Transfers NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (136)
See it if you understand that one of the great failures of our society is a wholesale abandonment of a whole class of young men.
Don't see it if you are not in the mood for 100 minutes of searing, sometimes uncomfortable drama (with occasional well-earned laughs). Read more
See it if you’ve ever felt like you’ve done everything you’re “supposed” to do to get ahead, only to find that it never mattered.
Don't see it if you can’t face the reality that life isn’t fair. You’ll walk away angry and frustrated.
See it if you're interested in the availability of higher education for those without economic privilege.
Don't see it if you find it painful to watch two deserving students wanting/needing to continue their education knowing there is room for only one of them.
See it if You'd enjoy a drama about different students vying to get into a top tier college and how the decision is made. Lots to think about.
Don't see it if Runs a bit long at 1 hour 55 no intermission. First scene involving phone call is quite boring & can be dropped.
See it if you like well written plays that examine current issues of race and class. Set is absolutely marvelous. Acting and directing are stellar. Go
Don't see it if you want a musical. This play has it all--humor, truth, real characters, great acting, brilliant set, serious issues. It's the real deal.
See it if are interested in the workings of the education system, affirmative action & growing up disadvantaged. Wonderful performances & staging.
Don't see it if you'd be bothered by certain scenes that are not entirely creditable. In spite of the lack of creditability, they're always interesting.
See it if Just see it and savor it!
Don't see it if You’re looking for dancing feet.
See it if you enjoy smart relevant characters and a thoughtful plot that steers clear of stereotypes.
Don't see it if you don't care about marginalized students.
Critic Reviews (18)
"'Transfers,' which has been assembled with obvious care and affection, would be a lot more convincing if its characters weren’t so prone to articulate fits of revelation...It often feels drawn from the yellowing pages of vintage American culture-clash dramas and topical 'Blackboard Jungle'-style films. The cast members work hard at overcoming the formulaic nature of their lines but are generally more persuasive in their moments of bristling silence."
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"Thurber's best play to date...Thurber has written very specific characters that are made all the more real by emotionally committed performances...Director Jackson Gay reels us in and riles us up with a taut, well-designed production...Better than any play from this season, 'Transfers' heartbreakingly exposes the unequal distribution of opportunity that we tell ourselves is based on merit."
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"If 'Transfers' is engrossing on a scene-by-scene basis, it doesn't completely add up to a satisfying drama...Under Gay's direction, the entire cast proves adept at charting the play's tricky emotional geography...Even in its awkward passages, 'Transfers' mordantly explores some of the class lines in our society, making it all too clear just how hard it can be to get ahead."
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"It strains credulity but it's a testament to Blankson-Wood and Castano that we're already hooked on where their story is going...Their understated performances, along with their interviewers Brown and Soule, also wonderful, make for compelling theatre about ideas seldom, if ever, talked about in plays...While not perfect, 'Transfers' takes Thurber in new directions in terms of subject matter and plotting, and her genuine affection for her deeply flawed characters shines through."
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"'Transfers' sputters somewhat during the opening expository passages, but it soon runs smoothly as the characterizations of these students come into brighter focus...What helps to fuel the drama is Blankson-Wood’s deeply-felt portrayal of Clarence and an especially blazing performance from Castano as Cristofer...Too bad that some of the other acting in 'Transfers' is spotty, but it’s not so terrible as to impede MCC Theater’s tidy production, which has been neatly staged."
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"Isn’t on its own an entirely successful play. But it forms a fascinating counterpoint to several other recent and noteworthy works...If the grown-ups aren’t quite credible, their climatic debate on the students’ admissions chances in the penultimate scene is even less so. Its results feel structurally necessary but largely unearned, and that keeps 'Transfers' from alchemizing into a play good enough to be worthy of its young subjects."
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"As directed by Jackson Gay, Lucy Thurber's 'Transfers' is both provocative and exhilarating theater. It also showcases two young actors who are great finds. Ironically, this is one of three plays this spring on education and the second on the unequal admissions process for American colleges and universities."
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"Thurber has written a very succinct play, filled with lots of humor-laden flowing dialogue that grabs your attention. And it is Gay's direction that makes these remarkable characters come to life. And they are first rate remarkable! But especially outstanding are Castano and Blankson-Wood who turn in solid, riveting and heart-rending performances."
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