Straight Line Crazy
Closed 2h 50m
Straight Line Crazy
82

Straight Line Crazy NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(161 Ratings)
Positive
85%
Mixed
14%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Intelligent, Ambitious, Entertaining

Ralph Fiennes stars in David Hare’s new play documenting the life of an insidious man who exposes the weakness of democracy.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (161)

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75 Reviews | 6 Followers
100
Entertaining, Delightful, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if I go to a lot of theater. The show immersed me in history and mesmerized me with Ralph Fiennes performance! No better theater have I known

Don't see it if You would be a fool if you had the opportunity to see this epic play and chose not to!!!

81 Reviews | 15 Followers
99
Elucidating, Masterful, Intelligent, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you like plays that are intellectual and presume that you know history, and you are a curious New Yorker.

Don't see it if you decide to see plays based on their length, and ease of digestion. This play is smart and presents a man who still shadows NYC & NYS

129 Reviews | 26 Followers
97
Brilliantly acted

See it if You want to see a brilliant performance, and have an interest in NYC history

Don't see it if You only like musicals Read more

360 Reviews | 76 Followers
95
Most importantly, fair, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you are interested in the history of this city and the people who helped make it great.

Don't see it if history is boring for you, and if you don't care about Robert Moses. Read more

88 Reviews | 26 Followers
95
Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if You want to see a glorious import from the UK. Ralph Fiennes is superb, and David Hare's script is one of his best in years.

Don't see it if You need singing and dancing to be entertained. This play is on the talky side and heavily expositional at times.

51 Reviews | 1 Follower
95
Delightful, Absorbing, Illuminating, Though-provoking, Engaging

See it if You love NYC civics & history. If you read the Caro biography of Moses.

Don't see it if Disney is your idea of an “entertaining” show Read more

1166 Reviews | 464 Followers
94
Relevant, Intelligent, Masterful, Great acting, Great writing

See it if You want to see excellent acting in a very well written play. While it is about New York history the relevance is universal.

Don't see it if You don’t care for politically themed plays, especially ones with local characters and interest.

137 Reviews | 10 Followers
91
Relevant, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you want to see a razor-sharp drama with a great central performance by Ralph Fiennes,

Don't see it if you are not interested in Robert Moses or urban planning. Read more

Critic Reviews (10)

The New York Times
October 26th, 2022

"If the efficiency of the brute is often superior to the fecklessness of democracy in getting things done, it is not always as lasting — which is reason enough to see 'Straight Line Crazy.'"
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New York Theatre Guide
October 27th, 2022

"Fiennes manages to find the shades of emotion in a Moses written as little but bullish. The strongest moment is his final epilogue to the audience about his approach to swimming, the one skillful metaphor for Moses's career that parallels the play's opening lines."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
October 28th, 2022

" 'Straight Line Crazy' feels like a further retreat toward the conventional. It’s the kind of thing you might see programmed at any nonprofit around the city — an easy one for subscribers."
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The Wall Street Journal
October 27th, 2022

"Even an often-dazzling turn by Mr. Fiennes cannot disguise that the playwright is overmatched by the sheer size of Moses’s monumental, and still controversial, achievements."
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Theatermania
October 26th, 2022

"The performances are as outrageously luxurious as a full-length fur coat, so much so that it's easy to ignore the wire hanger on which they hang."
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Lighting & Sound America
October 26th, 2022

If Straight Line Crazy creaks a little, Hare has put onstage a fascinating chapter of New York history -- and in a moment when so many seem to prefer strongmen as their political leaders, he gives us something to think about. (On another day, we can discuss the irony of presenting a play about the potential disastrous effects of urban planning at Hudson Yards, a characterless development that many consider to be blot on the city's skyline.) And Fiennes' incarnation of Moses, in all his idealism and power lust, is one for the books.
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New York Stage Review
October 26th, 2022

"History comes cracklingly alive in 'Straight Line Crazy,' David Hare’s not-to-be-missed dissection of power broker Robert Moses."
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TheaterScene.net
November 2nd, 2022

Every once in a while, the right actor is found for the perfect historical role. Take for instance, Julie Harris as Emily Dickinson, James Earl Jones as Paul Robeson, Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain and Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday. Add to that list Ralph Fiennes’ titanic performance as builder and city planner Robert Moses in David Hare’s latest London import, "Straight Line Crazy," with eight out of 11 original cast members of the London Theatre Company’s 2022 production. Co-directors Nicholas Hytner and Jamie Armitage convert what could have been a civics lesson into a riveting and enriching evening of theater.
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