The Light NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (155)
See it if You care about important issues, especially those concerning racism and sexism. You want to see a very important relevant piece of theater.
Don't see it if You are vapid and only care about yourself and only like comedy. This play is about real life issues, not fantasy.
See it if you want to see an important piece of theater that will start an intense and important discussion - but is still filled with grace & humor.
Don't see it if you want something light and happy
See it if you're ready for a serious play that tackles many current issues in a thoughtful and emotional manner.
Don't see it if you don't want to be faced with a multitude of themes in one show (listed below). Read more
See it if You are okay with heavy themes—sexual assault, race, discrimination, bias—in a play that’s tone is not always consistent. Still amazing.
Don't see it if You can’t handle the above, or want a comedy. My only complaint was that the writing sometimes felt like exposition and less like dialog.
See it if play that begins as romantic comedy & then becomes an intense look at issues of gender, race, power - accusations & who is believed
Don't see it if don't want emotional drama, heavy topics Read more
See it if you enjoy an excellent, well acted, resonant story in a great thrust stage theatre. Outstanding in every way!
Don't see it if you prefer light topics or large musical productions.
See it if powerful performances in this astoundingly realistic gut-wrenching writing. Such relevant issues treated with depth and respect. A must see.
Don't see it if you can't handle heavy emotional drama. Read more
See it if The point of this show is so spot on and so important. I left thankful to the playwright and amazed that the actors do it 8x a week.
Don't see it if If you are not triggered about sexual violence it is a must see. This message needs to be out there.
Critic Reviews (18)
“Webb's provocative new play...The acting is the real ace of the production. Belcher III inhabits Rashad with a natural charm...Masden as Genesis, has the right blending of back-bone and feminine vulnerability to make her character credible...If I have any reservations...it comes down to the dramaturgy and dialogue being a bit too manicured to truly mirror real-life. That said, this new theatrical venture not only speaks, but adds fresh muscle, to the MeToo movement.”
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“Smart and riveting...An insightful and provocative look at a young couple’s relationship...Webb has a distinct ear for realistic dialogue, and is damn near expert at taking each of her two character’s smart and passionate positions in equal measure...Directed at a perfect pace by Logan Vaughn, by the time the play’s full time is up, and we are at its finish, we feel as wrung out and raked over the same coals as the characters—which is exactly how theatre is meant to make you feel."
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"'The Light' is the full package – great writing, superb acting, sensitive direction, excellent production values and timely, relevant subject matter presented with honesty, humor, dignity, passion and love...What makes this production of 'The Light' so special starts with playwright Loy A. Webb’s tackling of a sensitive and not often explored subject matter, and her fine ear for dialog. Logan Vaughn’s light touch at the helm and excellent use of space allow the actors to use themselves fully."
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"Rarely have I seen the line between actor and character evaporate as completely as it does in the hands, bodies and faces of McKinley Belcher III and Mandi Masden's in Loy A. Webb's timely and often painful two-hander 'The Light,' which inaugurates MCC's gorgeous new Robert W. Wilson Theater Space."
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"Webb is interested in social justice…she allows that interest to supersede the writing of a convincing play about…an issue of significant concern among black women…Suffice it to say that the latter two-thirds are a vitriolic debate between the lovers over [Genesis's] disgust at…Rashad's black male privilege…The excellent performances of Belcher and Masden, both as lovers and as debaters, give great vitality to the dispute but their artistry only underlines the play's contrivances."
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"A fast, sometimes funny, and ultimately furious 70 minutes, and what makes it all the more remarkable is that Webb tells the story of Rashad and Genesis in real time...'The Light' plays host to a number of issues, but what’s really at the core of Webb’s play is the eternal battle of the sexes. Rashad and Genesis can’t help but talk around each other’s pain."
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"It resembles a mashup of themes underlying the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements. Both Genesis and Rashad have incidents in their past that make it difficult to achieve mutual understanding. As the play turns didactic, the freshness and vitality take a hit, which is a shame because the beginning is so promising. The acting is very strong...Director Logan Vaughn occasionally lets the pace lag. The result is a flawed but interesting play."
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“’The Light’ is an urgent and painful story of revelation, redress, and hopeful reconciliation cued at the intersection of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. Tautly and evocatively sketched by playwright Loy A. Webb, this exquisite two-hander starts like a rom-com before embarking on tragic territory, forcing the audience to reckon with its own baked-in biases and assumptions based on race and gender, and to do and be better.”
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