“Though the play lands somewhat uncomfortably in the gap between simulacrum and satire, it includes scenes that are moving, exciting and profoundly eye-opening for audiences just beginning to see disabled actors onstage...Whenever Lew’s update questions or complicates Shakespeare’s assumptions, it is riveting...When the play tries to shift gears into a high drama of violence and self-violence, it quickly overheats...Still, I found the play exhilarating.”
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"Mozgala is a winner of a malcontent as the title character in 'Teenage Dick,' Lew’s sharp modern-day reinvention of Shakespeare’s 'Richard III'...Lew’s script is suffused with Shakespearean references, but you don’t need to brush up on 'Richard III' to get most of the jokes, which tend toward the raunchy. Director von Stuelpnagel is adept at toggling between humor and heartbreak, as is the impressively diverse six-member cast. Ultimately, however, Mozgala is the one who rules the stage."
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“Lew leans in to the Machiavellian subtext of Shakespeare's ‘Richard III’ for his high school-centric reinterpretation...Unsubtle character parallels...And yet, every implausibility is forgiven when the air of Shakespearean tragedy is exchanged for high camp...The play's strongest asset is its humor, and the company capitalizes on every possible second of it...Anne (and Villarin's self-possessed performance of her) becomes the most pleasant surprise of 'Teenage Dick'. ”
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"The action sometimes lurches inelegantly between wisecracking comedy and full-throated melodrama, and it is debatable whether the dramatic structure can handle the tragic weight...But the playwright is already a master of caustic, crackling dialogue...Moritz Von Stuelpnagel's direction goes a long way toward papering over the stylistic cracks, and he has put together a cast skilled at takedowns and unexpected moments of tenderness."
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"A first-rate production under the masterful direction of Moritz von Stuelpnagel...Richard's scenes with Anne are often quite touching, and despite the dark hue of the humor, 'Teenage Dick' is often quite funny. Overall, the play takes us on a wild roller coaster ride with a mix of well-earned laughs and jolting surprises...Put your trust in the uniformly splendid cast members and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel, who understands well the funny-scary world of troubled teens."
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“A comical twist...Cleverly realized by its makers...For a goodly part of its 100 minutes, the play and snappy production are entertaining. Then abruptly and incongruously, everything slides down the drain into seriousness...No doubt the playwright intends to rock the audience with such a bitter ending, but coming out of nowhere as this conclusion does, the effect is more disconcerting than honestly dramatic...A cheerful little gloss on Shakespeare’s story that simply gets nasty."
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“The serious and seriously terrific new ‘Richard III’ spoof...Well and tightly constructed — a thoroughly engrossing and entertaining play that zips through humor and pathos, building inexorably to its climax...Mozgala is more than a bit too old to be playing a high schooler, but his performance is a deeply affecting one...A well-paced, smoothly moving production that retains just enough scruffy edge...The ending is perhaps even darker than Shakespeare’s.”
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"Add to this list Mike Lew's new witty and clever 'Teenage Dick' (being given its world premiere by Ma-Yi Theater Company in association with the Public Theater), both an update and a parody of Richard III now set in Roseland High School. However, while most of these other adaptations just want to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of Shakespeare's stories, 'Teenage Dick' has an additional agenda: does society's bullying lead to defining the personalities of those with disabilities?"
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