The Object Lesson NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (106)
See it if you like immersive/audience-participation shows. And if you like shows that explore different types of entertainment/art
Don't see it if you want a typical play.
See it if You want to experience something completely new and exciting , a variant of Bill Irwin with more conversation .
Don't see it if You want traditional story format , but give it a chance , it's surprisingly engaging .
See it if you want to see something really different and very, very clever. The closing sequence is among the most amazing effects I have ever seen.
Don't see it if you are looking for a linear theatre piece with a plot, if you want to sit in a comfortable seat, or if you don't like immersion pieces.
See it if you expect magic from your theater experience and want a show to leave you thinking about your own life.
Don't see it if you can't handle nontraditional setting and expect linear action. Read more
See it if you're game for a different kind of theater experience that is part whimsical, humorous and thought provoking.
Don't see it if you like your theater by the book, are an unfriendly sort and really do not want to think about the objects in your life.
See it if You recognize and appreciate masterful clown work. Brilliant. The last part holds an amazing illusion as well. Wonderful.
Don't see it if You can't sit still on a box for an hour. If you are impatient and closed off to subtle work that is carefully done.
See it if you're looking for something new, unique staging or magic.
Don't see it if dislike performance art, non-traditional spaces or magic. Read more
See it if you're open to a uniquely communal theatrical experience amidst a truly remarkable set - and the best salad-making demonstration in NY.
Don't see it if you'll need to impose a linear narrative on what is closer to immersive clowning than to anything resembling a traditional "one-man show".
Critic Reviews (35)
"The environment installed by Steven Dufala at New York Theatre Workshop for performer Geoff Sobelle and director David Neumann’s astonishing and revelatory 'The Object Lesson' is one epic mausoleum...If you didn’t catch this startlingly original show when it premiered at BAM three years ago, treat yourself to this limited run...It's best seen without advance information...What exactly is the lesson here? We live, we die, we leave garbage behind. But to make art from trash: That’s real magic."
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"Some of the tale-telling involves playful effects, like recording monologue that becomes, in the replay, a dialogue leading to unexpected revelations. Too much of it goes nowhere; the show’s languors outweigh the sharper observations. But then there’s an ending that offers a kind of shocking payoff, as Sobelle executes a variation on the theme of clowns emerging from a tiny car...'Object Lesson' seems overblown even in this modest space. And yet I won’t soon forget those last 15 minutes."
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"At various times, the production goes slowly, stops dead and, occasionally, motors along. At best it’s a weird, one-of-a-kind work about life’s fruitful and fruitless connections and collections...That’s fertile territory, but the show...is disjointed and fails to make much of a point. It does remind that we have too much stuff and that we form deep-rooted attachments. Still, this 'Lesson' doesn’t have an ending. It needs one."
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"It's like spending 90 minutes with a self-involved friend as he digs through his storage unit...This is certainly a worthwhile story, but Sobelle consistently chooses the most uninteresting ways to tell it. His interactions with the audience feel more labored than charming...Execution often feels like an afterthought in Neumann's production...The only feeling 'The Object Lesson' is able to deliver is confusion chased by a sincere hope that it will end quickly."
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"In his best moments, Sobelle can hold his own with such New Vaudevillians as Bill Irwin and David Shiner...The overall theme remains utterly elusive: Sobelle appears to be saying something about the millions of objects that fill our lives–but what? Then again, even when 'The Object Lesson' wanders, Sobelle's presence casts a powerful spell...'The Object Lesson' is far from perfect, but, for most of us, it's a fine introduction to an artist who isn't quite like anyone you've ever seen."
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"Sobelle, an eminently likable everyman type, is the only constant, and though his character comes across as no less confused than you, he has an indomitable spirit that explains why he—and we—should never give up the things that make us most who we are...If the evening's finale were constructed off of this idea, it would be a glimmering little gem...Sadly, that's not where Sobelle goes...Sobelle wraps up 'Object Lesson' by making a big mess of the whole darn, otherwise brilliant, thing."
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"Illusionist/actor Geoff Sobelle's show is a combination of happening, art installation, and a meditation on the role objects have in our lives. Using audience participation, objects both hidden and seen, and magical illusion, Sobelle forces us to examine our relationship to objects and how they ultimately define us...For those willing to go with the flow and give themselves up to Sobelle's droll reflection, self-examination and visual theatrics, the evening is fascinating and rewarding."
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"Happily, Sobelle knows his way in and around the myriad of boxes, crates, and stuff that sparks his character's semi-introspective narrative-propelled journey...Getting a coherent drift of his character is not an easy task, but we are committed by our sheer curiosity about what may come next...Not exactly boring but certainly testy in its progression, his unhurried narrative gets some nice bumps with an unexpected discovery."
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