Straight NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (241)
See it if you want to relate to challenges that humans face in their relationships.
Don't see it if you do not have tolerance for the variety of human conditions.
See it if you want to see an unconventional and unexpected take on what is becoming a hackneyed premise (questioning one's sexuality) in NY theatre.
Don't see it if you are expecting (and looking for) the usual, stereotypical, sitcom-style handling of the gay-straight-bisexual question.
See it if you like issue plays, want to explore how people lie to themselves, see a cute little romance grow, have a starj reaction to a sudden ending
Don't see it if you are married and in the closet, you think you know the subject already, gay plots upset you especially gay PDA's
See it if you're interested in different (though problematic) takes on contemporary sexuality.
Don't see it if you don't want a bunch of straight people's perspectives on what it means to be gay.
See it if You enjoy plays cast with Gen X characters who seem to have no other deep interests beyond "figuring out my life and what that means".
Don't see it if If you are wanting to have a meaningful, thought-provoking experience at the theatre. To me this was the theatrical equivalent of a selfie
See it if you want to see a story that explores sexuality without getting raunchy.
Don't see it if frank discussions about sexuality offend you.
See it if you want to see good actors in a less than profound treatment of bisexuality.
Don't see it if you expect to learn anything substantial about the fluidity of sexuality.
See it if The excellent Jake Epstein as a gay man who feels he must conform and date a nice girl even if it means a life of unhappiness.
Don't see it if A bit anachronistic as I'd hoped we'd gotten beyond this point by now. Tom Sullivan is fine as the college boy he sees on the side.
Critic Reviews (31)
"A smart, bracing production brimming with clever wisecracks, some thought-provoking observations on sexual identity and one very promising newcomer…'Straight' is by no means a balanced dialectic comparing homosexual and heterosexual love...The standout is Mr. Sullivan...He delivers the play’s ribald asides with laserlike timing."
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"If the setup sounds fustier than a '70s issue of 'Blueboy' magazine, playwrights Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola are actually attempting to explore loaded contemporary issues, such as the reductive nature of identity labels and the way some straights fetishize queerness. But these intriguing ideas come through in clunky debate-club dialogue, two-dimensional stereotypes and a surprise-free storyline that makes you yearn for some much-needed drama to come out of the closet."
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"A tender exploration of the pros and cons of being bisexual in a contemporary society that often insists you can only be one or the other...What’s wrong with 'Straight' is there’s a lot of talk about things like genetic engineering and Socrates’ bisexuality, but the talk is stiff as a Yankee spinster’s corset and not always believable...It’s sensitively written and well played by an excellent threesome (no pun intended), but 'Straight does' not entirely convince."
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"Director Andy Sandberg directs this competent cast to believable performances, despite his frustrating choice to stage nearly everything on the couch downstage center...It's hard to think of this as anything more than needless, low-stakes melodrama. In 2016, the off-Broadway audience deserves something far more challenging."
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"Just as Ben talks a good game when whichever of his two lovers happens to be on hand, the authors work to create a potentially juicy situation, then punts just as it is about to get good...The playwrights are pretty good at bright dialogue...Just as it looks as if the situation must break wide open, however, the authors throw in a twist that earns a gasp from the audience, but which, frustratingly, leaves far too many plot points dangling."
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"A few moments stretch credulity too much...Even in its current form, however, this is a creative and thought-provoking play, an unexpectedly potent spin on what many might (perhaps rightly) consider a superannuated genre. If many stigmas have been removed from our theatre and our society, 'Straight' smacks us in the head and the heart to remind us of the many that still remain—and that, just maybe, exist more in the eyes of the beholders than in the eyes of the beheld."
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"'Straight' is elegantly written and equally smartly directed by Andy Sandberg...The play works partly because of its appealing and attractive cast...We learn very little about all three other than their interest in football, beer, college, sex and career...'Straight' will either strike you as old-fashioned and dated or right up to the minute depending on your point of view. However, the engaging cast makes this worth the price of admission."
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"The play’s most significant weakness is that Ben’s internal struggle is neither believable nor relevant...Director Andy Sandberg tries to keep the pace moving, but the long, mostly two-person scenes that revolve around a couch, make it difficult. The ending is a twist that feels abrupt and un-earned, though perhaps with an intermission and a more developed second act, its consequences might be further explored and keep 'Straight' from feeling so dated."
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