Simon Says
60

Simon Says NYC Reviews and Tickets

60%
(63 Reviews)
Positive
32%
Mixed
47%
Negative
21%
Members say
Disappointing, Slow, Confusing, Thought-provoking, Great acting

About the Show

Three-time Tony nominee Brian Murray stars in this supernatural thriller about the psychic exploration of an ancient mystery.

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Member Reviews (63)

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716 Reviews | 157 Followers
61
Banal, Disappointing, Indulgent, Quirky, Confusing

See it if you're a Brian Murray fan, though he has a hard time with lines;you're into past lives, spirit guides; enjoy unusual last minute plot points

Don't see it if you don't believe in spirit guides, past lives, you like plays that foreshadow or seem to have a purpose, don't like ho-hum acting

MJK
677 Reviews | 190 Followers
25
Banal, Cliched, Slow, Superficial, Contrived

See it if you want to see what a play would look like if written by a restaurant critic with no apparent theatre experience & without a dramaturge.

Don't see it if you expect insight into the paranormal or validity of psychics; or you hope to see Brian Murray in top form. (He deserves better than this!)

563 Reviews | 194 Followers
65
Disappointing, Repetitive, Indulgent, Uneven performances: brian murray is great, others just ok, Shallow

See it if You want to see Brian Murray in an intimate stage setting. You're OK with stories about the paranormal

Don't see it if You want to see a strong level of emotional connections. You want a well-constructed, linear play w/a clear sense of direction.

418 Reviews | 256 Followers
49
Confusing, Disappointing, Indulgent, Slow

See it if You are interested in the paranormal and supernatural. Interesting beginning, gets progressively more confusing and boring.

Don't see it if You find it difficult to suspend disbelief.

435 Reviews | 126 Followers
63
Thought-provoking, Intense

See it if you are a believer in the concept of transmigration of souls and reincarnation; you enjoy seeing a well known senior actor.

Don't see it if you are a non-believer in the above; It pains you to see a senior actor who should have stayed retired.

445 Reviews | 67 Followers
77
Absorbing, Edgy, Quirky, Thought-provoking

See it if you are intrigued with spiritualism and contacts with the after life.

Don't see it if the subject doesn't interest you.

434 Reviews | 95 Followers
55
Confusing, Disappointing, Great acting, Dizzying, Original

See it if You like original theater, regardless of story. Great acting and creative set, but confusing, and quite frankly boring.

Don't see it if You like a straight-forward story that makes sense from beginning to end. Tries to be deep and clever, but even the twist was obvious.

441 Reviews | 72 Followers
60
Cliched, Disappointing

See it if You enjoy watching a first rate actor, Bran Murray. You like those silly 40's movies about seances and the supernatural.

Don't see it if You want good writing and intelligent plots.

Critic Reviews (16)

The New York Times
July 11th, 2016

“The director, Myriam Cyr, and three solid performers make us part of the channeling, breathless and hopeful. There is also fine lighting work by John R. Malinowski, manipulating our reactions to the spookiness...Too bad this 90-minute play’s ending is such a letdown. Toward the end, it starts speeding toward a resolution that you can tell is going to be all too pat."
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TheaterScene.net
July 14th, 2016

"How much you like Mat Schaffer’s new psychic thriller, 'Simon Says', will depend on how you feel about the paranormal and reincarnation. If you are open to suggestion, you will go with its premise. If not, this is not for you."
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Theatre is Easy
July 15th, 2016

"A contemplative discourse on science, the paranormal, reincarnation, and the connections between us…There are moments late in the play that feel both overstuffed and rushed, demonstrating that subjects such as past lives, existence, and souls are very hard to dramatize in a captivating way. That being said, the trio nimbly navigates through the somewhat murky waters...The play didn’t entirely gel for me, but it was nonetheless largely engaging."
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Theater Pizzazz
July 11th, 2016

“Myriam Cyr’s production boasts an air of clean professionalism to complement Murray’s dignified performance style but Schaffer’s play is an uninspired and mawkish exploration of mysticism that never thrills the way that witnessing a live seance should...The collective talents of the cast and crew would be better utilized in a more suspenseful and less eye-rollingly sentimental channeling of the spirits.”
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CurtainUp
July 9th, 2016

"The play jumps the track and mainly becomes a platform for a very long and convoluted monologue in which James becomes the portal for a vengeful Simon's Karmic path, or rather more likely Schaffer's interdisciplinary discourse on the unity of all consciousness…You have to hand it to the actors who take it all very seriously and with every intention to make us care about their characters' souls in flux through the millenniums. What a treat it is see the always wonderful Murray."
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Stage Buddy
July 18th, 2016

“Although pacing was slow during the first scene, director Miriam Cyr’s staging moves the story along and makes nice use of the intimate space...Mr. Goes does a brilliant job of inhabiting numerous characters with distinct vocal and physical lives...Brian Murray is a marvel, his presence on the stage riveting...Here’s hoping there are more roles waiting in the wings for Mr. Murray. He is a national treasure!”
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Theatre's Leiter Side
July 11th, 2016

"Potentially interesting but dramatically dull play...Director Myriam Cyr hasn’t done much to channel this material from page to stage; the pacing is flat and the acting—despite several outbursts—lacks tension. Brian Murray still possesses the intelligence and charm that has made him a three-time Tony nominee, but he's going on 79 and, if I may use a baseball metaphor, has lost some bat speed."
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The Huffington Post
July 9th, 2016

"For a while, 'Simon Says' looks as if it’s going to be fun…Then, with James going into his complicated trance, the enjoyment begins leaking out...'Simon Says' turns into a tour de force for Goes as James. He twitches, he writhes, he tumbles, he switches voices, he falls, he goes numb, he looks if he’s dead…The channeler’s cavorting is initially engaging, then sillier and sillier until, finally, it’s no more than tiresome. By fade-out, it hasn’t delivered any substantive point at all."
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