Stuffed NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Under Jackson Gay's unobtrusive direction, the four performers make the most of their schematic characters. But even with a running time of little more than an hour, the piece becomes repetitive, its lack of dramatic structure making it feel ironically undernourished. There's certainly much here to relate to, as evidenced by the knowing laughs and loud murmurs of recognition emanating from the audience...That makes it more of a shame that 'Stuffed' doesn't have more meat on its bones."
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"Lampanelli may not be the next Shakespeare, but you can't accuse her of being unfunny: The one-liners are hysterical…One has to admire Lampanelli for writing a funny play about weight and eating disorders. Such radioactive issues are too often treated with unwavering seriousness in our confessional theater...Lampanelli gleefully flips off this fear and its resulting orthodoxy. It's an absolute delight to behold, helping us to overlook any technical shortcomings in the writing."
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"Lampanelli has written three lovely roles for her costars, and, of course, she is totally at home with her own brand of scorched-earth commentary. Still, there's a disconnect between her own savagely funny material and her associates' stories, written in a much sadder, more realistic mode...'Stuffed' offers audiences something to chew on, but little in the way of conclusions. Anyway, the director, Jackson Gay, works to keep all four performers in synch, tonally speaking, with some success."
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"Although 'Stuffed' is always entertaining, it is more of a talk-fest than anything else...Since Lampanelli fails to contextualize the piece sufficiently, it leaves you wondering why these women are exchanging their life experiences with each other. Another problem with 'Stuffed' is that its most intense dramatic experience happens off-stage...Her debut play is far from flawless, but it's not a bad start for this unflappable comedienne."
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"More Lean Cuisine than a three-course meal...Each woman gets their own monologue, beautifully acted, that fleshes out her backstory and adds some needed depth to their characters....Gay keeps the show moving nicely...It’s when Lampanelli throws out barbs in her now-famous 'insult comic' style that you’ll probably laugh the loudest. Indeed, as much as I admire Lampanelli’s stretch marks (as a writer and performer), there were times I wished that she was simply doing a one-person show."
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"This is Lampanelli’s premiere as a playwright, and there are some signs of first-play syndrome. The characters speak mostly to or at the audience, rather than establishing meaningful dialogue among themselves. And, beyond their weight issues and troubled histories, they are not, pardon the pun, especially well rounded...But, to her credit, Lampanelli writes what she knows and has crafted an impressive structure throughout all of the monologues."
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"Under Jackson Gay’s direction, several of the performances are nuanced and moving...The play itself feels more like stand-up comedy than a concrete narrative, expressing its themes overtly through jokes and direct conversation, with racy humor that mirrors Lampanelli’s usual comedic style...Though the characters are all common tropes seen often within the conversation about women and food, these monologues have instances of depth that help create more individualized personas."
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"Having never seen comedian Lisa Lampanelli perform, at times I felt like I was missing the insider joke in her new play 'Stuffed'...Each girl is talented but it was Zainab Jah who made us watch her and follow the journey. Jackson Gay’s direction is part of the reason this show seems disconnected. She breaks the girls into lines and brings Lampanelli out of the moments to do her shtick, but it does her a disservice. 'Stuffed' is hilarious with soul and has a built-in audience."
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