Sandra NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsMember Reviews (107)
See it if If you like one actor plays. This is riveting at times.
Don't see it if If you want a musical or lite.
See it if you'd enjoy a good story, well told by one person, who also acts a few other characters, supported by great lights, sound and scenic design.
Don't see it if you want a lot of action - this story is so well wold that you can visualize the characters and the settings, but the actor moves little.
See it if gripping; noirish mystery forces S 2 define her identity; N convincing S, Tour-de-force as diverse chrctrs; liting/sound enhance
Don't see it if puzzling, 3 levels of story - mystery/psychlgcl study/dream - don't mesh; major holes in plot; ending not satisfying Read more
See it if Riveted telling of the disappearance of a woman's friend in a foreign country and the lengths she will go to find out what happened to him
Don't see it if You don't like one handers. In this case, you feel as though many characters have come to life through this performance.
See it if Moving storytelling about friendship, bravery & resilience told through the eyes of a loving & loyal friend. Excellent acting.
Don't see it if If you prefer singing & dancing then this isn’t your play to see.
See it if One woman who-dunnit written by David Cale is up your alley, willingly suspend your disbelief of witness protection possibilities
Don't see it if dislike "one person" formatting, can't engage with another person's "story", need more than a platform, box & a chair
See it if Tour de force solo performance by Marjan Neshat in a well told story about woman's search for missing friend in Mexico. Fantastic lighting.
Don't see it if you can't overlook certain inconsistencies in the plot ; you don't care for 1 person shows; don't like a bare stage (just 1 chair). Read more
See it if an experiment in doing "noir" as a straight play. Something I on't think I've ever seen or has ever been successful.
Don't see it if a brave, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt at doing something very new (at least on stage) does not interest you Read more
Critic Reviews (12)
"David Cale’s new play, 'Sandra,' is packed with classic thriller tropes, as if he had challenged himself to cram as many of the genre’s staples as possible into a 90-minute show."
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"In keeping with the starkness of the production—the set is just a chair and suggestions of walls, essentially lock our focus firmly on the main character."
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"For a thriller, however, 'Sandra' doesn't quite succeed as a thrill ride...Audiences at 'Sandra' can imagine the story's twists and tensions well enough, but with the tools of a visual medium like theatre at its disposal, they shouldn't just have to imagine."
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"Without some interesting character flaw for her to wrestle with, her nonstop recitation of facts and events often makes her story read like a newspaper article."
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For much of its brief running time, Sandra recalls the novels of Mary Stewart, the mid-twentieth-century specialist in romantic suspense whose heroines invariably get caught up in intrigue while visiting glamorous vacation destinations. Cale solidly establishes a growing atmosphere of mystery and peril, but he leaves plenty of nagging plot holes, beginning with Sandra's introduction to Luca, which hinges on a barely credible mix-up. As their affair heats up, Cale tries hard to explain Sandra's impulsive behavior but, to any fan of genre fiction, her inability to hear the obvious alarm bells becomes irritating.
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"Whereas thrillers typically climax with gasps and edge-of-the-seat tension, 'Sandra' ends with incredulousness and some disappointment."
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"It’s such a ridiculous plot development that it’s almost impossible to take the rest of the tale seriously."
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Cale’s story uses many film noir devices from the 1940’s: exotic locale, strange encounters, searching down unknown streets, disappearing characters, a sexy stranger, danger signals avoided, clues that don’t add up, information that turns out to be fallacious, a damsel in distress, stolen objects, moments of high passion, etc. Yet all seem to be used as if for the first time. The elements are time tested, but the story is new. Cale is an excellent storyteller pulling us in with enough hints and clues to keep us interested until the very end. There are moments that sag but he always pulls us out into something new and unexpected.
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