#Blessed (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

92%

(17 Reviews)

Positive

94%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Edgy, Great writing, Great acting, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Part of FringeNYC: In the wake of an act of violence committed by charismatic high school senior Michael against devout freshman Liana, a handful of teens try to piece together the irrefutable truth. Weaving ancient tradition with now, #Blessed is a modern day book of revelations.

Categories: Drama, Musical/Opera, Local. From Semicolon Theatre Company. Written by Zoe Kamil. Directed by Miranda Cornell.

FROM THE ARTIST:
A Semicolon Theatre premiere, #Blessed is presented by individuals entirely 21 and under. Its team stands apart as 90% female-identified, and is headed by Fringe’s youngest-ever director, nineteen-year-old Miranda Cornell, and playwright Zoe Kamil.

Member Reviews (17)

Absorbing, Great acting, Edgy, Great writing, Intelligent

See it if You're excited to see new theatre by super talented young actors, writers and directors and don't mind some frank (real teen-like) language.

Don't see it if You're easily offended by edgy language.

Ambitious, Absorbing, Edgy

See it if you want to experience an absorbing, unvarnished look at teenagers grappling with abuse and uncertainty.

Don't see it if you're close-minded and have forgotten what it's like to be young.

Critic Reviews (4)

August 24th, 2016

Jena Tesse Fox

"‘#Blessed’ should seem timely. Instead, Zoe Kamil’s drama plays out almost like a social guidance film from the 1950s. Although the play touches on questions that merit serious conversation, it is far too heavy-handed to be effective. Miranda Cornell’s direction is equally clunky, and the cast of 12 can sometimes barely be heard...While it’s wonderful to see young women exploring serious social issues, '#Blessed' needs serious tightening, refining and refocusing."
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August 16th, 2016

Lexi Orphanos

"'#Blessed' blends the unexpected with the traditional, and proves that what is easy to perceive as strange or imperfect is truly what makes these characters perfect. Audience members of any faith or lack thereof will find it easy to climb onboard '#Blessed' with its lovable characters, haunting biblical interludes, catchy music, and 1980s-Molly-Ringwald-film vibe."
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August 24th, 2016

Michael Block

"Despite being an important topic, the play doesn't offer anything we haven't already heard in similar themed plays…Overall, '#blessed' felt like an unfocused after school special...This is not an easy play to act. They are thin characters tackling a difficult topic...The last scene between Jesus and Liana is a ten-minute play that we'd want to see. It was Zoe Kamil's strongest writing. It just came too late. '#blessed' is a play very much in progress."
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August 22nd, 2016

Natalie Sacks

"'#Blessed' has some trouble with pacing throughout...Whereas the first section of the play evokes the sensation of a trap slowly closing in on Liana, the second consists largely of characters confronting one another about information the audience already knows...Even so, the overall story of #Blessed certainly packs a punch, and while the play does not reconcile religion and the modern world for you, it leaves the door open for its characters, and its audiences, to find their own way through."
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