The Refugees
Closed 1h 28m
The Refugees
80

The Refugees NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(39 Ratings)
Positive
87%
Mixed
13%
Negative
0%
Members say
Relevant, Thought-provoking, Great acting, Intelligent, Ambitious

Immigration causes heated debate in a world that blends Ancient Greek myth with the modern day.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (39)

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247 Reviews | 61 Followers
100
Stellar writing & acting, Masterful, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if you like very enthusiastic & believable young actors in a masterful play asking very important questions related to refugees & their origins

Don't see it if No reason not to see it if you have a heart and brain, and want to think about refugees and their plights. As bonus you get stellar acting! Read more

TT
146 Reviews | 28 Followers
93
Clever, Resonant, Relevant, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if You like innovative stories told w/ Greek chorus added. You like strong voices and pts of view. To be affected and keep talkings afterward

Don't see it if You want a large splashy show. Don’t care about immigrants.don’t want to hear other points of view besides yours. They will challenge you!

166 Reviews | 9 Followers
84
Resonant, Profound, Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting

See it if you go to the theatre to see passion/dedication/touching hard work. you enjoy really great acting, writing, story, ensemble.A very good show

Don't see it if you are going for a more interesting set, costumes, lighting, production, design, you prefer more fast paced less dense theatre,

57 Reviews | 6 Followers
84
Profound, Relevant, Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if you want a show that sparks questions and challenges you to think about the world

Don't see it if you believe we should shut our borders.

334 Reviews | 37 Followers
83
Clever, Refreshing, Relevant, Quirky, Great acting

See it if You like small quirky productions Very well acted . The Greek theme is clever but not heavy handed , raises smart relevant questions

Don't see it if You want a fluffy big production comedy or musical

519 Reviews | 256 Followers
80
Intelligent, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if An intense new take on an old Greek myth that sparks moral questions on refugees, performed by a good cast on a minimal stage.

Don't see it if You are not in the mood to be entertained by social issues, or your mind needs a break from serious stuff.

aka
477 Reviews | 142 Followers
80
Fresh, Intelligent, Ambitious

See it if into a play about refugees and the generation gap, presented as if in ancient Greece.

Don't see it if well - there are those slow moments... Read more

RRR
153 Reviews | 12 Followers
79
Quirky, Relevant, Intelligent, Clever

See it if you're interested in unique takes on classic Greek characters and current events (immigrants/refugees)

Don't see it if if you don't like minimalist productions and/or audience participation (although you don't have to participate)

Critic Reviews (5)

Theatermania
June 9th, 2022

"In the mundane brutality of 'The Refugees,' Kaliski lays bare the tangle of history, diplomacy, and politics that separates the Cuban defector from the Honduran border-crosser. Most refugees will have had little to no control over the circumstances that placed them into one category or another. In that way, the fatalist Greeks have something to teach Americans as we nervously stride into the 21st century clinging to our notion of free will and hoping to bend the arc of history toward justice."
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Talkin' Broadway
June 9th, 2022

"Alas, as a tool of social and political activism, the play lacks necessary urgency. Understandably, 'The Refugees' as a Greek tragedy shows the universality and historical significance of the ongoing humanitarian crises. It gives us a chance to consider the issue apart from the reported caravans moving toward our own borders or the millions of homeless people in the rest of the world."
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TheaterScene.net
June 13th, 2022

Kaliski attempts a clever conceit marrying "The Oresteia" characters to the modern tragic story of the homeless hordes. Does "The Oresteia" provide an effective jumping off point to explore this timely and heartbreaking issue? Sadly, the answer is no. Kaliski has written a play whose subject matter is only tangentially connected to the characters Orestes, Electra and Clytemnestra who, in Greek mythology, lived in ancient Argos. Their stories of patricide and matricide and other ‘cides have no connection—emotional or situational—to the problem at hand and Kaliski doesn’t try very hard to splice the two subject matters together.
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New York Sun
June 9th, 2022

"Although ‘Refugees’ may sound like an earnest, even preachy exercise on paper, Stephen Kaliski, wielding a deft mix of skepticism and whimsy, portrays both the issues at hand and the people divided over them as maddeningly complicated."
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T
June 10th, 2022

"'The Refugees' unfolds in a world that is simultaneously our own and that of classical Greek drama. As a modernized House of Atreus struggles internally with how to deal with the refugees who have made their way to an Argos spared by chance from climatic disaster, this movingly clear-sighted show, which is partnered with Women for Afghan Women, ... asks us to consider how far and to whom our obligation to help extends."
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