Small Mouth Sounds
Closed 1h 40m
Small Mouth Sounds
85

Small Mouth Sounds NYC Reviews and Tickets

85%
(325 Ratings)
Positive
94%
Mixed
5%
Negative
1%
Members say
Clever, Great acting, Absorbing, Original, Funny

About the Show

After a hit run at Ars Nova, Bess Wohl's (mostly) wordless dramedy about six urbanites at a silent retreat transfers Off Broadway. Directed by Obie winner Rachel Chavkin.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (325)

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77 Reviews | 45 Followers
100
Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Exquisite, Enchanting

See it if You want a moving experience about life

Don't see it if Your young kids are with you .. more of a 21 and up play

277 Reviews | 85 Followers
100
Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Enchanting, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy being a fly on the wall, laughing out loud, seeing an attractive man naked, & having your emotions tugged as you understand others

Don't see it if if you only like traditional plot-driven plays. This one peels away the layers of 6 strangers who come together for soul searching. A+.

83 Reviews | 26 Followers
100
Absorbing, Delightful, Clever, Ambitious, Masterful

See it if You love great acting and silence

Don't see it if You don't like having to use your critical thinking brain and can't easily follow without sounds

91 Reviews | 23 Followers
100
Clever, Funny, Thought-provoking, Original, Entertaining

See it if you like life stories, thinking about what your'e seeing/feeling and like to laugh and cry

Don't see it if you're offended by nudity, need lots of action and/or don'l like an emotional challenge

205 Reviews | 108 Followers
100
Great acting, Original, Compassionate, Witty, Must see

See it if you want to hear but mostly see humans connect who are in pain and hurting in this intriguing play set in a silent retreat. Transcendent.

Don't see it if you don't like a unique dramatic experience with lots of silence where words fail us but verbal cues express everything.

72 Reviews | 10 Followers
100
Absorbing, Edgy, Funny, Great acting, Ambitious

See it if You like challenging, intelligent comedy.

Don't see it if You are offended by nudity.

180 Reviews | 33 Followers
100
Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Enchanting, Entertaining

See it if you are interested in human behavior

Don't see it if you hate how quirky and complex New Yorkers are in their very essence.

154 Reviews | 31 Followers
100
Clever, Great acting, Entertaining, Original, Resonant

See it if You like thoughtful plays that make you both laugh and cry. And if you like wonderful acting.

Don't see it if No reason not to see it ;)!

Critic Reviews (32)

The New York Times
July 19th, 2016

"A quiet gem of a play that has been restaged with all its wit, compassion and sparkle fully intact. The sound of silence onstage has rarely made such sweet music…Ms. Wohl’s ingenuity and the sympathetic direction of Rachel Chavkin allow us to read the bleeding hearts of the characters with a lucidity that no amount of dialogue could improve upon…It’s heartening to renew acquaintance with a play that leaves you moved, refreshed and, yes, maybe even a little enlightened."
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Time Out New York
July 13th, 2016

"Silence is golden in Bess Wohl’s exquisite play...The sight of deeply unhappy people trapped in a series of embarrassing situations makes 'Small Mouth Sounds' one of the funnier sad plays you’re likely to see...This is a smashing cast, all navigating tonal and emotional shifts with passion and aplomb. Chavkin’s beautifully direct and transparent staging covers a remarkable range of pain, joy and hope in 100 deeply engrossing minutes."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
July 13th, 2016

"'Small Mouth Sounds' is a terrific new play in a beautiful production that deserves to be seen on its own merits...Six mostly incompatible people show up for a five-day retreat...The retreat is meant to be silent and, for the most part, the participants comply...All of these nonverbal clues combine, in Chavkin’s incredibly confident orchestration, to form a profoundly entertaining and quasi-musical portrait of people living under great pressure...Everything pulls you in."
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Theatermania
July 13th, 2016

"Wohl's play is hilarious, made even more so by top-notch physical performances from the cast. The retreat is a silent one, so most of the story is told outside of the dialogue...'Small Mouth Sounds' is an excellent, perhaps even enlightening, evening of theater. Wohl is not satisfied to merely present a satire of spiritual capitalism: All of her characters are real and their problems are genuine. The different ways they cope with those problems also feels authentic."
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TheaterScene.net
July 27th, 2016

“‘Small Mouth Sounds’ is an unusual evening in the theater. Not only does it oblige us to listen in a way we usually don’t during a play, it also asks us to consider our own state of mental and emotional health as we watch six people attempt to come to terms – or not – with their life situations. Max Baker, Babak Tafti, Brad Herberlee, Marcia DeBonis, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Jojo Gonzalez, and Zoë Winters give perceptive performances without having words to reveal who they are.”
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CurtainUp
July 14th, 2016

"Wohl's clever conceit and Chavkin's inventive and smartly focused direction are in place...Moving this production from a small off-the beaten path locale to a larger, more high-profile location probably accounts for Wohl's striking originality at times feeling a bit gimmicky...Thanks to Wohl's vivid voice and the way the actors make silence as dramatically potent as dialogue, 'Small Mouth Sounds' is a truly unique and entertaining experimental theater experience."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
July 18th, 2016

“There is a surprising amount of humor, sparked by the smallest actions and expressions, and plenty of tears...The play, nicely directed by Rachel Chavkin, is a bit too long and seems to spend the last fifteen minutes in search of an ending. The bottom line turns out to be not much more than 'you are not alone.' Still, the pivotal issue is feeling disconnected in these strange and fast times. And who doesn’t?”
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New York Theater
July 13th, 2016

"Wohl’s play about six characters who are attending a silent retreat contains almost no dialogue, but it speaks volumes. It is a satire, but it treats its subject with respect. It is a comedy, but it slowly reveals each individual’s tragedy. In the hands of Chavkin and its exquisite seven-member cast 'Small Mouth Sounds' is a remarkable work of theater."
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