Sheila NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (27)
See it if You’re into small stage theater, great dialogue and thought provoking storytelling
Don't see it if You’re looking for a big show, an action driven plot before character development, or have issue with lots being left up to interpretation
See it if you like small, intimate theater with something to say.
Don't see it if you want to see a large, fully staged and realized production. Read more
See it if You appreciate good acting and the opportunity to see a strange new play.
Don't see it if You want big production values. This is very simple but it works very well. Read more
See it if Your like intimate thought provoking theater
Don't see it if You want a fully developed plot and are annoyed by writing that distracts as it pads the story w irrelevant material
See it if you enjoy living in the mystery of a play.
Don't see it if you're frustrated if the mystery of a play isn't fully resolved. This play ends with a lot of unanswered questions, for better and worse.
See it if you enjoy table dramas, and want to chew on the multifaceted nature of womanhood for 70 minutes with sprinkles of surrealism.
Don't see it if you dislike table dramas. Read more
See it if you enjoy a play which has something to say and yet leaves a lot unsaid. The enigmatic "Sheila" is never quite explained.
Don't see it if you want a straight forward play with plot and action; this is mainly all dialogue in an intimate setting.
See it if You don't mind a very slow reveal to the story of two women and their complicated relationship. Like plays that aren't easy to understand.
Don't see it if You'd hate to spend 70 minutes wondering what it was all about.
Critic Reviews (5)
"Murky, glacial, and hypnotic...It comes across as a collaboration with a feminist slant rather than an organic play. Still, its 70 minutes have an enigmatic appeal... LaRocca as Gloria and Heard as Mary are each exquisite, intense and have a tremendous rapport with each other...In addition to achieving such strong performances director Jamal Abdunnasir’s staging has a suitably deliberate pace for emphasizing the piece’s mystery and eeriness...Rewarding and haunting."
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"Fascinating and deeply moving...Incredibly relatable and captivating, right from the start...An emotional experience, both for the supremely talented actresses, and for the audience...Heartfelt and provocative, 'Sheila' furthers the conversation about happiness, friendship, honesty, choice, and the roles that women play, or are conditioned to play...It lingers, requiring time for full absorption. Indeed, the more time passes, the more intricate and beautiful the story becomes."
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"A devastating play that encompasses core concepts from both the #MeToo and Time's Up movements...A play about how we are all shaped by our parents. Kudos to Abdunnasir for clean direction which allowed the spectators to enjoy the work of this fine company through what could have been a difficult dark journey; he keeps the proceedings light and airy...If you want to experience a truly magnificent young company in possession of a terrific script, see 'Sheila.'"
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“Intriguing, suspenseful, beautifully written and brilliantly acted...Though now and then we may get impatient...the fine writing and the high-strung, sharply tuned performances keep us leaning in. And the tale that’s slowly revealed is original and fascinating, borne on a sharpening conflict that raises universal, unanswerable questions...A slow but almost continuous momentum...The play acknowledges the complexity of relationships, and of individuals.”
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"The ensemble clearly shares a resonant vocabulary, but the central question or driving force seems to have been muddied along the way. One is left with more questions than answers...The staging is smart and clean, leaning into focused specificity and a sophisticated conversation with kinesthetic response. This show is worth a conversation with The Associates. The work is rigorous, and it would be a delight to see even more risk; they certainly have the chops for it."
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