Uncommon Sense NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (102)
See it if You love great direction, physical theatre! Incredible acting and meaningful plays!
Don't see it if You are afraid to go deep with you feelings and emotions.
See it if You want to learn about how autism expresses itself in a myriad of characters without being beat over the head with it
Don't see it if ...see it
See it if you seek a better understanding of autism and its impacts to those who have it and their families. Expect to have your eyes opened!
Don't see it if you prefer a linear plot structure in your storytelling. This piece bounces between four different, unrelated characters. Read more
See it if You like shows where you learn something profoundly moving, almost without realizing it, you’re so entertained-it all works-lights; sets...
Don't see it if You want a musical or a strict “story”. This tells multiple stories but they are used in an attempt to enlighten a broader topic-it SO does!
See it if You are interested in various gripping stories on the spectrum of autism. A show with great insight and heart. Profound. Highly recommended.
Don't see it if You aren't interested in autism. However there is so much richness and depth to this play it is definitely worth seeing.
See it if WOW!LOVED THIS!!Fabulous play, outstanding acting, lighting and sound.Don’t miss,especially if you are on autism spectrum or caregiver.Bravo
Don't see it if Theme of autism is a trigger.
See it if If you are curious about issues facing families with members on the spectrum and the impact on relationships and daily life
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with portrayals of people who are not neurotypical and cannot empathize with the paths the characters deal with Read more
See it if If you like brilliant performances and an incredibly important and thought provoking show.
Don't see it if If you prefer one overarching story rather than several smaller stories within one show.
Critic Reviews (9)
"Putting across so many medical factoids and bits of real stories has the paradoxical effect of diminishing a sense of emotional truth...The shape of the storytelling tends toward the conventional. Yet when uncomfortable scenes are allowed to develop naturally, real comedy, mixed with sadness, emerges...Under Mr. Paris’s sometimes inventive but sometimes awkward direction, there is too much information pressing in from all sides."
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"Tectonic Theater Project’s moving and at times surprisingly funny play about autism. Playwrights Paris-Carter and Paris offer four nonintersecting but mutually resonant stories...Paris’s direction uses multimedia effects to convey the overwhelming sensory onslaught that several of the characters feel...A compassionate and nuanced work that eschews stereotypes, maudlin arcs, and pat resolutions, 'Uncommon Sense' invites us to experience a diverse and vibrant spectrum instead."
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"The acting is strong from top to bottom, but the characters often feel like paper-thin shells...We're invested in the successes and failures of each of the characters who suffer with varying degrees of autism, and can viscerally feel the weight on the shoulders of their loved ones. But the further we travel through their stories, the more 'Uncommon Sense' feels like an academic presentation on the expansive breadth of the autism spectrum. "
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“Paris' cast is nimble, often treating the material with more delicacy than it seems to merit...The elephant in the room at ‘Uncommon’ is ‘Curious Incident’, which so fluently used lighting, sound, and projections to get us inside the head of a kid with autism. Nothing in ‘Uncommon’ is so accomplished...In trying to tell four stories, the authors do justice to none... It's too bad, because there are some hard, compelling truths here; this material deserves nothing less than their very best.”
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"Allows audiences to see a range of behaviors associated with autism...The play is frequently funny, but not at the expense of the characters. And while it shows many victories, it also doesn't wrap everything up nicely or shy away from the problems that people on the spectrum face in romantic and other relationships. But the design elements take a pretty good script and bring it to another level."
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“The…complex, carefully crafted, but easy-to-follow structure allows for telling the stories by interweaving them, creating a mosaic…of experiences encountered by autistic people and their loved ones. The production allows both tears and laughs to flow…Apart from the autism angle, the stories are not particularly surprising. Still, the playwrights…are to be applauded for providing a non-maudlin, entertaining, and accessible approach to informing us about autism and the people it affect.”
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“The…complex, carefully crafted, but easy-to-follow structure allows for telling the stories by interweaving them, creating a mosaic…of experiences encountered by autistic people and their loved ones. The production allows both tears and laughs to flow…Apart from the autism angle, the stories are not particularly surprising. Still, the playwrights…are to be applauded for providing a non-maudlin, entertaining, and accessible approach to informing us about autism and the people it affect.”
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“An exceptional piece of theatrical craft, with strong performances across the board and every element of design working in harmony with Paris’s staging...In paying attention to the differences among the characters with autism and their connections with others, rather than their isolation and difference from neuro typical people, ‘Uncommon Sense’ brings welcome complexity to the dialogue, and does so with elegant theatricality.”
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