Angry Young Man NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Both entertaining and puzzling...The play veered off into directions that failed to provide a satisfying plot...The play is done in such a clowning, vaudevillian manner that whatever the playwright hoped to communicate is lost...The frivolous comedy is uncomfortable. I suppose I expected a comedy with more serious overtones considering the subject matter. That said, all four actors pull off a very difficult piece, as they seamlessly switch roles and change accents throughout."
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"Playwright Ben Woolf, aided by the hyperactive direction of Stephen Hamilton, gets caught up in so much theatrical shtick that the point of the exercise becomes thoroughly blurred...It's a rangy tale...The finale is notably perplexing. The most distracting element of 'Angry Young Man' is its story theatre approach, which weighs down the action with extra-theatrical gags that aren't that funny...The time is ripe for a really cutting satire on the state of England today, but this isn't it."
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"Though it's ostensibly about racism, and what right-wingers consider 'that failed social experiment: multi-culti-ularism,' 'Angry Young Man' is, instead, a tour-de-force for four skilled performers to strut their stuff in stunning ways. And boy, do they."
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"Stephen Hamilton directs a politically appropriate play, while making us laugh hard enough that we don't have to think about the connections to our current world if we don't desire to...As an ensemble piece though, the credit really goes to all...The true beauty in 'Angry Young Man' lies in its Marx Brothers brand of comedy: fast-paced, yet at times understated...It isn't seamless, but it's still a joy to watch these versatile actors."
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“It deals...with the hot-button issue of immigration, is conceptually imaginative and cleverly staged, and enjoys the services of four personable young actors. None of these things, though, is a strong enough medicine to cure the greatest ailment afflicting any farce: it's not very funny...The cast is lively, versatile, and technically proficient...The material forces them to strain too hard, which only makes it more uncomfortable to watch their stuff fall flat.”
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"This is comedy at its broadest with Christopher Daftsios their ring leader with every loud noise and obnoxious mugging possible...Did the audience laugh? Yes. Did I understand why? No. I understand the cleverness of it, but this is a serious subject to me, and I am not a fan of broad comedy. The direction by Stephen Hamilton was perfection, with comedic timing that never lost a beat...In the end the show rambled too much, was too confusing, and hard to take."
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“A Swiftian satire, funny on the surface with plenty that’s disturbing underneath. The play is filled with surprises and notable for its narrative vigor…As individuals, these actors are superb physical comedians; as a foursome, they’re a well-calibrated ensemble…Director Stephen Hamilton keeps the action moving at breakneck speed around the tiny stage…Hamilton and his cast ensure that the wacky, tangled narrative stays clear and the dramatic personae are distinct.”
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“Director Stephen Hamilton conducts this incredibly nimble cast like a precisely engineered Swiss watch…Thanks to the rapid-fire dialogue and high jinks, the 80-minute Off-Broadway piece moves as though it were a high-speed locomotive…What makes ‘Angry Young Man’ so entertaining is not necessarily the story, but rather the breakneck choreography and antics that are so well executed by this terrific cast. Sometimes, laughter is enough.”
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"Skip this review, and go buy a ticket to the funniest show in New York. Nothing I can write here is as entertaining as Ben Woolf’s script delivered by the four brilliant clowns/comedians/comic actors in the ensemble under the direction of Stephen Hamilton...Rarely does a comedy live and die by its choreography, but the precision of the comedic movements came straight out of Keystone Studios."
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“An entertaining little gem….A superb cast meticulously helmed by Stephen Hamilton keeps the fast-paced farce moving at a deliciously brisk pace for 75 minutes as madcap indignities are unrelentingly thrust upon Yusuf. The gifted ensemble of four…seamlessly switch roles and accents with comic panache playing broad physical comedy that never becomes dull under Stephen Hamilton’s clever guidance."
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"Through Yusuf’s difficult and hilarious encounters with other characters, we learn some uncomfortable truths about how people can view immigration...Besides the sharp and inventive script, the chief reason that the show works so well is that the cast works so well together. The actors’ athletic and graceful movements are expertly choreographed and coordinated. The relatively short show moves quickly because of the dynamic performances of all four cast members."
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"Funny...Yet as indignities continue to pile up, it becomes clear that 'Angry Young Man' isn’t sure how it feels about Yusuf or other immigrants like him. The desire for a better life is a constant, but even Yusuf is played broadly...The constant humiliations are mined for cheap laughs as opposed to legitimate pathos...It is not until the final moments that anything like a genuine, human moment occurs...Nonetheless it proves entertaining enough, just topical enough, to remain endearing."
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