Why? NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%

(23 Reviews)

Positive

83%

Mixed

17%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Intelligent, Slow, Quirky, Ambitious

About the Show

Why theatre? What is it for? What is it about? Why? This new work from Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne takes these questions, and many others, on a journey that is both dramatic and joyful.

From the show:

Why theatre? What is it for? What is it about? Why? takes these questions, and many others, on a journey that is both dramatic and joyful. The piece allows us to discover that we are not alone in asking these questions and that many great theatre practitioners have been inspired by the exploration of these questions. “Theatre is a very dangerous weapon.” These words were written in the 1920s by one of the most creative and innovative directors the theatre has known – Vsevolod Meyerhold. Meyerhold saw the menacing dangers that the theatre, and art in general, were facing in 1930s Russia and saw “the writing on the wall.” This did not deter him in his work as he held onto the hope that the revolution could win.

Member Reviews (23)

Brilliantly played, Affecting, Spare, Captivating

See it if you are interested in modernist theater, theater mechanics, the history of 20th century tyranny or demonstrations of great acting.

Don't see it if you are looking for a full play: This is an enacted lecture-demonstration. Read more

Find out what celebrated director peter brooks has to say about the role of theater: it's both playful and unfortunately tangential

See it if delightful: 1st half by 3 skilled actors playfully show what lies behind the actor's craft

Don't see it if off-point: 2nd half tale of leading lights in Comm Russia theater snuffed out by Stalin; does not directly address central ? why theater Read more

Critic Reviews (4)

September 26th, 2019

Jesse Green

"Peter Brook Asks the Ultimate Question in ‘Why?’: A new work from one of the indisputably great directors is partly a tribute to theater and partly a warning about theatricality."
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September 26th, 2019

Elysa Gardner

3/5 Stars "'That Big Question, On Stage and Off': Peter Brook and collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne reflect on theater, generally and in another troubled time"
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October 1st, 2019

Victor Gluck

"The performance takes place on a nearly empty stage and uses only three actors to tell its story. While the evening is mesmerizing, the play seems unfocused, beginning with the question why do we do theater and ending with the political dangers to theater artists who create experimental theater."
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September 28th, 2019

Jonathan Mandell

"Those for whom theater is their religion are more likely to appreciate 'Why?'….less a play than a kind of elliptical lecture-demonstration of, and paean to, the beauty and danger of the theatrical arts….nuggets of theatrical wisdom you might hear in an acting class."
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