The Outer Space
Closed 1h 30m
The Outer Space
74

The Outer Space NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%
(75 Ratings)
Positive
72%
Mixed
25%
Negative
3%
Members say
Clever, Funny, Entertaining, Quirky, Slow

About the Show

Joe’s Pub at The Public presents a bittersweet and off-kilter new musical about a couple who join a colony in outer space. Directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (75)

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58 Reviews | 12 Followers
100
Clever, Funny, Entertaining

See it if You want to be totally entertained for ninety minutes.

Don't see it if You don't want to sit in cramped seats at Joes Pub. Read more

133 Reviews | 36 Followers
95
Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Funny, Intelligent

See it if if you enjoy quirky shows with subtle songs and totally unpretentious and talented performers

Don't see it if if you require glitz and show-biz or subtle humor doesn't work for you

98 Reviews | 24 Followers
93
Absorbing, Clever, Ambitious, Enchanting, Funny

See it if You're open to following a space fantasy about a couple who leaves earth; you appreciate quirky, intelligent story telling and a jazzy score

Don't see it if You tend to be literal-minded and are looking for showy/handsome lead singers rather than artful raconteurs of trippy narratives

HLS
80 Reviews | 18 Followers
90
Delightful, Quirky, Funny, Sweet, Thoughtful

See it if you want to see a gem of a one-man show (with 3-piece band). People have likened it to Garrison Keillor/PHC & that's pretty accurate!

Don't see it if you're looking for a more traditional plot-driven play, or don't like one-person shows. It's part concert, part monologue/play/stand-up? Read more

59 Reviews | 16 Followers
90
Delightful, Funny, Quirky, Thoughtful, Pleasantly weird

See it if you love a good storyteller, music in the vein of They Might Be Giants, or sci-fi as a way of attacking profound contemporary themes.

Don't see it if you don't like one-person shows or aren't up for something a little out there.

103 Reviews | 18 Followers
86
Absorbing, Enchanting, Funny, Thoughtful, Clever

See it if you want an adorable, wacky, slightly campy experience that's more of a concert than a musical. It's charmingly thoughtful and self-aware.

Don't see it if you're expecting a fully choreographed show or a large stage and set. Also, the lead singer is a good narrator but a middling singer.

575 Reviews | 734 Followers
85
Great storytelling, Funny, Great writing, Resonant, Quirky

See it if you enjoy cabaret performances or quirky stories and music (with a strong message about finding personal happiness and fulfillment).

Don't see it if you're looking for a staged performance/traditional theatrical experience.

122 Reviews | 23 Followers
85
Absorbing, Delightful, Clever, Entertaining, Funny

See it if you like comedies

Don't see it if you don't like comedies

Critic Reviews (17)

The New York Times
March 8th, 2017

“Sly, grumpy and just delightful…In numbers that lean on jazz, soul, funk and pop, Lipton turns his raspy tenor to clever rhymes…Do we really need another show in which a white guy vents his economic insecurity and foul mood? Turns out we do…This thumpingly humane show isn’t about getting away from it all or getting back to it all. It’s about learning to get over yourself, wherever you are, and adopting the small practices and habits that make you and yours a little happier.”
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Time Out New York
March 8th, 2017

“Dressed in a blue jumpsuit, Lipton delivers this tale with unassuming charm…But although it’s often clever, ‘The Outer Space’ gets trapped in too strict an orbit around its central joke: interplanetary travel as a metaphor for leaving the big city and moving to the country. By the time Lipton got to the pleasures of a Mercury Public Radio pledge drive, I found myself spacing out a bit."
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Deadline
March 15th, 2017

"A charmer...I realize this probably sounds unbearably twee in the telling, right down to the William Accorsi-like rocket ship hanging over the stage. But in the performance by Ethan Lipton, who wrote the whole thing with Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy and Ian M. Riggs–brilliant instrumentalists who also add vocals–it’s ruefully hilarious and pretty irresistible."
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Theatermania
March 8th, 2017

"Remarkably, Lipton is able to sustain this thinly veiled allegory through a gentle deadpan delivery. His dulcet growl is reminiscent of Garrison Keillor…At first glance, this jovial evening of story and song doesn't ask much, but if you listen closely, you'll notice that it brushes against the most personal of questions for New Yorkers: When will you admit that the rat race you found so intoxicating as a twentysomething is tiresome and fruitless?"
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BroadwayWorld
March 9th, 2017

"'The Outer Space' looks and sounds pretty much like Lipton's previous entry, except this time the fellows are dressed in faux-astro jumpsuits...The collection of melodies is certainly a pleasant one, mixing various degrees of jazz, bluegrass and pop rock, and Lipton's whimsical lyrics and plainspoken vocals have a warm everyman attractiveness that draws a listener in, but 'The Outer Space' merely orbits around its simple theme, with little gravitational pull of its own."
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Lighting & Sound America
March 14th, 2017

"It's probably not an entirely fair criticism to say that nothing really happens, but I doubt that Lipton cares about that...What starts out as an amusingly oddball evening becomes more and more like one of those Mercurian days, as the premise is stretched ever thinner. If you're already a Lipton fan, you'll find this to be an evening of gravity-free fun. If you prefer plots, characters, and tightly structured songs with perfect rhymes, don't blast off with this one.”
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Talkin' Broadway
March 8th, 2017

“The show is an attempt to recast Everyman issues in sparkling new terms…That's the direction in which Lipton is trying to head, but too much of what he does is setting our troubles against a different backdrop without much adaptation...More often than not the result feels fake and forced…The songs could elevate things, but they're constructed around the same down-to-Earth philosophy…This is exacerbated by the light, genial country flair of the music."
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CurtainUp
March 8th, 2017

“The show's musical numbers are an enjoyable, melodic mix of American styles— notably folk and soft rock. All are vibrantly delivered by Lipton and his back-up trio of musicians…It's the music and the musicians presenting it that make ‘The Outer Space’ an enjoyable theatrical ride…Mr. Lipton also has a wonderful way with words which is evident in his lyrics as well as his spoken dialogue…Silverman's direction enhances the flow between narrative and musical numbers.”
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