Tiny Beautiful Things NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (202)
See it if you liked the EST training. At my age (74) it was particularly meaningful. Full house deadly silent for 80 minutes
Don't see it if you are an insensitive dolt
See it if you'd enjoy hearing actors read advice column letters&the replies. If you're a fan of Nia Vardalos or any of the other talented cast members
Don't see it if you're a Tin Man (no heart). Otherwise, go and enjoy. If you're looking for a traditional play, this is not that but very enjoyable!
See it if You want terrific acting, meaningful stories about life that all can relate to. Powerful.
Don't see it if You don't want your heart to burst!
See it if You want to see a show that may be a bit contrived yet manages to touch on many emotional and heartfelt ideas with a genuine genius.
Don't see it if You have a cold, cold heart...or if you think theatre without much plot that deals with emotions and darkness should stay at the therapists.
See it if you want to see Cheryl Strayed's book come to life beautifully. Or if you want to hear after-school special stories.
Don't see it if you're not interested in hearing a collection of short stories or aren't a fan of Cheryl Strayed.
See it if you are a fan of Cheryl Stayed & her brilliant way of addressing the human condition. The audience was obviously moved.
Don't see it if the things that affect our lives seems indulgent to you
See it if Letters were expertly chosen and arranged so moving moments were relieved by comedic moments; Vardalos has all the right notes
Don't see it if Nonexistent dramatic tension as you get seemingly unexpected "surprises" as an alternative; cynics might find it contrived and maudlin
See it if Amazing performance by the whole cast, especially by Ms. Vardalos. Touching. Moving. Emotionally raw. Filled with humanity.
Don't see it if There's not much of a plot. It's more of an anthology of grief.
Critic Reviews (42)
"Watching the awkwardly constructed but incredibly moving 'Tiny Beautiful Things', I realized my powers of analysis were being drowned out...My brain kept protesting that these multiple 'translations' (Internet to book, book to stage) weren't working: Vardalos is rather too cool; Strayed's language is better on the screen/page; the show's convention of having letter writers ask questions...can be annoying. But Strayed's advice knocks you down with its avalanche of kindness."
Read more
"‘If this were drama, the SAT would be Chekhov. But then drama, at least the traditional kind, does not seem to be what anyone was after…Lacking intrinsic momentum, the show’s 90 minutes can’t help but unreel a bit stuporously, despite Kail’s typically careful balancing of tempo and tone. That the show nevertheless keeps your interest is mostly a tribute to the acting…If this is a classic ‘why?’ endeavor it still has plenty of powerful moments in which you are persuaded ‘why not?’"
Read more
"The play, adapted by and starring Nia Vardalos, upends expectations. It’s provocative, poignant and rich — and at 75 minutes reminds that very good things come in ‘Tiny’ packages…Vardalos, who plays Sugar, plus Phillip James Brannon, Alfredo Narciso and Natalie Woolams-Torres, breathe life into various advice seekers, give fine, feel-real performances. Director Thomas Kail sets the action in a lived-in home that might be or have been yours, mine, anyone’s. That’s the point."
Read more
"Some may find the show little more than a multi-character, well-written Ted Talk, and its rhythms and anecdotes too predictable...But Kail creates a graceful, fluid, low-key dynamic that has those letter-writers inhabiting Sugar’s everyday world. The stories they tell, the anguish they feel and the questions they ask are quiet cries for help, and Sugar is there for them because she is one of them...In this shared experience, love and forgiveness is all — and sometimes, just that is enough."
Read more
"A lackluster theatrical piece...Director Kail provides little theatricality to the static proceedings...Vardalos, looking suitably unglamorous, is appealing as always. But she can’t breathe life into her inherently passive, responsive role...By the time the seemingly interminable proceedings reach their conclusion, you’ll be mentally dictating your own letter to Sugar, asking how to erase the memory of monotonous evenings in the theater like this one."
Read more
"A well-meant but messy and unnecessary stage dramatization…Vardalos, Kail and Marshall Heyman made an unusual and creative attempt to inject a series of essays with a dramatic spine, giving the actors a big set to play around with and having Vardalos convey the author’s own emotional journey over time through subtle acting choices. However, the question-and-answer cycle quickly becomes repetitive and makes for a long and strained 80 minutes."
Read more
"An emotional (and slightly sappy) new play that compellingly theatricalizes the act of giving and receiving advice…Unfortunately, as performed by Vardalos, this radical sincerity often comes across as completely false…Vardalos' costars are more successful…While Sugar's sweeter moments are likely to send some viewers into a diabetic coma, 'Tiny Beautiful Things' captures its subject succinctly and effectively."
Read more
"Warm, funny and endearing...There's no plot to the 80-minute piece and very little drama in the traditional sense...With no dramatic through-line, Vardalos and Kail establish rhythms and tension by balancing the funny with the emotional, the quick Q&As with the lengthy confessionals...As Sugar, Vardalos is continually touched, amused and amazed by her readers...hoping that they'll always see themselves as deserving of life's tiny beautiful things."
Read more