The Valley of the Shadow NYC Reviews and Tickets

70%

(32 Ratings)

Positive

60%

Mixed

34%

Negative

Members say

Relevant, Thought-provoking, Ambitious, Absorbing, Slow

About the Show

A hate crime victim confronts the past in a restorative justice setting, exploring empathy & memory.

Orin, a victim of an anti-trans hate crime that separated him from his wife, now resides in the childhood home of the offender as part of a restorative justice initiative. Struggling with solitude and haunted by memories, he must navigate the relics of the past and confront the events that transform individuals into monsters.

Narrated by six performers traversing through time, The Valley of the Shadow delves into themes of empathy and recollection, addressing aspects of queerness, race, accountability, and survival. It unfolds as both a love story and, more often, a ghost story.

Show-Score Member Reviews (32)

Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Relevant, Absorbing

See it if you want to see a portrayal of a love story between a trans couple and its end with the aftermath of guilt, grief, and forgiveness.

Don't see it if the music had me on edge, it made me think the play was going to be a horror show instead of a drama.

Edgy, Ambitious, Absorbing, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if You want to see a dark love story that finally captures the true trans storyline, it’s part of the story but it’s not THE STORY. Well done.

Don't see it if You’re homophobic…though you might like to root for the villain. This story hops back and forth in time, slowly revealing the truth. Read more

Beautifully honest portrayal of gender, Slightly unclear, Uneven writing, Meaningful, Ring of truth

See it if you're looking to feel a story in your heart. The love is just as heartbreaking as the hate crime, and I really felt the emotions.

Don't see it if you like big picture concepts to be clearly elucidated. There was some ambiguity in the meaning of Jazz's monologues that lost me a little. Read more

Resonant, Relevant, Intense, Intelligent, Ambitious

See it if You can’t be racist, homophobic, transphobic, or a misogynistic person to see this. Also, it’s a play; almost 2 hours, with no intermission.

Don't see it if There is haunting music. It’s a black box theatre. Now, with all that out the way, if you’re ok with the aforementioned, I see no reason not Read more

Intelligent, Edgy, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Complex

See it if interested in seeing a well acted intense drama that is willing to tackle some hot button issues.

Don't see it if you're transphobic; not up to a show about violence, hate crimes, guilt, forgiveness, gender& race issues; don't like non-linear plays; slow Read more

Thought-provoking, Confusing, Intelligent, Edgy, Relevant

See it if you like new work that tackles current issues - this one has a lot going for it and the actors are good on a decent set.

Don't see it if if sound is an issue for you - voice projection needs improvement, especially with background music & sounds that prevent hearing dialogue.

Quirky, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Ambitious, Clever

See it if you like plays which deal with less-visited topics, especially LGBTQ+ people (especially trans people).

Don't see it if you are homophobic and transphobic (“and,” because if you’re one, you’re 99.9% assured to be the other), or need happy endings. Read more

Plays with timelines, Thought-provoking, Delicate, Intense, Absorbing

See it if you want to understand violence against women and the LGBTQ community. A well written show capturing many chewable themes.

Don't see it if you dislike overacting. Too many instances of sudden burst of emotions made the acting a little bit cliche and overstated. Still a good show

Critic Reviews (1)

This major victory for underrepresented voices in theatre departs from the convention of discovery and coming out. Instead of confronting identity, love, and gender, it confronted how challenges of people who live familiar, ordinary lives, who have their lives taken from them simply because of the bodies they were born in. If the characters were cisgender, the violence would have been senseless. I applaud The Valley of the Shadow for depicting trans people as people, not oddities or commodities
Read more

Trailer

Creative team

Wolfsmouth Players Company