White Guy on the Bus NYC Reviews and Tickets

“The plot is inventive and brave. Bruce Graham has come up with a story and an in-your-face relationship between Ray and Shatique that is provocative and brutally honest…The production elements of this show do not measure up to Graham’s intent. The writing is often sophomoric and illogical. The direction is stilted, confining actors to spaces where they seem trapped…The performances are uneven, with the relationship between Ray and Roz lacking a much needed credulity.”
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"Under Bud Martin’s skilled direction, the performances bring the play’s central conversations on race and privilege to life...At times, the conversations within the play itself become overshadowed by its dramatic plot, as some of its twists feel too overstated to be authentic...Those underlying conversations manage to ask tough questions of them, and though they aren’t always able to answer, it leaves both its characters and its audience with plenty of food for thought."
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“An interesting story line, despite the play’s frequent forays into unrelated thematic territories…Unfortunately, Mr. Graham’s characters seem more stock than well rounded and experience no growth. Their conflicts are so stereotypical that the dramatic arc of the play leaves the audience without any catharsis. And some of the action of the play is simply not believable...Graham takes on too much in his play and in doing so lessens its overall impact.”
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“Ray's conversations with his family, at one side of the stage, and his relationship with Shatique at the other eventually converge in a disturbing shift...that throws the play off balance into a schematic ditch of unconvincing crime melodrama...Little in the physical production itself serves the play's interests well...More seriously, most of the acting plays only with surfaces; the performers have technical polish but, except for Danielle Leneé...an air of artificiality hovers.”
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“Bruce Graham’s 'White Guy on the Bus' speaks a lot of truths, but I don’t necessarily know if audiences are ready to admit or face these hideous facts…The cast all excel in their roles. Director Bud Martin keeps this play moving like a fine-tuned roller coaster. Mr. Graham has written a piece that will have you thinking…This is a powerful play with much to say.”
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"Thanks to award-winning playwright Bruce Graham, the progressively minded will not be patting themselves on the back when they see 'White Guy on the Bus.' However, they are going to squirm a little bit and, by the end, they’ll have a helluva lot to think about...'White Guy On the Bus' is a provocative piece of theater and it manages to make a loud point without preaching. Director Bud Martin has assembled a fine cast, all of whom should be commended for tackling this fearless play."
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“Cuccioli and McKey have a splendid chemistry...He and Lenee have a different kind of sparks flying between them, but they find as much nuance as the script gives them…Director Bud Martin has also found the nuggets of gold in the script and has let the actors get the most out of them...The show tries to take on the whole matter of race and in doing so, it generates heat but precious little light…It is there to get the audience to consider the problems."
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"'White Guy on the Bus' offers a thought-provoking examination of current race relations in America. Graham’s writing is imaginative and compelling, and the plot adeptly blends a coherent structure with intrigue and surprise. Cast members convincingly interpret the complicated vicissitudes their roles demand, and the performance flows effortlessly. A triumph at most every level."
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