Whorl Inside a Loop
Closed 1h 50m
Whorl Inside a Loop
82

Whorl Inside a Loop NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(44 Ratings)
Positive
84%
Mixed
14%
Negative
2%
Members say
Absorbing, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Ambitious, Relevant

About the Show

In this Second Stage production, a well-regarded actress teaches six inmates how to tell their stories at a men’s maximum security prison.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (44)

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127 Reviews | 13 Followers
100
Ambitious, Resonant, Intense, Entertaining, Relevant

See it if you like stories of hope.

Don't see it if you like nice tidy endings.

225 Reviews | 48 Followers
100
Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Resonant, Original

See it if You want to be moved. This play was an incredible piece of thought-provoking theatre that tackled a topic that is not easy.

Don't see it if N/a

128 Reviews | 62 Followers
96
Thought-provoking, Great writing, Great acting, Must see, Masterful

See it if If you want a genius play with incredible performances.

Don't see it if If you don't like plays.

63 Reviews | 40 Followers
95
Absorbing, Exquisite, Great acting, Resonant, Relevant

See it if you like theatre that takes difficult contemporary issues and presents them to audiences in a relatable and entertaining manner

Don't see it if you prefer fluffy, non-issue related theatre

260 Reviews | 62 Followers
93
Absorbing, Intense, Must see, Relevant, Strong performances

See it if You are up for exploring crime, punishment and redemption Race & privilege in the US Criminal Justice system

Don't see it if You are a lock them up and throw away the key kind of person Read more

66 Reviews | 13 Followers
91
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Great staging, Riveting

See it if you want to witness a universally stellar ensemble of actors handle & dismantle stereotypes re: black men & incarceration

Don't see it if see it

401 Reviews | 65 Followers
91
Resonant, Riveting, Thought-provoking, Entertaining, Great acting

See it if you want to see great acting on an intense subject. It is excellent.

Don't see it if you are suspicious that every inmate is poetic. But remember, it is theatre and it's the "best of".

125 Reviews | 36 Followers
90
Original, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if you love heart-wrenching stories and ambitious, diverse and original productions.

Don't see it if you prefer more elaborate stories, styles, and productions.

Critic Reviews (22)

The New York Times
August 27th, 2015

"A funny and moving new play...Their hard upbringings, the unhappy circumstances that led them into crime, the sometimes scandalously long sentences they received: These histories make for riveting, disturbing theater, and as recounted by the superb cast, they open windows into the lives of men whose stories mostly go untold, except in investigative journalism...Vivid writing and superlative performances effectively humanize each of the prisoners."
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Time Out New York
August 27th, 2015

"Sherie Rene Scott and collaborator Dick Scanlan use their experiences volunteering at an upstate prison for the penetrating 'Whorl Inside a Loop,' about a white actor helping six incarcerated black men tell their stories...It’s the inmates’ stories that have the most resonance...As race and law enforcement continue to make headlines, 'Whorl' is a timely reminder of the precarious nature of justice."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
August 27th, 2015

"'Whorl Inside a Loop' has a searching, puzzling quality that is very rare in contemporary plays, whose themes are typically sharpened to fine pencil-points. This one spreads out as it goes, asking larger and larger questions...'Whorl Inside a Loop' convincingly demonstrates that theater can itself be a form of rehabilitation."
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Deadline
August 27th, 2015

"The Volunteer has a secret of her own, one that makes us wonder whether she really is Sherie Rene Scott and, more important, whether we like her, whoever she is, as much as we thought we did. But that’s one more reason to have been entranced by this twisty work, performed with surprisingly deep eloquent power."
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New York Daily News
August 27th, 2015

"It’s captivating and packs a punch. And it’s cartoonish and loses its grip...These scenes outside the prison are played in such broad strokes that the mood is shattered. In the end, the play underlines that a personal narrative is just that — personal. That matters when it comes to who gets to tell it, and how. The point is valid — and criminally obvious."
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The Hollywood Reporter
August 27th, 2015

"The real-life prisoners involved deserve better treatment than this self-indulgent, self-consciously artificial exercise...Unfortunately, and more than a little ironically, the prisoners get short shrift in this piece, which muddles its serious themes in self-conscious, artificial theatricality...With both the writing and acting often lurching into caricature, the play unfortunately trivializes its important subject matter...it too often seems to be spinning its own wheels."
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New York Post
August 27th, 2015

"As fine and funny as 'Whorl Inside a Loop' often is, the best thing about it is its cast — there hasn’t been such a dynamite ensemble of African-American actors since 'The Wire...' Using only minimal props, the actors switch seamlessly from one role to another as co-directors Scanlan and Michael Mayer keep this intermissionless show moving...In the dark, nobody will see you cry."
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AM New York
August 27th, 2015

"'Whorl Inside a Loop' had the potential to be an important play. But in its current state at Off-Broadway's Second Stage, it is a mess -- though a very interesting mess, full of some striking moments, a smart overall concept and bitter commentary on race and gender...It needs -- and merits -- further development."
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