The Babylon Line NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (138)
See it if LI hausfraus and neighborhood weirdos in a creative writing class with Radnor as flummoxed teacher The result is unexpected and satisfying.
Don't see it if First act is pretty slow. Reaser is mystifying. Oberholtzer makes the most of 3 small parts. Graff, Halston, Corman & Wood are hilarious
See it if you surely are connected to the NYC/LI area. If you like a character who unexpectedly shines by the end of the show.
Don't see it if you have problems with locate references and retro style period
See it if You enjoy following a group of adult students attempting to develop their writing skills and the teacher who is struggling with his career.
Don't see it if You are not interested in following the six students and their teacher during classroom lessons_and how this impacted their lives.
See it if You like Richard Greenberg plays and are from Long island
Don't see it if you like things tied up in a bow. It feels like a novel.
See it if A pretty good play from Richard Greenberg being given a good production by LCT & Terry Kinney, but we've been here many times before.
Don't see it if Many of the actors come out of character to play in short scenes as other characters which plays with your idea of their main roles.
See it if You like a slow play (sometimes funny) that discusses writing and the creation of art and peoples lives. Good acting!
Don't see it if You like more action in your plays and are wary of intellectual and perhaps a bit pretentious play writing.
See it if You like ensemble character-driven plays.
Don't see it if You like more quick action in your plays.
See it if good ensemble acting and some engaging moments in an underwhelming play
Don't see it if You want a great piece of writing
Critic Reviews (32)
"How then does a playwright turn such creative torpor into a decent yarn? Greenberg’s answer is to add increasingly large doses of eccentricity as the student authors supposedly lay bare their darkest fantasies...Under Kinney’s brisk direction, these anecdotes become plays that the ensemble perform with impressive dexterity...But, for all its cleverness, 'The Babylon Line' suffers from a basic dramatic flaw: both Aaron and Joan’s characters remain frustratingly static throughout its two hours."
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"Greenberg's expressive characterizations are delivered by a top-notch cast but unfortunately, their stories grow tiresome, leisurely unraveling for almost 2-1/2 hours...Greenberg did an estimable job in finding the depth of these characters with a fast-forward epilogue which makes a fairly satisfying, although tedious, tie-up to the 50-year span framing this play. Unfortunately, while the cast deftly paints portraits of familiarity, the play fails to draw sparks."
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"We're never worried the married teacher might end up with the married student — which stalls the narrative engine of the play. Happily, it doesn't much matter, because Greenberg's eloquence and sly wit translate into scenes of biting beauty when the students start reading their writing."
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"Richard Greenberg has penned yet another fascinating character study...Mr. Greenberg certainly knows how to tell a story - and what a tangled web he does weave way out on the Babylon Line once a week in Levittown!...Tough, tender, interesting, a bit of Long Island history, and a generally magical evening in the theatre. Could Mr. Greenberg nip and tuck in a few scenes, sure. Did it matter? Not very much."
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"A funny, smart, gently revelatory play...Terry Kinney’s direction builds mystery and tension...There is real chemistry between Reaser and Radnor. And all the performances are layered and complex...But what shines through most clearly is Greenberg’s witty, carefully structured writing. The character’s stories, while never overcomplicated or confusing, ultimately weave together in ways you don’t see coming...For a play about writing, it’s not so bad to have the script be the star."
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"One of Greenberg's less fulfilling, a semi-mishap, the mind-troubling aspects of which give out only faint rewards. Yet as it travels in its odd, meandering, unsatisfactory way, it stirs up some genuinely intriguing ideas. It also gives opportunities for a clutch of fine performances…'The Babylon Line' bulges in odd places, seems to stall in others, and tends to feel alternately as if nothing were happening and too much had been crammed in."
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"‘The Babylon Line’ is an enjoyable, though flawed, play superbly acted…The classroom scenes are very well written…Yet, as usual with Greenberg's plays, ‘The Babylon Line’ desperately needs editing. Aaron's character is little more than a cipher, yet he narrates the play and functions as its central character…Josh Radnor has to hold his part and the play together by the force of his own personality…‘The Babylon Line’ has some fine moments but doesn't totally cohere."
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"Greenberg has a beautiful way with language and a track-record of strong and interesting plays, so it’s disappointing to see him resort to suburban caricatures that have been done and overdone. There should also be a moratorium on all plays and stories set in creative writing classes. It’s a tired device...'The Babylon Line' has lyrical writing and strong performances by Radnor and Reaser. But like the train line it’s named after, the show ultimately needs a more inspiring destination."
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