About Clarence & Me (Dream Up) NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(17 Reviews)

Positive

88%

Mixed

12%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Entertaining, Enchanting, Relevant, Resonant

About the Show

Part of Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival: This world premiere drama explores the relationship between an older African-American piano student and his younger Caucasian piano teacher.

After a chance meeting between television scribe Walter Jones and writer/composer Scott Hiltzik, the idea for 'About Clarence and Me' was born. Sitting next to each other on a five-hour bus ride from New York City to Boston in 2003, the two writers discovered they had many shared interests. Coltrane, classical piano music, and theater were discussed; ideas were thrown back and forth; and personal stories were shared. By the time the Greyhound arrived at South Station, the story was set and their collaboration underway. Through a poignant narrative and a rich assortment of original piano music, 'About Clarence and Me' explores the commonality of the human experience.

Member Reviews (17)

Entertaining, Cliched, Fluffy, Slow, Great singing

See it if you want an eclectic evening...a play with music. The story is predictable but not bad. Acting is OK but singing and piano are great.

Don't see it if you're looking for something new and original. None of it quite works. I wanted to yell at the stage "I don't believe you!"

Slow, Enchanting, Absorbing, Moving, Sweet

See it if You enjoy relationship-driven plots with strong characters; generational insights; relatable situations about personal growth, love and loss

Don't see it if You want a big production or a fast paced story arc

Absorbing, Ambitious, Intense, Intelligent, Thought-provoking

See it if If you enjoyed I'm Not Rappaport years ago you will certainly enjoy this show, if you lived thru the 60's you will enjoy the show and venue

Don't see it if I really can't imagine anyone not liking the show, not raving over it, yes, the acting by "Sam" was a little weak but Clarence overcame that

Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing, Entertaining

See it if you enjoy great acting and a charming story. It completely won me over.

Don't see it if you don't like well-written dramas. Very interesting characters.

100

Enchanting, Refreshing, Relevant, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you love live piano music and how it brings people together. If you want to see an actor succeed in playing it BIG -and terrific chemistry!

Don't see it if you don't like the conflicts between older/younger, black/white. Or if you have no music appreciation.

Great acting, Entertaining, Slow

See it if You like well acted two character pieces involving jazz & those who love it.

Don't see it if You want to see a full story unfold, as the piece never realizes its potential & sputters some in the second half

Great writing, Enchanting, Delightful, Great acting, Great singing

See it if you would like a touching story about the relationship of two grown men through the connection of music.

Don't see it if you want to see a face paced, action packed show. It's a great story but a little slow at moments.

Resonant, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Refreshing, Entertaining

See it if you like-music theory/appreciation-odd couple type comedies-dramas about ageing-minimal set design-two person plays-classical/jazz music

Don't see it if you want-a complex plot (this is a straightforward story of two conflicting personalities bonding through music)-character development

Critic Reviews (4)

“Performed as a part of Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival, the gritty backdrop of New City’s Community Theater is a fitting backdrop for the racial and generational issues explored therein. Supported by the excellent performances from the show’s co-protagonists, ‘About Clarence and Me’ is an impressive and creative outing from Hiltzik and Jones that should certainly make its way back to New York City following the conclusion of the Dream Up Festival.”
Read more

"With a sensitive script by director Walter Jones and composer Scott Hiltzik, the actors stay true to the melody. The result is a touching tribute to the power of both art and friendship across generations and cultural boundaries. Yes, it’s sentimental, and rather predictable...But DeMone easily transcends what could have been a boisterous and gravel-voiced stereotype to steer an able Roll and a willing audience safely around the dangerous curves."
Read more

"'About Clarence & Me' is a hopeful and light show about reaching across barriers that divide us in order to make connections...Full of original as well as familiar music, 'About Clarence & Me' is a feast for piano music lovers...The spoken dialog flows less easily than the music...But that is a minor complaint in the scale of the show...'About Clarence & Me' is as breezy and lovely a jazz piece."
Read more

"The play keeps banging away at sentiment, taking us to a place that we knew (or would that be feared?) it was going. The last fifteen minutes of the script are not only unnecessary, but undercut the piece’s earlier emotional power. Yet 'About Clarence and Me' is still a treat. It takes on a number of current issues, the struggles among the races to communicate, the discarding of the elderly, and the price paid for neglecting love."
Read more