The Whirligig NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (140)
See it if want to see a great cast in an interesting play, the interconnected-ness of the characters is a nice touch. It's both entertaining & tragic
Don't see it if Aren't interested in family dramas, want a plot.
See it if You are satisfied with performances that inspire. Parents have difficulty managing their own lives. Children are another challenge.
Don't see it if You don't care to watch other people's poor attempts at getting their lives right.
See it if U WANT TO C.A VERY GOOD ACTOR BEGIN HIS HAND AT PLAYWRITING PUTTING HIS KNOWLEDGE OF SHAKESPEARE TO GOOD USE.
Don't see it if U DON''T LIKE LONG PLAYS THAT R AT TIMES HARD TO FOLLOW.. IF U DON''T LIKE REVOLVING STAGES FOR CHANGE OF SCENES
See it if Interesting concept: which less than perfect person in one's life is responsible for your fall into drug dependency? The rush among Julie's
Don't see it if ...failed support system to assume blame is affecting, if contrived, & ultimately unsatisfying, but moments of raw hope, pain & love emerge.
See it if you like good acting and an interesting story.
Don't see it if you would rather see something lighter.
See it if you want to see a well-acted, well-written play about a small-town community. The staging is clever.
Don't see it if you need a play with big name actors and elaborate sets.
See it if You would like to see a play by a promising playwright with witty insight. You enjoy dark humor and Norbert Leo Butz.
Don't see it if You like a clear, linear story. You dislike "dramedy," You are looking for a strong denouement and catharsis; more developed protagonist.
See it if You'd enjoy an everyone-is-connected dramedy performed by an ace ensemble.
Don't see it if You don't need to see another suburban-set, white-family dramedy about addiction, love, loss, and death.
Critic Reviews (41)
"Linklater’s new play 'The Whirligig' is wrapped in grief, yet you laugh at the insights on life...Filled with some amazing performances...To many this play will seem overwhelming, as if too much has been stuffed onto this canvass. The actors are all sublime and the direction by Scott Ellis is a dance of destruction nicely played. I found this show so emotional I was laughing through the first act and in tears by the end...Smart, funny and touching."
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"The play’s many revelations would be upsetting if they were credible...Its many short scenes aren’t always clearly identified as being flashbacks or flash forwards...Linklater ends his play with one big kumbaya moment that would challenge even the most ardent watcher of Lifetime TV...Elliott can be credited with putting together a great ensemble...What Elliott hasn’t been able to do is prevent Mamet and others from overreaching when the script asks for a lot of screaming."
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"Linklater has a keen dramatic sense, plus a knack for sparkling dialogue...Despite the serious strains of the evening, the result is heartening and life-affirming...The cast, methinks, could not be bettered...Let it be said that 'The Whirligig,' as a play, is not without its problems; it is long and might seem overcomplicated for playgoers who haven’t necessarily signed on for an evening of studying...I would say, though, that the revenges of the whirligig of time are Linklater’s point."
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“Linklater’s new play displays a performer’s instinct for juicy, conflict-stuffed scenes. There are flaws in construction, but overall, it’s a worthy effort…Linklater is guilty of oversimplification...But he makes up for this error with engaging dialogue and heartbreaking pathos…The first act spends too much time going over the past while the superior second act shows us these conflicts in flashback...Director Elliott and a solid cast valiantly attempt to keep the rehashing vital.”
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“There are time changes and flashbacks to follow the trajectories of Linklater’s assorted characters, with whom you may or may not relate appreciatively. But you will be unlikely to question the veracity or effectiveness of the acting…Linklater deftly exposes his characters in the different time frames...Death is inevitably sad, but the extent that one will respond emotionally will be governed by how deeply one feels for the characters.”
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"The densely written, highly literate 'Whirligig' is only actor/playwright Hamish Linklater’s second effort, yet it arrives with the gusto and definition of a practiced hand...Characters are well drawn and skillfully manifest...Director Elliott has done an inspired job of controlling both visual and emotional ebb and flow. Timing is pristine. The company is cohesive and focused. A difficult and successfully realized production to which attention should be paid."
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"The story is told through one of those fractured narratives that so many writers now resort to instead of just figuring out how to create momentum in a straight-ahead narrative. I tried to follow what was going on but eventually gave up...What kept me going were the first-rate performances. Zosia Mamet brought welcomed humor and pathos...And it was particularly great to see Norbert Leo Butz back onstage."
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"An emotionally powerful drama about love and addiction, friendship and responsibility, and what encompasses 'fault'...The torrent of revelations could overwhelm the story but instead helps everything fall into place...Told with a clever circularity, with well-developed characters and a tightly written script that, despite some bumps and bruises, bring it all together, complete with unexpected twists and turns...The cast is excellent."
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