The Last Match
Closed 1h 35m
The Last Match
75

The Last Match NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%
(249 Ratings)
Positive
80%
Mixed
17%
Negative
3%
Members say
Great acting, Entertaining, Absorbing, Great staging, Clever

About the Show

Set against the high-stakes backdrop of professional tennis, this New York premiere from Roundabout serves up a richly theatrical look at what keeps us striving and why.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (249)

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127 Reviews | 13 Followers
95
Entertaining, Great staging, Great acting, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if you are thinking about what is important in your life.

Don't see it if you need lots of characters and splashy set.

70 Reviews | 7 Followers
90
Great acting, Clever, Resonant

See it if you are interested in the interplay of clashes between personality and socio-economic backgrounds and culture

Don't see it if you get bored easily and need a plot with a lot of action

72 Reviews | 15 Followers
90
Clever, Thought-provoking, Great staging

See it if you can make the "sports as life" metaphor.

Don't see it if you cannot make the "sports as life" metaphor.

88 Reviews | 14 Followers
90
Absorbing, Great acting, Resonant, Thought-provoking

See it if You are interested in the effects of competition on the human spirit.

Don't see it if You don't care for sportball and have no use for introspection. Read more

168 Reviews | 24 Followers
88
Absorbing, Entertaining, Intelligent, Relevant

See it if you enjoy sports themed entertainment with intelligent discourse on what makes or breaks a star.

Don't see it if you don't like tennis or sports related productions.

214 Reviews | 28 Followers
87
Resonant, Funny, Great acting, Great writing, Clever

See it if you want to see a well-crafted, well-acted drama that delves into a surprising number of issues and experiences for a 90-min sports play.

Don't see it if you cannot stand not knowing how it ends. It does not get wrapped up in a bow, and you are left to decide for yourself what the outcome was.

145 Reviews | 34 Followers
87
Clever, Entertaining

See it if you'd like to see the internal mental states of two athletes playing a high stakes tennis came. Well done and very gripping.

Don't see it if You are looking for something profound

754 Reviews | 127 Followers
86
Absorbing, Funny, Great staging, Thought-provoking, Intense

See it if theater that considers life issues in relation to individuals excites you. Loving tennis or knowing nothing about it, the drama still works

Don't see it if If you like your theater fluffy. Each of the four characters is driven to achieve a personal goal that they believe will change their life.

Critic Reviews (23)

The New York Times
October 24th, 2017

"Ziegler’s four-character play succumbs early to the hypnotic, adrenaline-draining rhythms of a gentle, endless practice rally. Exciting though they may be to watch in the stadium or on the screen, sports seldom make for gripping theater...The performances rarely transcend the expected formula of such back stories...There is the stuff of an elegant (if less than original) essay in 'The Last Match' on how we invest in athletes as symbols and reflections of our own mortality.”
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Time Out New York
October 24th, 2017

"Despite Upchurch’s energetic direction, 'The Last Match' has a familiar feel. Ziegler serves insults and insights with impressive velocity, but the play doesn’t offer much new spin on its central questions about winning, disappointment and pressure. Mickiewicz and Payne...give ace performances; so do Bethel and Winters, whose arc is more melancholy. When the play’s balls stay in the air, it’s largely thanks to these four talented players."
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Deadline
October 25th, 2017

"If ever a play accurately summed up Aristotle’s definition of drama, it’s Anna Ziegler’s ‘The Last Match’...'Match' aspires to something bigger, more meaningful, than a tennis match. Ziegler writes great repartee, which is nothing to sniff at. But her play is formless and whatever point it hopes to score is lost in a squishy ending. It doesn’t work, either as metaphor or tragedy – not even as imitation.”
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Variety
October 26th, 2017

"Ziegler manages to dramatize a very realistic and quite exciting tennis match between perfectly matched players. Under Upchurch’s streamlined direction, Bethel and Mickiewicz speak the body language of the court. Invisible balls are served, chased, returned and missed with grace and power by two toned athletes wielding invisible rackets...Like those invisible balls, the dialogue whizzes by at warp speed."
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The Hollywood Reporter
October 24th, 2017

“The flashbacks never achieve sufficient dramatic momentum...The play works best in its more lighthearted moments...Tennis fans will certainly appreciate the attention to detail in this production. On the other hand, if you're not terribly familiar with the sport, you may often find your mind wandering...Thanks to the performers' efforts, 'The Last Match' has its entertaining moments. But much like an athletic event that's gone on for too long, you'll be relieved when it's finally over.”
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Theatermania
October 24th, 2017

“Gaye Taylor Upchurch's nimble direction keeps this 95-minute play moving at a clip, but Ziegler's story, with plot points that feel like easy lobs, never gets our hearts racing...The story's most interesting moments unfold as the two off-court couples attempt to make sense of their relationships...That's not to say that ‘The Last Match’ isn't worthwhile or satisfying theater — only that it sticks with gentle serves rather than trying for that ace.”
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Lighting & Sound America
October 25th, 2017

"It never reaches the explosive climax that it seems to be heading toward...If the director, Gaye Taylor Upchurch, can't solve the play's ultimate sense of irresolution, she has at least found four actors who are a pleasure to be with...Everything about ‘The Last Match’ is as slick and professional as one could wish, but for the fact that Ziegler has found no satisfying way to end it...’The Last Match’ ends up scoring a deuce.”
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Talkin' Broadway
October 26th, 2017

“What Ziegler builds is less of a contrast study and more of a mirror...By exploring the thoughts running across their minds with each game, Ziegler is able to manipulate time with the precision of a clockmaker...Ziegler's play is efficient at showcasing juxtapositions that reveal things unknown to the characters without allowing us to condescend them...'The Last Match' poses questions on the nature of our purpose, and whether we can alter our destiny.”
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