The Tricky Part NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (67)
See it if you want a show with heart, that tells a story, and brings you into a world. No real set/props/costumes.It's all in the words and the acting
Don't see it if you are averse to feeling stuff.It is about 5-10 minutes too long, but that's its ONLY flaw.Acting & writing are as good as it gets.
See it if you want to see a brave and intelligent coming to terms with sexual trauma experienced as a boy. It's provocative, funny and deeply honest.
Don't see it if you can't abide solo shows. Although this one may change your mind. Beautifully wrought piece of theater.
See it if a lacerating but highly relatable one-man recounting of sexual abuse might interest you. It is BEAUTIFULLY written and rendered. Excellent
Don't see it if you don't like solo autobiographical shows or sometimes sexually graphic (but also profound) stories / tales of sexual abuse are too tough.
See it if You want to be mesmerized by one of the best storytellers I’ve seen in a long time. He weaves a deeply personal story of anger/forgiveness.
Don't see it if You don’t like one person shows, though this is one of the best. Even though it’s a very serious subject he uses a good deal of humor.
See it if This is a true story. He folds out his life and shares good and bad experience. The bad/hard parts can be upsetting .
Don't see it if Abuse, one man show. Read more
See it if You can handle the joy and the trauma of attending Catholic school being presented very well.
Don't see it if You are expecting a cute show like Nunsense
See it if interested in a nuanced, honest, and unflinching look at child sexual trauma. Moran finds the humanity in the most inhumane moments.
Don't see it if TW: child sexual trauma. Don't like criticism of the Catholic Church. Read more
See it if To experience brillant Martin Moran bio show with a natural voice, to explore difficult subjects and contradictions in abusive relationships
Don't see it if You see things in white & black terms and have only anger / no compassion for abusers You are uncomfortable with LGBTQ sexuality Read more
Critic Reviews (11)
"Beautiful and harrowing,,,This account of a Roman Catholic boyhood interrupted retains a luminous, novelistic complexity that sets it apart from similar tales of stolen childhoods. It is, in its way, a mystery story, in the richest sense...Moran makes sure we acknowledge and respect what is unspoken and perhaps undefinable...14 years after 'The Tricky Part' was first staged, the dialogue between the two continues with full eloquent and ambivalent force. It is unlikely to end — ever."
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"The passage of time brings additional wisdom, and this revival finds Moran fearlessly interrogating his own work in an effort to dig even deeper. It's a frank, shocking, and beautifully sincere look at the psyche of a child on the cusp of adulthood, the older man who took advantage, and the difficulty of healing deep wounds...'The Tricky Part' is more than a play...It is as deep and connected an experience as we can have in the theater."
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“’The Tricky Part’ is a stealthy piece of construction; it sneaks up on you when you're not looking and leaves you emotionally poleaxed...Under Barrish's infinitely tactful direction, Moran handles this story entirely without sentimentality or bathos; ‘The Tricky Part' is so honestly written that each word, however painful, feels like a benediction. In the end, it is Moran's candor that saves him, opening the door to the understanding that forgiveness begins with himself.”
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"Moran's deeply affecting account has lost none of its potency in the intervening years, and 'The Tricky Part' is a timely reminder of the healing power in sharing and receiving traumatic histories...Moran is a gifted raconteur with a talent for making the audience lean in closer even as they want to pull back when the memories become so excruciatingly personal and disturbing. Indeed, the strength of the play stems from its simplicity."
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“Overbearing nuns, eccentric priests and confusing religious tenets are detailed with stand-up comedy gusto...What distinguishes ‘The Tricky Part’ is Moran’s fierce writing that clinically describes what happened with poetic realism...Moran is a captivating storyteller who effortlessly switches from light-hearted to seriousness with vivid facility...It’s all spellbinding due to Moran’s polished performance, his rich writing and the accomplished presentation.”
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"Feels not just timely but also refreshing, a necessary reminder of the humanity that can be found in even the most traumatic of events...'The Tricky Part' is not the 'child sex abuse show' you might think. It’s a story of reckoning, yes, but also one of grace and kindness, one that suggests that there might be value in even the worst experiences...It’s an essential piece of theatre, and we are lucky that Moran and the Barrow Group have brought it back—see it if you can."
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"What Moran has achieved with his play, is that it is indeed a play, and not a monologue or something that could as easily be read, and not necessarily performed. Smartly directed by Seth Barrish, what they bring to the piece with humility and humanity is undeniable...There wasn’t a moment in the play where Moran did not have my full and total attention."
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"Seth Barrish, who directed the original, does the same for this production, showing the delicacy of a conductor interpreting a complex symphony transcribed for a single instrument. In the course of 90 minutes, Moran’s performance varies widely in tempi and dynamics, yet the momentum never lags...Moran's beautifully written script steers clear of self-pity, pop psychology, and agitprop, and dramatizes with exquisite simplicity a complex individual’s response to adversity."
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