The Qualms NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (9)
See it if great story, fun, funny and intense. Great acting. Absorbing.
Don't see it if you don't like sexual issues being discussed on stage.
See it if You enjoy laugh out loud sit-com like comedy.
Don't see it if You don't like shows about adult themes or comedy that revolves around sexual situations.
See it if you're fascinated by the swinging lifestyle. The argument for monogamy was made by the least likable character. No discernible plot.
Don't see it if you want to be engaged. Some interesting characters, but talky. During the endless clean-up scene, I wanted to help to make it go faster. Read more
See it if You are a Bruce Norris fan, or enjoy new, darkly comic plays.
Don't see it if You can't stand the discussion of sex or other topical issues.
See it if You are curious to see a play about this risqué topic. Not one usually explored. The acting is excellent.
Don't see it if With family members or friends with whom the sexual topic might be awkward.
See it if Noah Emmerich was riveting. He's a very charismatic performer. The topic was original, and the story kept me interested.
Don't see it if It was very sexually oriented. Not for the faint of heart or conservative. Definitely not for kids.
See it if you want an engaging story and decent actors
Don't see it if you don't like run of the mill off broadway
See it if you want to see a play by an author that asks the hard questions in shockingly funny and brutal ways. You can't look away.
Don't see it if you get uncomfortable easily. Sex, politics, friendships and a bunch of other things are thrown right in your face in this new piece.
Critic Reviews (47)
"'The Qualms' offers engaging performances and rawly funny exchanges, but instead of meaty drama or even sex farce we are given a series of contentious conversations about fidelity, the meaning of marriage and other magazine-article topics."
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"The discussion is amusing, certainly, spiced up by occasional smuttiness, and very well acted all around. But Norris is not really trying to do Shaw on Shagging: He doesn’t have enough love for his characters to make any of them very plausible in their positions. Rather, he’s an underminer...Of course, Norris is too smart to let you take refuge with any side of any argument; he’s an equal-opportunity belittler. That makes for a thrilling if not always edifying ride."
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"The play well displays Norris' gifts for acerbic comic dialogue and pungent social satire. The characters are amusingly drawn, their heated interactions eliciting laughs and gasps. But the evening eventually winds up spinning its wheels, becoming repetitive in its themes and feeling contrived. By the time it's over, the characters wind up dejected and exhausted, feelings that may well be shared by the audience."
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"From a dramatic point of view, this escalation is limiting since the play can only go in one direction. The arguments aren’t new, either. Still, Pam MacKinnon’s sleek production is very entertaining because Norris writes fantastic jerks and pits them against defensive, ultra-PC types. And the cast is excellent."
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"In the end, the evening turns into a talkfest about monogamy, pornography, power, freedom, Deb’s late husband Janosz’s too-big-to-fail manhood, and banana pudding, which is one thing everyone can agree on. Unlike Janosz’s endowment, the play leaves you wanting."
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"'The Qualms' is essentially a static scenario about group sex with little plot or character development. It leads to nothing but an extended discussion on human nature and American culture. The subject is more hackneyed than shocking, and Norris does not provide any original or interesting insight into it despite all the argumentation."
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"The characters may not be having the fun they so desire, but we on the other side of the invisible fourth wall are having a ribald one. 'The Qualms' has a lot going for it, namely Norris' razor-sharp dialogue, laden with lines that explode into laughter, and a real doozy of a production."
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"Norris' dialogue is amusing and entertaining and MacKinnon's tight ensemble keeps the ninety-minute piece slickly paced but 'The Qualms', though touching at times, lacks the electric crackle of his past work."
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