The Bigot NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (78)
See it if If you want a good story that moves along. 90 minutes no intermission. Good split set. Paula and Ji. Are really good.
Don't see it if If you do not want an Archie Bunker type story where the lead is painted as stupid..two standout characters paula and jim other 2 so so.
See it if you want an up to date look at a bigot with both thoughtful and comic moments played out on a nice set with a very good cast.
Don't see it if you do not like watching the tension created with family and neighbors by a stuffy old bigot. Laughs are there but you hear all those words!
See it if you'd like a middling, trite sitcom on ignorance, prejudice & acceptance w/a nuanced performance (of a familiar character) by Stephen Payne.
Don't see it if u want to avoid clichéd characters, prosaic exposition, improbable plotlines, awkward direction, amateur dramatics & a Lifetime movie ending
See it if Two lesbians & a bigot walk into a church called St. Clements to embark ona spiritual journey and...oh, hell...ignorance is just plain keen!
Don't see it if This isn't "All in the Family."The character's enlightenment is forced, is inorganic, and is abrupt. Bigots do not have soft centres. Vile. Read more
See it if You're interested in shows about bigots.
Don't see it if You want a well done show that says something fresh.
See it if A play illustrating ignorance and the underpinnings of deeper issues.
Don't see it if Having hurtful words.
See it if You are looking for a safe and funny feel good story
Don't see it if You are expecting something racy, raunchy and dark Read more
See it if almost good enough is good enough, want 2 see lesbians, bigot, & distraught son of bigot on stage together trying to work things out
Don't see it if expect more 4 entertainment $, want more honesty from script, need humor 2 B more like Archie Bunker derived situational comedy
Critic Reviews (10)
“The sitcomlike nature of ‘The Bigot’ is evident not just in its thin characterizations and tidy plotting, but in a worldview that is near-offensive in its simple-mindedness...The play's interest in having characters teach Jim the errors of his bigoted ways is contrived, not to mention predictable...In the world of ‘The Bigot’, even racism and homophobia could be easily solved...Amid such clichéd material, this quartet of talented actors bring all the conviction they can muster.”
Read more
"This is bad sitcom stuff, filled with flat gag lines, scenes in which near-strangers tell everything about themselves, and intractable problems that are solved after a single angry discussion...It doesn't help that Jim is little more than a collection of hate speech tropes; the tiny bit of information that we get about him is far too little, too late...The cast is better than you might imagine, although Stephen Payne deserves far better than the hopeless role of Jim."
Read more
“The playwrights’ proficient dialogue is matched by their solidly constructed scenario with its Norman Lear-style comedic sensibility that enriches their well-drawn characters...Susko’s straightforward staging realizes the piece’s humor, drama and sensitivity through accomplished simplicity...Though topicality wafts through ‘The Bigot’, it’s really an entertaining old-fashioned well-made play with a slight edge.”
Read more
“The stereotype of our bigot is a tad cliché and dated. Instead of an Archie Bunker it might have been interesting to see a black male hating privileged whites. Update the scenario to 2020 rather than setting an 80’s reprise. 'The Bigot' has a Disney-like fairy tale non-believable ending...A longer drawn out version of the sitcom ‘All in the Family’ without as many one liners and authenticity. A good reality check as to how far we have come.”
Read more
"'The Bigot,' 'a dark comedy,' is big-hearted and topical but it's also so paint-by-the-numbers predictable that you won't need ESP to know how it ends…One needn't be Hammerstein II to call it as corny as Kansas in August. Its characters are so one-dimensional they practically disappear when they turn sideways. Without the generally solid performances of its four actors, it would likely fly away on the next gust of wind…A dramatically creaky, fitfully amusing, 90-minute soap opera."
Read more
"Though this show begins with a slow start, this play weaves its plot line into your heart...This play works mainly because of its cast. Stephen Payne makes you understand his reasons and his performance is layered and full of depth...Michael Susko’s direction is a little heavy handed and makes the play seem longer than it is...'The Bigot' at times is cringe-worthy and sappy...The ending, however, is 'The Bigot''s salvation."
Read more
"The bigotry is neither funny enough to be comedy nor seriously disturbing enough to be dramatically repulsive. Most of the jokes land with a thud...Each person in this cast works hard to create believable people with more than one or two dimensions. All of them are successful in that regard...The story arc and the character’s progressions are forced and unbelievable...The play just muddles through as a mash up of Archie Bunker and an underwritten Lifetime movie."
Read more
"A good story written by Gabi and Eva Mor, Susko moves the characters in and out of both love and hate. The tension between all four characters at times hits top gear...'The Bigot' does many things well. It has a lot of different issues within this melodrama. All the characters have been hurt at some point in their lives. How each person reacts, how each have been shaped by hurt and tragedy, is what makes this play so interesting...A fun, and at times, a very funny, ride."
Read more