The Rape of the Sabine Women, By Grace B. Matthias NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (99)
See it if You have the chance. A powerful play, a testament to the actors and writing. Everyone must experience this; must see and thought provoking.
Don't see it if You are looking for something light and are uncomfortable with the subject matter.
See it if you want to examine a multitude of stereotypes around rape and sexual assault.
Don't see it if you are unable to understand the use of stereotypes to prove a point - that men rape women.
See it if One incredible performance anchors a play which would be otherwise largely adrift. It transforms the production into must see theater.
Don't see it if The play is clearly too glib and chipper about rape. Unrealistic extent of HS art history instruction. Large space demands close seating. Read more
See it if you enjoy topical serious dramas with appropriate amounts of humor woven brilliantly into the script. Amazing show. Terrific cast!
Don't see it if you're a woman dealing with rape trauma or if you're a misogynistic man who just won't "get it."
See it if You like productions which deal with tough issues in both a comedic and tragic way
Don't see it if You don't want to see a show dealing with rape or rape culture
See it if You can take seriously an at times funny truth to power look at rape in society. With mostly stereotypical characters, it has a core of real
Don't see it if You find abhorrent the idea of rape and humor together. You can't find the texture, breadth and compassion in sly presentation.
See it if Powerful exploration of a high school girl's date rape. Uses satire to address many difficult issues. Heartfelt characters.
Don't see it if This play is not so much about the rape itself but about everyone's reaction to it. Is the grey area good-and-evil or loss of innocence?
See it if superb writing, acting, direction of tough, challenging content is what you long for in great theater. Smart, funny, direct, moving.
Don't see it if you can't engage with the reality of rape culture -past, present and future, even when so complexly presented. Read more
Critic Reviews (17)
"A serious effort to dramatize a rape and its repercussions, it also dares itself to be a satire, a high school comedy, and a coming-of-age story...That’s a lot for a play to be, and the mix is not always comfortable...That Grace emerges as a well-rounded character is partly the result of the touching conviction Perkins imbues her with...The meant-to-be-funny material is too unsophisticated...That’s a shame because other elements, sticking closer to the main story, remain fresh and challenging."
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"A superb rape comedy—yes, you read that right...Grace’s story is shifting parts comedy, tragedy, horror and even—your skin crawls to recall it—romance...The skilled playwright's absurdist wit tossing off sparks that sometimes turn into fires. Crowley and Rafaeli’s tricky tonal balancing act requires high-wire nerve, but they manage it. The secret is Perkins, who gets weightier as the show goes on, becoming its calm and certain center."
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"As a man calling into question centuries of female narratives written by other men, Crowley puts himself and his work in the hot seat...With delicate direction by Rafaeli, Crowley reaps the rewards of that risk by subverting the 'cautionary tale,' the 'victim story' and all other tropes...What makes Grace and her story so compelling are her confusing internal contradictions, made completely understandable in Perkins's detailed performance."
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"The scenes featuring Grace, Bobby, and Jeff are tautly written and filled with tension, but Crowley tries to play everything else for laughs...There's little that the director, Tyne Rafaeli, can do to resolve these tonal contradictions, but she does get three first-rate performances from her leads...This altogether perplexing effort is best filed away as a daring—but only partially successful—attempt by a gifted writer at dealing creatively with white-hot subject matter."
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"Crowley employs, with mixed success, the conventions of satire to take on the issue of rape culture...Relying rather heavily on familiar stereotypes and easy targets for its cartoonish humor, the play meanders along too many tangents to be completely effective. However, the production itself is well served by the rapid-fire direction and in the performances by the excellent ensemble...The play needs a great deal of trimming and reshaping to keep the message from being lost in the silly bits."
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"It's a flawed but fascinating play thanks to lively staging and an emotionally potent performance by Perkins...The satirical misfires and metaphorical overkill notwithstanding, director Rafaeli makes very effective use of Maldonado's spare auditorium set...Rafaeli also helps the various ensemble members smoothly transition into double-cast roles. However, the one really rounded and real character is Grace and Perkins is the undisputed star of this enterprise."
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“The awkwardly titled ‘The Rape of the Sabine Women, by Grace B. Matthias' has problems beyond its nomenclature. What, if anything, is it ultimately about? Though it claims to be a ‘satirical’ look at the subject of rape, any satire is lost in the mixed results of the presentation. If anything, the play seems too subtle and nuanced for its own good.”
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"I appreciate artists who take risks, and Crowley does that with his unconventional approach. However, the satire only sometimes comes through loud and clear; other times he seems to be going for a more straightforward narrative, so the tone is not consistent...Within this abstract world, Perkins delivers a realistic performance of a shy teenager often confused by the world around her...The last scene is powerful and moving, and almost makes up for the unevenness of what comes before."
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