The Profane NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (95)
See it if You like new plays, living room dramas, and family conflict
Don't see it if you don't like new works
See it if Religious tolerance and immigrant assimilation are of interest, Muslim in this case, and how two families approach the challenges
Don't see it if You can't relate to or aren't interested in the Muslim-specific experience, despite universal themes
See it if you want an evening of great writing and some pretty good performances, too. A new look at race relations in the US. Very interesting.
Don't see it if new/edgy plays aren't your thing. Also, there are some racy topics discussed. Definitely not your typical night of "fun at the theater".
See it if You enjoy family dramas that explore cultural differences (here between 2 Muslim families) with a few twists thrown in
Don't see it if You don't like family dramas with arguing and limited fighting, not interested in portraits of Muslim life in the US or cultural differences
See it if you enjoy seeing a wonderful work in progress, with excellent dialogue, acting, and staging
Don't see it if you have no interest in works-in-progress. An ending that could have been explosive just fizzles Read more
See it if You like plays about family values, and couples from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Characters are well-developed.
Don't see it if You do not like a lot of conversation. You expect a lot of action.
See it if Well written & acted story showing all families - no matter their background - have inner workings with many like your own.
Don't see it if the rites of other cultures isn't of interest
See it if you like shows about family relationships, what makes it work, what secrets are necessary, and what can be tolerated.GREAT sets and lighting
Don't see it if you want a consistently interesting show. 1st act is excellent. 2nd act is weaker, and the ending just sort of peters out.Still,worth seeing
Critic Reviews (28)
"Dohrn engagingly develops his story without making anyone a villain...The playwright cleverly reverses the attitudes and behaviors of the characters in each family...To Zayd Dohrn's credit, he continues to use the world around us to create timely plays that don't rely on easy happy endings to complex beginnings. Kip Fagan, too, deserves credit for supervising a beautifully staged production and eliciting believable performances from the 7-member cast."
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"Dohrn’s promising but ultimately disappointing drama...Dohrn plots his dramatic tale with meticulous, sometimes too meticulous, detail...For all its potential for heavy-handedness, 'The Profane' doesn’t seem simplistic or contrived, at least not initially...When Dania’s history is finally revealed, it seems like a strained, unlikely narrative. The play, carefully structured to lead to its climax and lovingly guided there by director Kip Fagan, sputters out and dies."
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“It is in the discovery of the secret that this play heads out of the corral for parts unknown…Raif’s rage is at a steady 60 mph from the start, and this is never explained in a way that fills in the blanks. So when it erupts in an unbelievable manner we are left stymied. The actors, to a person, execute their parts with sensitivity and skill. But the story’s path ties them up in knots they cannot untie…‘The Profane’ force-feeds us too much for too long with no payoff.”
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"What Dohrn does in 'The Profane' is attempt to dissect the nature of dissent, not only how people who seem so similar are in fact so different, but also why?...Kip Fagan’s energetic direction brings the play to life without seeming overly intellectual, choosing instead to go down the darkly comedic, almost farcical route...Where 'The Profane' truly excels is when it catches its characters, and us, completely off guard."
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"It’s a sharply constructed piece and surprising in its authenticity, but what's not surprising is that, when confronted by the extreme differences of another, we flail and fall back on prejudiced preconceived notions bolstering intolerance...Dohrn had me completely entwined in the conflict as it slowly unfolds in this quick two-act play...But the final scene threw me for a loop...Maybe I wanted a more neatly wrapped up wedding present that showed resolution and a breakthrough."
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"Cloyingly earnest...The actors do what they can with an uneven script that relies on pandering to the upper-class white Playwrights Horizons audience, using tropes and a checklist of platitudes...Because the play never specifies where exactly these Muslim families find the origins of their conflict, the play lies in an uncomfortable plane of existence that some will find profoundly universal and that others will find straight-up grating."
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“A potentially button-pushing but ultimately unsatisfactory new play…Sorry to say, Dohrn's play, which has some excellent scenes, sprightly humor, and lively dialogue, is superficial, formulaic, and burdened by a plot contrivance that will spin your head faster than Linda Blair's…Kip Fagan's direction is briskly paced but…being so broad, he doesn't resolve the play's uneasy tension between domestic comedy and idea-related drama.”
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"The cast is all perfect in their roles with Francis Benhamou standing out in two vastly different character choices. Director Kip Fagan keeps this show moving and allows this tale to unfold...Though Zayd Dohrn’s dialogue flows, some of the ideas do not...The whole plot seems implausible...Though beautiful, I was left lost in translation."
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