The Terrifying NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (10)
See it if You're a Moore fan, you are a Dem, open minded, like inspirational stories
Don't see it if You love Trump Read more
See it if you appreciate great tech. Really interesting use of the staging. Very intriguing to see a horror piece adapted to the stage.
Don't see it if you aren't willing to leave the theatre with a lot of questions. Ending came out of nowhere and was un-earned.
See it if "Penny Dreadful" meets "Waiting for Godot" is your idea of good theater
Don't see it if you expect naturalistic acting in a metaphorical tale, or can't tolerate the same actors playing multiple roles (sometimes in the same scene Read more
See it if You like wildly creative downtown theater that makes you think (but doesn't take itself too seriously)
Don't see it if you aren't going to appreciate a little silliness
See it if you want to see a show with incredible design elements (and live sound design!) as well as a play that explores typical theatrical rules
Don't see it if you want a straightforward play that's easy to understand.
See it if ...you enjoy new works, horror, edgy, dark, downtown theater. Great use of space and sound design. Cast gives 100%.
Don't see it if ...you want light-hearted entertainment; there is dry humor. I get that the writer is making social commentary but not quite sure what it is
See it if You want innovative and moody theater.
Don't see it if You want your theater staid and usual.
See it if You enjoy defamiliarization and experimentation, horror tropes remixed, innovative set, sound, and costume designs.
Don't see it if You don't like loud noises or negative capability.
Critic Reviews (5)
"This disregard of the classic elements of style makes scarefests a natural field of exploration for Ms. Jarcho, a queen of experimental mayhem. Traditional logic, coherent plots and credible acting have never been among her priorities...All these men are played with ripe and delirious hamminess by Pete Simpson, who is giving one of the most unlikely and dazzling comic performances of this season. Funny he may be, but it is Simpson who brings the show to its sobering conclusion."
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"Jarcho has spun a metaphysical conceit around her characters, putting the audience inside what turns out to be a B-movie...On the page this is interesting, but on its feet the different modes create confusion. Is the goal black comedy?...Is it 'terrifying?' Well. Shows can be both comic and scary at once, of course...But it needs delicate calibration. This is where execution muddies the issue...The play's parts, which seemed so healthy separately, just won't make a functioning body go."
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"While a visually stunning and cleverly staged production, there is still room for improvement. The script at times sacrifices clarity for intrigue, and none of the characters seem to have been developed thoroughly enough...The co-existence of camp and horror also seems to make them negate each other: the rapid shifts between styles make it hard to truly get lost in the story."
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“Who’s more terrifying: the monster or its victims? Playwright and director Julia Jarcho...will answer the question in a tidy, melancholic monologue at the end of her new horror comedy, ‘The Terrifying.’ What she won’t do is scare you or make you laugh, though the production frequently tries to do both, pummeling you with a seat-rattling sound design and often goofy humor...All of it is a sensory overload and too much fuss for a messy commentary on how monsters come in all shapes and sizes."
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“An object lesson in the magic of live performance, building a striking theatrical experience out of a slim, unsettling folk tale of a script…Jarcho breathes mood and texture into the play’s archetypal characters and broad narrative strokes. The piece is realized with confidence and control in every detail, anchored by Ben Jalosa Williams’s immersive live sound design and a bravura performance by Pete Simpson in all three leading-male roles.”
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