Women Without Men NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (73)
See it if you have an interest in forgotten plays of the early 20th Century. This one is a gem and deserves this excellent, beautifully acted revival.
Don't see it if you only like cutting edge, contemporary dramas, or think old black and white movies are boring and fake.
See it if a revival that's, unfortunately, always relevant; a group of quarreling, competitive, petty colleagues. Well written, excellent acting.
Don't see it if if you don't like period pieces.
See it if Love to see women playwrights and an all female superb cast. Like period plays or have liked anything the Mint has produced in the past.
Don't see it if You want to see a man on stage - don't like 'bickering' or like to see what probably goes on in every workplace where there are many women.
See it if Wonderful entertaining
Don't see it if no reason
See it if you enjoy classic style plays, like those of Lillian Hellman. Also, if you enjoyed the genius cattiness of the original film of "The Women"
Don't see it if you like a happy and neat resolve by the end. Also if you like fast paced action. Or difficult to solve mysteries with a big reveal.
See it if Miss Jean Brodie was your hero, this is how real women lived through the transitional periods between the wars.
Don't see it if an all-female ensemble with one good cardboard character and one bad cardboard character don't appeal to you
See it if Well worth seeing, too long, excellent ensemble acting, fine direction, needed editing.
Don't see it if you don't like old fashioned well made plsys
See it if You want to see a play that is exquisitely written and has a handful of fine performances
Don't see it if You need to see something that holds your attention and keeps you in suspense. Or if terrible wigs are distracting
Critic Reviews (23)
"Despite its declarative title, there is no feminist agenda on display in the Mint Theater’s charming but sharp-clawed production of ‘Women Without Men’…Veteran Off-Broadway director Jenn Thompson makes the most of her fine cast, fast script and intimate setting...The six scenes are expertly paced, whether it’s two characters in heated discussion, or eight in a battle royale. Despite the cattiness, the actors find a way to make their characters human, sometimes achingly so.”
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"In ‘Women without Men,’ an absorbing 1938 Irish play by a now largely unknown playwright,...the Mint has found a worthy piece...Under Jenn Thompson’s nicely paced direction, a fine ensemble invests this conventional, well-made play—in which humor, suspense, conflict, and sentiment share the stage—with continuing interest. Hail to the Mint..., not least for resuscitating a work with so many juicy women’s roles, especially one without any men at all."
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"The cast, under Jenn Thompson’s direction, is rock solid, and each of the actresses manages to create a distinct personality for her character. You probably would not want to spend much time with these women in real life, but this portrait of their confined and constrained lives is thoroughly engaging...'Women Without Men' is yet another triumph for the Mint, a company that has made it its mission to unearth and breathe new life into little known works from the past."
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"You would think modern audiences would cringe at the portrayal of these pathetic women as frustrated spinsters...But Ellis’ compassionate, detailed writing overcomes the social limits of her era, offering three-dimensional pictures of people living one-dimensional lives. Jenn Thompson directs with a sure hand and the proficient cast is perfect down to the smallest roles of three rebellious students."
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"A quality production with a very convincing cast that makes the playwright’s character assortment come vividly alive under the sharp direction by Jenn Thompson...The cast members who portray the collections of staff and students are all terrific, making up an effective ensemble...As the drama gathers force, everyone seems so very real, and so do the situations that the author sets up...'Women Behind Men' is well worth having been discovered and offered here."
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"Playwright Hazel Ellis takes us further into the minds and hearts of the staff, illuminating characters so authentic, played with such authority, one is empathetic rather than sympathetic. A terrific presentation on all fronts...Director Jenn Thompson helps her actresses develop distinguishing personality traits. Everything unfolds in its own, realistic, well-paced time allowing for thinking and reaction...During this production, one is completely unaware of the theater in which we sit."
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"The Mint, which specializes in rediscovering forgotten plays, does a well-nigh flawless job with this one. The trouble is, the characters are such unpleasant company...Ellis knows how to fashion a well-made play...It’s just such a dreary, oppressive setting...The company plays it brilliantly: Under Jenn Thompson’s sure direction, each actor gets to shine…‘Women Without Men’, while it may not deserve to be forgotten, isn’t one of the Mint’s more thrilling rediscoveries."
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"From the spectacle of the richly appointed furnishings that recall the time period, to the costumes, the music, and the background 'tick-tock' of time passing in the lives of these women, the director Jenn Thompson and the superb cast have created a world we become entangled in and find tragic. All of the elements combine to reveal the potency of Ellis’s themes...This exquisite production of a 'lost' play found by the Mint Theater Company is a must-see."
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