The Rolling Stone NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%

(185 Reviews)

Positive

90%

Mixed

10%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Relevant, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intense

About the Show

Lincoln Center's U.S. premiere is an intimate yet explosive family drama about two Ugandan brothers at odds - one a gay man in a secret relationship, and the other a church pastor.

Dembe, a college student in Kampala, Uganda, has been secretly seeing Sam, an Irish-Ugandan doctor. He longs to tell his family about their relationship, but his brother, Joe, is a rising church pastor who rails against the lifestyle Dembe is forced to conceal. And to make matters more precarious, a local newspaper has begun to publish photos of faces, and the names and addresses of gay men so that they may be hunted down and imprisoned or killed.

Member Reviews (185)

Intelligent, Intense, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if you would like to see how human rights issues are influenced by religion in another country, well-written, superbly acted with some song.

Don't see it if you are not open to love - understanding it, respecting it and sharing it or you do not care to be a concerned member of the human race.

Disturbing, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Intense, Great acting

See it if Family struggles to survive religious intolerance & public vilification of gays in 2010 Uganda. Felt a bit like Miller’s “The Crucible”.

Don't see it if Old themes in a new setting. I was surprised to learn that homophobia has gotten worse in Uganda because of American missionaries.

Thought-provoking, Great staging, Intense, Educational, Slow

See it if You are interested in international gay rights in a fundamentalist Christian culture. Wonderful use of 3/4 round stage. Strong performances

Don't see it if You if you expect subtlety. The script could use considerable trimming.

Intense, Indulgent, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if you like plays about current events & plight of gays in many African nations, family repercussions, forced betrayals, courage

Don't see it if not a fan of gay subject matter or danger (suspense), frustrated by characters who can't make decisions or lack of sets,

Entertaining, Slow, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if Set in Uganda about the hatred/feared they have against gay men. The young man from a Christian family that think its wrong.

Don't see it if people who are homophobia. That so call religious people be so dumb. Read more

Religious hypocracy, Disturbing, Thought-provoking, Intense, Involving

See it if Heartfelt, good acting, good story; great lighting which serves as the play's changing scenery; Blankson-Wood is terrific.

Don't see it if The play can be a bit simplistic at times but does not detract from the feelings and circumstances taking place. The story is a painful one Read more

Thought-provoking, Slow, Great acting

See it if you want to see a play that reminds us of how backwards some parts of the world are

Don't see it if You need your theater to move at a fast speed. The first act of this is very slow but the second half is worth it Read more

Profound, Heart-breaking, Powerful, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if Powerful performances by a committed cast tell the story of how, abetted by American Christians, homosexuals are treated in Uganda.

Don't see it if If homosexuality offends you, or you are uninterested in the horrors of discrimination they face, maybe see something else.

Critic Reviews (17)

"Piety Laced With Poison in the Uganda of 'The Rolling Stone.' In this latter-day variation on Arthur Miller’s 'The Crucible,' the young British dramatist Chris Urch creates a portrait of gay love under siege."
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"The Rolling Stone Goes for Big Feelings Over Rigor"
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"Morals and Monologues in 'The Rolling Stone' and 'Mojada.' New plays by Chris Urch and Luis Alfaro center on a gay man in Uganda and a Mexican immigrant in Queens, each facing dangers."
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"The writing doesn't live up to the importance of the subject matter."
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"'The Rolling Stone' Recounts an Antigay Witch Hunt in Uganda. Chris Urch dramatizes a call-out culture with deadly consequences."
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"The contemporary drama bookshelf is positively groaning with coming-out dramas, but in very few, if any, are the stakes as high as in 'The Rolling Stone'...Remarkably, [it] is Urch's second play; even this early, he looks like one of the season's great finds."
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"Don't be misled by the title. Playwright Chris Urch's 'The Rolling Stone,' opening tonight at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, is neither about Mick Jagger nor the U. S. popular culture magazine which bears that name..."
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