The Stone Witch NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (181)
See it if love an intimate setting, with terrfic cast, wonderful scenery, refreshing new work.
Don't see it if wish for a musical, don't like character studies, not into creativity, do not want to think
See it if An imaginative show about a children's book author needs his final swan song. Well written and starring Dan Lauria who is brilliant.
Don't see it if a strong drama performance by a successful man on his last mission is not for you
See it if Strong acting.View of creative genius/artist haunted by brutalities inflicted upon his family- Insight into life & struggles of artists
Don't see it if for light entertainment.Can't closely follow dialogue to end. No interest in Pressures of artist to create to highest standards .
See it if It was an enjoyable three-persons show with great acting and staging. It kept you guessing of how the storyline is going to end.
Don't see it if You are not interested about the aging writer and creative blocks.
See it if you want to see an drama that is almost great. An interesting idea that is not fully explored.
Don't see it if you do not want to see a show where the audience has to mentally fill-in missing pieces of information for the plot to make sense..
See it if Superbly acted play of a famous children’s book author who hit an 11 year dry spell.
Don't see it if You like only musicals, prefer a cast larger than 3, or want something light.
See it if you like a story that pulls you in and makes you want to know what will happen next.
Don't see it if you want a fast paced, easy solution to a problem story.
See it if An unfortunate title for entertaining play. Good acting by the cast, a bit slow but it does deliver a message.
Don't see it if Do not see if you want a light drama or musical. You have to be patient with this to the end.
Critic Reviews (14)
"Dan Lauria…makes a valiant but flailing stab at embodying the gruff, depressed, artistically blocked artist, a role seemingly inspired by the late Maurice Sendak. It doesn't take long before you begin checking your watch, waiting for this glum, unfunny, three-character cliché about artistic inspiration and generational jealousy to run the course of its hour and a half upon the stage…Despite the realistic conventions of the writing and acting, none of it rings true."
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"Lauria is complex, alluring and gives a heartfelt performance. Ginn has charisma and is the perfect foil...Steve Zuckerman directs this piece like a TV movie of the week and that is partly how Mr Bitterman writes this piece. At times 'The Stone Witch' drags under the weight of its many themes Bitterman is throwing out into the audience. I found that I had more questions than answers in the end, though found the play enjoyable."
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"The basic situation is not particularly credible, but the author has created characters who give the three-member cast a field day for attention-getting dramatics...Despite the acting, this all seems a bit ridiculous...This is not a creator of a 'War and Peace' about whom the play is talking. All of the great man stuff seems absurdly inflated, although Lauria rants and rages effectively as the character...I left admiring the cast trio but feeling less so about Bitterman’s tempestuous play."
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"Bitterman skillfully presents the plausible arc of a famous artist's later years. Writing is taut and expressive...Zuckerman's Direction is as physical as it is emotional, bringing characters to life with natural extension of feeling. The stage is well used...The play belongs to Dan Lauria whose mercurial, industrial strength Grindberg exists in the O'Neill/Shakespeare realm. The actor creates a charming rogue whose muse has abandoned him to lifelong nightmares."
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"A wondrous, hopeful and heartbreaking new play where imagination runs wild...Directed by Steve Zuckermann, 'Stone Witch' has to be one of the most impactful Off- Broadway plays premiering this season. Filled with wisdom...This tale shows that generational gaps are non-existent when it comes to creativity, and choosing to live according to it...Brisk, witty writing...Such a beautiful, riveting tale does not come often, especially with such concise delivery."
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"A somewhat convoluted and ultimately contrived attempt to tackle the psychological complexities of creating art...While Zuckerman's production is visually and aurally rich, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts...Ginn's self-conscious portrayal of a starving artist is not entirely credible...Too many irons in the fire...None of which gets hot enough for the story to really blaze...Action jumps rapidly...the audience is left confused...The set and score are the production's best assets."
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