This Day Forward NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (139)
See it if you enjoy a show that presents serious issues in a light and humorous way. There is still something to think about but without getting sad.
Don't see it if you don't want your standard beliefs about love and marriage to be tampered with.
See it if You want to form your own opinion. Not familiar with this playwright's work, I found it so sharply written so I felt deep cuts in my psyche.
Don't see it if Marital and family squabbles are not your thing. Also, if a critic you often agree with found it lacking.
See it if you love Silver's unique point of view and dialogue.
Don't see it if Quirk doesn't appeal to you or Silver's worlds aren't for you.
See it if you like modern rom com type plays that involves a bad mom, a bad fiance, and a lot of dysfunction. It is well executed with a wonderful set
Don't see it if you like feel good stories.
See it if you want to see great costumes and laugh over lingering mis-steps between generations.
Don't see it if you want really tight ensemble acting - all actors are talented but not always coordinated with each other.
See it if you can appreciate comedy in the tragedy of the choices some make, old age, dementia, adult children's responsibilities; may strike a chord.
Don't see it if you expect only the screwball laughs Nicky Silver usually delivers.
See it if you're into quirky, funny, yet also affecting shows that experiment a bit with form, but pay off in the end.
Don't see it if you prefer completely linear narratives that don't detour along the way
See it if you enjoy the marriage of great writing with great acting. Act one was a bit more enchanting than Act two, but both were well worth the time
Don't see it if you are a stickler for "classic" Nicky Silver. This is a play outside his normal style. That being said, I found it both charming and funny.
Critic Reviews (28)
"As lively as all these exchanges are with these on-point actors and Mark Brokaw's bull's-eye-hitting direction, they're the culmination of the struggle, not the beginning of it...All we can do is hold on to what works post-intermission, which is pretty much everything...Act I is a complete nonstarter, with nasty writing and ugly acting that only sabotage the possibilities on which you'll want to believe Act II thrives...It does seem to end just once it's getting going."
Read more
“‘This Day Forward’ shows much tighter control than many of Nicky Silver's early anarchic plays. Aside from offering a few wonderful characters in Malka and the older Irene, the play is disappointing as it sets up expectations which don't play out. When ‘This Day Forward’ is over, it leaves a feeling of something missing that failed to take place. It can't simply be saying that the sins of the parents are visited on the children - or could it?”
Read more
"Clearly 'This Day Forward' is not a sequel, but neither is it really new in terms of the issues raised...Though it does have enough assets to make it reasonably entertaining, it's not prime Silver...With Mark Brokaw again at the helm, the shift from 1958 to 2004 and from character to character is balanced and smooth, as are the interactions between the characters. Under his guidance, the actors, all but two of whom are here double cast, give first-rate performances."
Read more
"Most of the two hours (with one intermission) is filled with chuckles and situations to which we can all relate when it comes to dysfunctional families and toxic parents.
The ensemble, directed by Mark Brokaw, ebbs and flows with a familiarity and mostly precision timing...But this is one of Silver’s uneven plays, unlike 'The Lyons.' It spurts and sputters rather than continue rolling along."
Read more
"Between Mr. Silver’s witty, clever dialog and Ms. Fain’s engaging performance, the first act is mostly a keeper. I would cut out the second scene entirely, it did not move the plot along or reveal anything about the main characters. And frankly, you could do without most of the third scene too…As clever and insightful as Mr. Silver’s dialogue is, and as much as he invites us to laugh at the picture he’s painting, it’s just too bleak."
Read more
"Under Mark Brokaw’s steady hand, the acting is uniformly excellent and the actors manage their dual roles with authentic performances. Allen Moyer’s scenic design, Kaye Voyce’s costumes, and David Lander’s lighting are all exquisite. ‘This Day Forward’ comes with its difficulties. The second act is not as strong as the first and the magical realism at the end of the play is completely unnecessary and weakens the strength of the play."
Read more
"Similar characters have appeared frequently in Silver’s work, most notably in 'The Lyons'...If 'This Day Forward' is not as strong, the playwright once more creates a play that deftly mixes funny and dark...Silver has a talent for comic dialogue that carries us through even an aimless-seeming play like this one. But then, at the very end, it suddenly, subtly, quietly becomes clear — it’d be easy to miss – that 'This Day Forward' has something to say about love and commitment."
Read more
“The play (Act One, at any rate) reads funnier than it plays under Mark Brokaw's direction, which inspires only scattered and mild laughter. There is, though, a memorable moment of physical humor when the angry Martin leaps off the bed to be stopped in midair by Donald's outstretched hand. The best thing in the show, in fact, are its visuals, particularly Allen Moyer's substantial sets, carefully lit by David Lander. But in this case, the scenery doesn't equal substance.”
Read more