The Woodsman NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (280)
See it if you enjoy performance art, innovative puppetry, beautiful storytelling, minimal dialogue, sad and moving stories
Don't see it if you don't think you will "get" the performance, sad endings
See it if you like clever staging with puppetry & dance, and like the Wizard of Oz!
Don't see it if you need to have dialogue in your plays!
See it if If you like The Wizard of Oz. Gives you insight on the Tin Man.
Don't see it if Short attention span. There is minimal talking. Read more
See it if you want to see an audacious, heartwarming re-envisioning of the life of the Tin Man. I was completely riveted and enchanted. Truly magical.
Don't see it if you don't like smaller productions or are prone to findings things too twee
See it if You love the Wizard of Oz. You love creative storytelling. You love incredible acting.
Don't see it if You need spoken word. There is virtually no speaking in this play. The story is told through puppets, facial expressions, and acting.
See it if You want to see phenomenal actors/puppeteers/musicians create magic in an intimate venue.
Don't see it if You require dialogue to understand a play. There is almost no dialogue and it is a sad story though it contains very funny moments.
See it if you want a unique theatrical experience that explores the lore of The Wizard of Oz
Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional play. There's no text in the whole show except a monologue at the beginning. The rest is all movement
See it if You want to be transported and witness some simple, charming, and genius puppetry and theatre. Great performances all around. I loved it!
Don't see it if You need lots of dialogue to follow a story. The play uses hardly any words, just gestures and sounds, but it's still easy to understand.
Critic Reviews (29)
"'The Woodsman' is a movement piece with very little dialogue and enchanting music and puppetry...Ortiz enchants the audience’s imaginations with a more somber and realistic take on the once brightly colored and lollipop filled munchkin land. The Bunraku puppetry throughout the production is nothing short of astounding and despite the lack of dialogue the actors’ movements and expressions tell a genuinely beautiful and understandable story."
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"James Ortiz uses his many creative hats to weave a near-seamless story, told almost entirely without dialogue...Technically speaking, 'The Woodsman' is a well-oiled machine...The performers share a common breath as they collectively establish the show's meticulously designed rhythms. However, just as no measure is left un-choreographed, no moment is left without emotional intention, creating an efficient engine that powers a robust heartbeat."
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"From the get go, the environment of both the house and the stage enchants you: immediately, the audience enters the world of the show...Puppetry is used to create the witch, her band of crows, an forest monster, and each limb of 'The Woodsman' into his gradual transformation. The music is a combination of vocal harmonies and a lone fiddle player...The production is creative, entertaining, haunting, and beautifully tragic."
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"Voices like silk, transitions smooth as butter, and movements that breathe life into inanimate objects. All is present in this representation of the writings of L. Frank Baum, by James Ortiz. With an onstage violinist and Bunraku puppets the ensemble shines as a strong unit telling a simple story in a beautiful way. This unique performance is unlike others you might encounter, but in a wonderful way. It was unexpected and I did not want it to end."
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"With a largely barebones set and even sparser dialogue, the unconcealed machinations of the puppetry bring an eerie otherworldliness to the figures on stage as they interact with the cast...The story of tragic love that unfolds feels like an folklore plucked from ancient oral history. When it ends by transporting the Tim Man to the beginning of Frank L. Baum's allegory, the shift is so jilting that, at a recent performance, an older man in the audience blurted out, 'Is that Dorothy?!'"
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