The Last Match NYC Reviews and Tickets

“'The Last Match' is a vivid and interestingly structured take on the tennis metaphor...When Bethel and Mickiewicz get into position and play another round in the tense match, their physicality is authentic and exciting to watch...Under Ms. Upchurch's steady direction the men convincingly tackle the physical and emotional nuances of their roles...Ultimately, this is a tough look at life in the fast lane of professional tennis."
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“With so many interruptions, it hardly makes for riveting theater, and it never becomes as riveting as a genuine tennis match can be, even though one is ostensibly taking place from the beginning of the play to the end, which essentially presents a chronological series of sets between the two players, the Russian Sergei (Alex Mickiewicz) and the American Tim (Wilson Bethel).”
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“In this sharp, funny look at what it takes to win, and what happens if you do, tennis is like life: sometimes you come up aces and sometimes you get smacked with a ball...Ziegler and director Upchurch do a fantastic job of creating a riveting, well-paced match without the benefit of an actual tennis court...It feels real thanks to terrific design...Ziegler has an excellent ear for crackling dialogue...For both tennis and non-tennis fans, ‘The Last Match’ scores.”
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"The match is graceful and powerful with precision as simultaneous body motions...The play, like a tennis match, portrays lives moving back and forth in time sequences, giving glimpses into the relationships of the two couples...The men are physically adept and display great emotional fortitude in their suffering and desires...'The Last Match' is an interesting premise for a play but you’ll have an edge of enjoyment if it’s a sport in which you participate."
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“We are told early on that, 'in those kinds of matches, there is tension all the way through.' If this production, though well acted and visually compelling, does not fully live up to that promise, it does at least serve up a volley of poignant moments amid funny acts of courtship...The play’s more serious challenge is the presentational style in which it is written...Tensions deflate...Issues are undercut...The games of the heart these people play deserve a richer backdrop.”
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“It’s most beautifully staged, and solidly performed, and while we are in it, the rush of the competitive match engages, and compels us forward...It’s a well balanced game, and no matter who wins, the play is worth watching. But as with most spectator sports, being in that moment of play is gripping, but rarely does the game last in our hearts beyond the event. The adrenaline fades as fast as it was produced. Here, with ‘The Last Match’, the end result is the same.”
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"The mimed game is incessantly interrupted by their interior thoughts and reminiscences...This rings false. It seems much more likely that world-class tennis players focus exclusively on their game...The characters we get to know are so well drawn and appealing that we’re almost willing to forgive the awkwardness of the play’s overall structure. 'The Last Match' would probably make more sense as a short story...But then we would miss out on the four winning performances."
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“An intense, talky drama...Ziegler’s main point – perhaps her entire point – is to remind or enlighten us that star athletes are human beings too...What makes the work both engrossing and slightly frustrating is just how much has happened to both men off the court in their relatively short times on Earth...’The Last Match’ is likely to stir up mixed emotions in its audience...If I had to give the play a tennis score, I think it would be deuce.”
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