The Ruins of Civilization NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (57)
See it if you would like a futuristic story with serious subtexts about current issues like priviledge/poor, gov control, immigants, population, etc.
Don't see it if you like straight forward stories or do not care for futuristic settings or serious issues in your plays.
See it if discussions of morality, ethics, individual responsibility,
Don't see it if dislike above
See it if You like thought provoking shows, and are happy seeing smaller shows.
Don't see it if You're looking for fluff, or a fun musical night at the theater.
See it if You are interested in the choices we make and how that impacts others - in a small venue so you can get drawn into the characters.
Don't see it if You want everything tied up neatly at the end/all your questions answered or an uplifting story
See it if You enjoy apocalyptic settings in a vague future that touches on climate change, immigration ,mental illness. It challenges, makes you think
Don't see it if Like precise story telling that lays out the playwright's vision or if you don't like to think.
See it if Post apocalyptic play where people in London are awaiting their end and not allowed to procreate. Good concept and acting.
Don't see it if Sometimes, it's hard to enjoy and grasp a lot of the scenes. Profound and confusing.
See it if You love Tim Daly, and plays about the future. Like to let your imagination run wild and enjoy sci-fi. great acting
Don't see it if You are like me and do not follow futuristic plots easily. Do not have a best friend who can explain what happened to you. Get befuddled
See it if Compelling drama. Tense, edge of your seat performances. Relevant topic. Kept my interest all the way through. Emotional.
Don't see it if A little heavy-handed at times. Tim Daly could use a dialect coach.
Critic Reviews (14)
"This is a well-intentioned piece that is part 'A Doll’s House' and part 'Twilight Zone.' Ms. Skinner’s writing, however, rather than being exploratory, is confining. While the character of Mara is many layered, the other three are one-note...We get the point very early on in this play. The world is going to hell in a handbag, and the people who believe in a Solution are offstage somewhere very far away...Once this is established the play idles like an old Ford pickup."
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"Skinner’s feminist concerns are complicated and unapologetic. She is interested in the limits that society puts on women and to what extent women internalize these constraints...'Ruins' has its missteps. Some of the dialogue is less than persuasive, there is an occasional whiff of formula...But as the play progresses, Skinner’s future world becomes increasingly complete and cogent, its terrors revealed with deceptively placid care."
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"Through seemingly offhand remarks, Skinner builds a chilling picture of a society that is plausible enough to make one uncomfortable. The actors were fine except for an occasional stumble over accents...Some aspects of the plot do not stand up to close examination, the emotional temperature could use a boost and the first act could use a trim. Nevertheless, the play held my interest and raised issues that merit our attention."
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“Skinner has a fine ear for such Orwellian turns of phrase. Under Leah C. Gardiner’s Pinteresque direction, her dialogue can sound stilted...Her play loses its way, however, after the interval, when the plot becomes reliant on several psychologically far-fetched twists, prompted by the arrival of an immigrant...Roxanna Hope plays the part convincingly, but Skinner doesn’t seem to know quite what to do with the character.”
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"Daly adopts a British accent and does impressive work as a persnickety unpublished writer possessing an undercurrent of sensitivity...I also was impressed with Hope’s Mara, who arrives with a dramatic story that in lesser hands might leave us to suspect ulterior motives...Gardiner directs the efficient drama...All four characters seem like real people, trying to balance a sense of humanity with the human need to both adapt to circumstances--and look out for ourselves. "
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"This sci-fi dystopia will make your heart skip a beat quite a few times because of the close resemblance to today’s world issues and the remarkable gracefulness with which it is executed…Beautifully written...By setting the play in the future, Skinner not only emphasizes the universal relevance of the issue but also removes the immediate pain and anger...Every turn of the head, every move around the room is meaningful and yet doesn’t look forced."
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