Ripcord
82

Ripcord NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(73 Reviews)
Positive
91%
Mixed
8%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Funny, Clever, Entertaining, Delightful

About the Show

Manhattan Theatre Club presents a a high-stakes comedy by Pulitzer Prize winning author David Lindsay-Abaire about two women of a certain age locked in a no-holds-barred battle to the death.

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Member Reviews (73)

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982 Reviews | 343 Followers
60
Cliched, Banal, Unpleasant, Uninsightful, Great lead actresses

See it if you want to see two outstanding actors wasted on inferior material. Burke and Taylor are terrific, but the script is annoyingly insipid.

Don't see it if you require a funny/smart script. I was absorbed by the performances, but repelled by the story. Such a shame!

546 Reviews | 1879 Followers
94
Absorbing, Clever, Funny

See it if You want a great play from Mr. Lindsay-Abaire!

Don't see it if you can't laugh at the absurd.

635 Reviews | 237 Followers
83
Clever, Funny, Great acting, Insipid, Quirky

See it if You like cute, fluffy plays that are stupidly funny, but well acted.

Don't see it if You can't stand plays that don't have heft to them.

535 Reviews | 488 Followers
90
Hilarious, Great acting, Great writing, Clever, Lovely

See it if you want to see a comedy that's truly funny, expertly executed.

Don't see it if you don't like to laugh.

488 Reviews | 316 Followers
89
Clever, Funny, Great acting, Hilarious, Relevant

See it if You like great acting, humor. A play about older women -- you'll view these characters very differently when you leave than at the start.

Don't see it if You don't like quirky characters.

479 Reviews | 262 Followers
36
Banal, Cliched, Sit-com, Overrated, Slow

See it if you are fans of the two actresses in the leading roles. Also, if you like a watered-down version of "The Odd Couple" for women.

Don't see it if you don't like sit-coms masquerading as theatre.

459 Reviews | 117 Followers
78
Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Great acting, Funny

See it if you want to see two old pros show their mettle.

Don't see it if you require a profound message from a play.

407 Reviews | 67 Followers
85
Clever, Entertaining, Quirky, Great acting, Great writing

See it if You enjoy a sneaky comedy that never fails to surprise. You enjoy great comic acting.

Don't see it if you hate watching fights between roommates in a retirement facility.

Critic Reviews (29)

The New York Times
October 20th, 2015

"For a play centered on a seemingly irreconcilable conflict, 'Ripcord' sustains a low tension level...Some theatergoers may leave 'Ripcord' with a faint, nagging hunger for more substance. At one point, Marilyn, asked about why she never gets mad, says, 'It always leads to an ugly place, and I don’t care for ugly places.' For better or worse, this production seems to share that attitude."
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Time Out New York
October 20th, 2015

"The great fun of David Lindsay-Abaire’s tastily sweet-and-sour 'Ripcord' lies in watching the marvelous Taylor and Burke dig their heels into this stand-off. Solidly crafted, the play is not unpredictable, but it’s larded with moments of surprise...Beyond the high jinks, 'Ripcord' offers a compelling look at the pleasure of a challenge and the challenge of finding pleasure."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
October 20th, 2015

"You expect more from the playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, and you get it. The author of comedy-dramas that toy with sitcom expectations but then veer elsewhere, he is obviously riffing on television templates like 'The Golden Girls...' Admittedly, this stuff goes on a bit too long. But after upping the ante on the women’s incompatibility for a half hour, the play is ready to take a surprising leap."
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The Hollywood Reporter
October 20th, 2015

"This is a lazy piece of writing without the freshness or bite of plays, recycling familiar situations while failing to settle on a definitive tone...While there's no shortage of funny lines and inspired moments in director David Hyde Pierce's production, there's also an air of fatigue about the script, giving the dispiriting impression that Lindsay-Abaire either banged it out in a hurry or rescued it from a bottom drawer."
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Entertainment Weekly
October 21st, 2015

"Even as the script explores some strong reflections on reclaiming experiences that the women have put behind them, the razor-sharp barbs never stop flying at a clip worthy of 'The Golden Girls' – and Holland Taylor and Marylouise Burke play gloriously to type. Yes, 'Ripcord' feels too much like a sitcom, but it’s a sitcom where the live studio audience is genuinely laughing."
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Variety
October 20th, 2015

"The writer has come up with an amiable if simplistic crowdpleaser, in the form of a duel of wits between 'odd couple' roommates in an assisted living facility. Although smartly directed by David Hyde Pierce, the slender sitcom hangs for dear life on the appeal of its engaging stars."
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Deadline
October 20th, 2015

"With 'Ripcord,' David Lindsay-Abaire adds a new odd couple to the long list of embraceable yous with the deeply satisfying and vastly entertaining story of Abby Binder and Marilyn Dunne, two elderly women thrown together by a comic cosmic force possessed of a wicked sense of humor...A show to treasure."
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New York Theatre Guide
October 21st, 2015

"The night is not a waste by any means. We are surprised more than once as the plot and these two women pick up steam. And the performances, with the exception of a few blown lines, are pure pleasure. This is a play that entertains without making you think too much. David Hyde Pierce’s direction is solid and unaffected. Still, you may leave the theatre as I did, wanting just a bit more from these two complex women."
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