The Treasurer
Closed 1h 30m
The Treasurer
76

The Treasurer NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%
(129 Ratings)
Positive
80%
Mixed
18%
Negative
2%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Slow, Intelligent

About the Show

Playwrights Horizons presents a darkly comic, sharply intimate character study that chronicles the strained ties between a son (Tony nominee Peter Friedman) and his aging mother (Tony winner Deanna Dunagan).

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Show-Score Member Reviews (129)

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93 Reviews | 16 Followers
86
Clever, Great acting, Great writing, Profound, Thought-provoking

See it if you like plays that push boundaries, make you think, and explore the concepts of family and death. Beautiful and tragic, really well done

Don't see it if You want a happy play

155 Reviews | 26 Followers
85
Profound, Absorbing, Great writing, Thought-provoking, Entertaining

See it if a real success; i'll be thinking about this one for a long time

Don't see it if n/a

75 Reviews | 38 Followers
85
Clever, Great acting, Great writing, Intelligent, Resonant

See it if You'd like to see a new voice in the theater take on a big idea, rather than an issue; if you have a mom.

Don't see it if You're looking for "contemporary relevance" over "timeless resonance."

112 Reviews | 36 Followers
85
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Great writing

See it if you're interested in plays about dementia or about existential thoughts and life as a whole

Don't see it if you want a show with a true three act structure or a very explicit conflict that comes to a head in one climax

156 Reviews | 204 Followers
85
Absorbing, Great storytelling, Confusing, Intelligent, Quirky

See it if you like Deanna Dunnigan. You like family drama and stories about family conflict.

Don't see it if you don't like stories that have people losing their marbles, don't like stories about old people, don't like family conflict and drama.

56 Reviews | 32 Followers
85
Great acting, Relevant, Intense

See it if you want to see the winner of the next round of Off-Broadway acting awards: Peter Friedman. (A prediction.) His performance is exceptional.

Don't see it if you've had your fill of edge-of-dementia themed plays.

74 Reviews | 22 Followers
85
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Intelligent, Relevant

See it if You enjoy a challenging drama which touches on relevant issues, want to see some wonderful acting in a touching play.

Don't see it if If you want a light comedy, are unwilling to commit to watching issues which may hit painfully close to home, need a traditional linear play

431 Reviews | 129 Followers
82
Absorbing, Sensitive direction and acting, Intelligent, Relevant

See it if Want to see extraordinary performances in complex subject/play. It's funny, sad, touching, complicated, as good family dramas are.

Don't see it if Can't see distant family grapple w effects of aging, dementia, in controlling parent, want traditional set, don't like breaking 4th wall. Read more

Critic Reviews (32)

Talkin' Broadway
September 26th, 2017

"Posner has a distinct voice, almost aggressively prosaic and conversational, and there's some deep feeling in his child-parent deliberations. But he hasn't offered a surprising or dramatic story, and he's surrounded the proceedings with a lot of air...It's curious how 'The Treasurer' smooths everything out—keeping the language simple and unpoetic, tamping the emotions down, lingering on the smaller moments of life. Is Posner aiming for universality? I'm afraid he's largely achieved passivity."
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TheaterScene.net
September 27th, 2017

"At times very funny and moving, Posner’s choppy family drama is weighted down by authorial, stylistic excesses. Luckily it has the superb Peter Friedman and Deanna Dunagan as a contentious son and mother who elevate the patchy material...Besides the outstanding performances, director Cromer’s staging achieves a striking visual dimension...Conceptually erratic though poignant, 'The Treasurer' is nearly redeemed by its two powerful, central performances."
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CurtainUp
September 26th, 2017

"While Dunagan's performance as Posner's pivotal character is touching and often funny, the big star turn here belongs to Friedman...Given the dark reality of this story, we need some humor to offset the at times excruciatingly difficult to watch economic and emotional travails of Posner's characters...Cromer taps into what makes 'The Treasurer' touch our hearts...Not lighthearted entertainment...But neither is there anything smug or falsely hokey...The production overall is well worth seeing."
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Theater Pizzazz
September 26th, 2017

"Posner sets Jacob and Ida up as perfect foils for each other: protagonist and antagonist in a serious conflict punctuated by laugh lines...Dunagan is delightful as Ida...As Jacob, Peter Friedman is likable but more complex and far more tortured than his mother...The struggle between Ida and her son keeps our attention with its humor and familiarity. Our involvement would be more acute and the piece more affecting if mother and son were more evenly matched."
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Front Row Center
September 27th, 2017

"A small gem of a play. Dark, funny, and disturbing...The inspired words of a fresh young playwright in the mouth of a seasoned, nuanced actor combined to make arresting, exciting theater grab us and not let go...The scenes are fast and furious at times...Cromer has done a masterful job of staging all this seamlessly...I can’t say enough about Friedman’s performance...Every breath, every pause conveys precisely what he’s thinking and he is a joy to watch."
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Stage Buddy
September 26th, 2017

"'The Treasurer' is a 95-minute, intermission-less play, but it is rich and layered, and I think you’ll agree that Posner has not skimped when it comes to substance. Pathos and humor blend in ways that make the audience squirm...Friedman is terrific portraying a deeply conflicted man, but one who is also wry and philosophical about his predicament...Cromer’s direction is steady and shrewd. I especially liked the way he challenges the audience with long, uncomfortable silences."
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Front Mezz Junkies
September 26th, 2017

"An engaging new play, wickedly funny and surprisingly surreal...Directed by the always impressive Cromer, the fluidness of the storytelling feels entrancing...It’s seamless and fluid, keeping us thoroughly engaged at every turn regardless of how uncomfortable, sad, and funny it all is, and it’s usually all three at the same moments...Posner has written a very funny and honest play about the complications of an imperfect mother/son relationship and what is possibly in store for us all."
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Exeunt Magazine
September 27th, 2017

"A speculative, often frustrating new play...Posner excels at capturing Jacob’s frustration at being tasked with keeping his mother on a tight leash...But the play falters when Posner attempts to tie Jacob’s vexation at his mother’s recklessness to some dogmatic belief that he deserves Hell...I never once believed this character would spend so much time consumed by the fear of a torturous after life...Director Cromer tries to patch some of these holes, with intermittent success."
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