Surely Goodness and Mercy NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (90)
See it if You want to see a small show with a big heart. Acting and writing were superb. A beautiful human story.
Don't see it if You have no heart.
See it if The character Deja was very good in her role. Its a believable story and actors were great. I loved it.
Don't see it if You dont like bible references. All scenes roll into one setting on stage.
See it if you like thoughtful plays involving relationships both good and bad; you like happy endings
Don't see it if you don't like plays that proceed essentially with little vignettes; you don't like seeing 19 year olds portraying 12 year olds
See it if You are interested in the struggles of a child striving to rise above his circumstances and maintain the values he learned when younger
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with the results of family dysfunction and child abuse and would be bothered by the lead actors not being children Read more
See it if you want to spend an evening in the theatre, and have a a truly moving experience—especially during these trouble times.
Don't see it if you don't want to be moved by a play that shows the goodness and mercy in people. Read more
See it if Great acting by Jay Mazyck /Sarita Covington (not easy to play younger roles) Many short scene changes. Oddity: two roles off stage ALSOl
Don't see it if Not crazy about the set although it saves scene changes. 90 minutes with an intermission. With raised stage avoid Row A. Read more
See it if Terrif look @ inner city kid & trappings/challenges of a bright student making a dif in his, & those around his, life. Uplifting & inspiring
Don't see it if Ur too cynical to take the ride w/this kid. His is lesson for all of us we can make change-@ any age. End is a silly deus ex machina device.
See it if a feel-good show about a young boy, with family sadness, making connections - to religion and to other people; excellent staging
Don't see it if you need stronger/longer scenes and more character development to be able to get the message; if you don't want uplifting
Critic Reviews (15)
"Though this morality play has its collection basket full of tokens of charity, it still feels withholding. Under Hill’s direction, the 95-minute Keen Company production moves quickly, in a series of gasp-like three- or four-minute scenes...While full of heart, the writing skimps on the meat of the story...Hutchinson sprinkles in tidbits about class and race but the most charged material is quickly sidestepped. It’s too bad, for both the characters and the actors who capably portray them."
Read more
"It gives us the chance to make the acquaintance of Jay Mazyck, a nineteen-year-old actor with an uncanny way of laying bare the soul of the character he plays...Hutchinson comes up with a couple of painfully engrossing confrontations...As it stands, it's a film script passing as a play, and not felicitously...Hutchinson creates such appealing characters that it's a pity at 'Surely Goodness and Mercy' never pulls its elements together into a fully convincing drama."
Read more
"Ironically, as Hutchinson shapes her play—and Jessi D. Hill smoothly directs it on Lee Savage’s multi-area set—goodness and mercy may be in too generous supply...Another hard-to-dismiss ‘Surely, Goodness and Mercy’ drawback is casting Mazyck as Tino...He can’t, and doesn’t, pass for 12...Yes, ‘Surely, Goodness and Mercy’ is worth seeing now for not only how much, well, good there is in it but also for how much it promises of Hutchinson’s next play. Surely.”
Read more
"Playwright Chisa Hutchinson has a fine ear for dialogue and an excellent sense of fair play. Unfortunately, 'Surely Goodness and Mercy' is rather unreal in its naïvete as well as having no dramatic arc. Under Jessi D. Hill's astute direction, the play seem better than it is with performances that somewhat cover up the holes and inconsistencies in the script. The feel good ending will please some, while others will find it rather hard to believe."
Read more
“An uplifting exploration of defying the odds and having the guts to be generous...The acting is definitely the production's strong suit...The production values don't measure up quite as well. The problem lies in Savage's multi-leveled set which is far too busy...Hutchinson's dramaturgy isn't flawless...But there's no question that the playwright has a sharp ear for dialogue that sounds natural and flows well.”
Read more
"In Hutchinson’s hands, the relationship between Tino, Deja, and Bernadette is deftly written, with laughs and genuine tenderness...My main issues are with the abrupt end to the first act and the unresolved, somewhat pat ending...That being said, Keen Company is doing something pretty rare right now with their 'Season of Impact'—putting on shows that look to leave you moved, perhaps enough to inspire you to additional acts of kindness."
Read more
"I most definitely enjoyed ‘Surely Goodness & Mercy’, but I wished that it had fleshed out its plotting and characters a bit more to make for a more nourishing meal of an evening...I do feel the play is worth seeing, especially acted as well as it is. Nicely staged and directed by Jessi D. Hill...It is to the credit of the two young actors that they accomplish what they do, considering they are rarely believable twelve year-olds. ”
Read more
"It's a heartwarming story about doing good in the world and how that good keeps building and creating more good. It's a wonderful part of our human experience that is often overlooked today. But I do have some caveats about recommending this wholeheartedly despite excellent acting and the story of the play. Some scenes in Chisa Hutchinson's script are a flash, more a moment than a full fledged scene...Other scenes are prolonged to the point of tedium."
Read more