See it if You want to see a story about Christianity and homosexuality. If you care about social and familial issues.
Don't see it if You're expecting comedy, or are offended by homosexuality.
See it if You want to be challenged and blown away by the ultimate showdown between fundamentalist rigidity and the power of gay love. Explosive drama
Don't see it if You only want light fluffy entertainment and avoid serious theater examining the crucial issues of today. Read more
See it if you want a well-acted, well written play about themes which are relevant today. Aside from being a bit long, this was a very satisfying show
Don't see it if you dislike themes of hatred and homosexuality; otherwise no reason to not see this show unless you only like musicals. Read more
See it if Brilliant acting and a story that needs to be told and heard and held close to our hearts (and minds).
Don't see it if You want to grow as a human being (liberal or conservative). Read more
See it if You enjoy great acting and a solid drama.
Don't see it if You do not like thought provoking, serious dramas about relevant topics
See it if are interested in a meaningful family conflict about ultra-religious people and their conflict with homosexuals.
Don't see it if seeing thought-provoking shows are not your thing.
See it if You are curious to know how most of the rest of the country feels about subjects that we, here in NYC, are more tolerant & open minded about
Don't see it if You are homophobic, or deeply involved in organized religion. Read more
See it if You enjoy great acting in an intimate theater, drama, relevant to what happens in today's world
Don't see it if You don't want to see a drama or need a big production
"Excruciatingly sincere, Moss’s melodrama about intolerance is all bleeding heart. That leaves no room for anything else in 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens,' an overwrought tale of two gay Texas men whose lives are shattered by an act of gun violence sparked by hateful religious rhetoric...In midtown Manhattan, it feels like preaching to the choir, and the sermon is rarely inspiring...The actors strive valiantly to enliven the lugubrious material."
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"Disappointingly, all we get is a tear-stained melodrama of the most obvious variety...Moss's script is perfectly calibrated to stoke our righteous gay fury, to the point that it often strains credulity...The cast impressively turns on the waterworks for this schlock. It's hard not to feel something in such close proximity to pain...Moss has not written about real people...We know who to cheer and who to jeer, making 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens' not much more than a secular morality play."
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"Dewey Moss, the author and director, keeps arranging and rearranging the characters in a series of artificial-looking stage pictures when not dispatching the minor characters offstage on a series of lame pretexts, so those remaining can take part in yet another turgid confrontation...The result is a kind of Southern-fried Ibsen, with everyone hurling accusations at everyone else...The acting is of the clenched-jaw variety, with bursts of rage and floods of tears flowing as needed."
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"Because 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens' is designed to be so entirely moving, it fails as a piece of construction—in between the histrionics, the play never lifts off the ground...The text of 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens' doesn't inform the performance; every actor has so much charged emotion that there's no room for subtlety...As much as I didn’t enjoy this particular play, I realize that 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens' is not meant for me."
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"A devastating, heartbreaking and timely piece...This is a full two hours containing the kind of plot revelations and family secrets that make us decide how we want to be remembered as a country...Mr. Moss’s direction keeps the story moving with simple, effective staging. His writing allows us to examine both sides of every issue...It’s gorgeous, devastating stuff, folks. Run, save yourselves, do not miss 'The Crusade of Connor Stephens.'"
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“Dewey Moss directs his engaging play with the care of a playwright and – after creating some distance between himself and his work – he will surely quicken the pace of the action to more exactly match the emotional strength of this important play. The intermission seems unnecessary and serves to break the action and affect the energy of the performances in the second act. ‘The Crusade of Connor Stephens’ could not be more relevant in the current climate.”
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“It's asking too much for us to accept that an otherwise normal boy would be so swayed by such a comment that he'd shoot, not Junior but his child, and then kill himself, especially as absolutely nothing is done to explain Connor's mental state…Some left the theatre wiping their eyes, but the only emotion I felt was pity for the actors unable to form a cohesive ensemble in this well-intentioned but poorly staged, lugubriously paced, dully acted, emotionally forced, and awkwardly written drama.”
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"A play that comes roaring out the gate like a bull let loose from its corral...Even though Mr. Moss proffers some hope for humane redemption, such redemption is couched realistically in small amounts, with no phony reconciliation to wrap things up on a cheery note...'The Crusade of Connor Stephens' is a bit of a sledgehammer as a play, but it is equally a cri-de-coeur by the playwright, Dewey Moss, who also directs the fine company."
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