See it if You love a serio-comic piece of theatre that breaks some standard stage conventions. If you like unique staging and you like to be surprised
Don't see it if You only enjoy simple, traditional theatre with no sense of adventure or if you shy away from the ugly bits of human nature
See it if you like original theater. very engaging and the play went by fast-- it was a fun challenge to keep up with unusual narrative structure
Don't see it if you have no sense of humor. But seriously I have a hard time thinking who wouldn't like this
Critic Reviews (6)
“Hinson’s staging is subtle and seamless, allowing the audience constant opportunities for discovery in small moments...Mixing comedic and dramatic elements, the writing brings heart and sincerity to the characters, and breaks the tension at just the right times. ‘Reconciling’s’ beauty is the kind which can only happen in live theatre, and it is a joy to see a young, ambitious group of theatre practitioners harness their craft so well.”
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"In 'Reconciliation,' things go better when each 'play' is running as a separate piece. When the stories impede upon one another, clarity is lost, dialogue is difficult to sort out, and the actors often seem left in awkward positions on the set. It might have been better for playwright Jenny King to cast someone else as actor Molly. It is difficult to write a complex piece like 'Reconciliation' and be in the cast...Hinson’s inconsistent and extempore direction needs tightening throughout."
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"What hurts King's play is the complete lack of clarity. Whether it was on her part or on the part of director Julia Hinson, 'Reconciling' tried so hard to be something it could never be…With pauses deflating the acting, the company did what the script prescribed…'Reconciling 'is an example of complexity in intricacy. It's also an example of trying to be something grander than it could be. Perhaps Jenny King should go back to the drawing board."
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"These independent stories are told simultaneously…This may sound rather complicated in theory, but in its execution it becomes beguilingly simple and as wondrous as turning a kaleidoscope. Through their studies together the cast has worked collaboratively for some time and this clearly impacts the ease with which they interrelate in this production...'Reconciling' is ingeniously constructed and eloquently performed; worth seeing for its structure alone but also for the tales it tells."
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"A rapid-fire barrage of dialogue that demands the audience’s full attention; luckily, the quality of characterisation, pathos and humour all make that a given. The six talented actors time their exchanges and interchanges expertly, and with gusto, ensuring that the comedic and dramatic beats all land perfectly. They shift tone smoothly and powerfully, giving the script an air of verisimilitude...It’s tremendous fun: three good plays crammed together into less than hour."
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"Three stories are expertly intertwined…Things get interesting when the characters begin to break through the boundaries of their own stories...It’s a sophisticated mechanism that elevates the material into something really creative and exciting. There are moments when it can be hard to follow the quick changes in focus...The main thrust of each story is communicated extremely well, however, and the emotional resonance of the characters is strong...A dynamic work."
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