Borders NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (11)
See it if you like polished, meaningful performances; explorations of what it means to be an empowered person/artist in different parts of the world.
Don't see it if I do know ppl who wouldn’t appreciate Borders, but they happen to be psychopaths. Don’t go if a psychopath, or only interested in the West. Read more
See it if You want to see the best off-Broadway show of the year; you care about humanity; you love the theater for its own sake (no fancy set)
Don't see it if you don’t want your eyes and heart opened by the best acting and writing you’ll see this year Read more
See it if you're interested in a relevant story about Syrian refugees with extremely powerful acting performances. Emotional and thought-provoking.
Don't see it if you don't like small, barebones productions or plays with heavy subject matter. This is not light entertainment and does require thinking.
See it if you want to understand (and FEEL) the horrors of war-torn Syria/the plight of refugees. 2 intertwined stories, one humorous, one harrowing.
Don't see it if you only like lite fare. Show is a gut punch. Occasionally, it's melodramatic. But go for solid acting/intelligent staging/griping story. Read more
See it if Two monologues that approach each other & deal with the responsibility of the artist. 70 gripping minutes coming to terms with human values.
Don't see it if Serious topics nicely if unsubtly handled, but won’t appeal to fans of comedy or stories that neatly resolve.
See it if shows about a strong woman in an area ravaged by war, issues of journalism - covering Hollywood people vs. real tragedies; Mr. Naylor's work
Don't see it if If you want elaborate staging & don't like solo shows (see below); if you saw Angel by Mr. Naylor and want something totally different Read more
See it if You want to understand the refugee crisis and journalism, on a persoal level.
Don't see it if It's a serious show. If you like theater to be fun and an escape from reality, avoid this one.
See it if enjoy an expertly written drama about such a relevant topic and terrific acting. The topic of Syrian refugees is so beautifully explored.
Don't see it if You don't like shows that are monologues or only enjoy comedies. Otherwise, no reason not to see it.
Critic Reviews (15)
“A dull polemic where a complex moral drama ought to be...The Syrian graffiti artist emerges as a fully human character with a compellingly unique story. Regrettably, Naylor never appears satisfied with that...The fact that her story is frequently interrupted by a tepid send-up of the Western media is even more frustrating, dividing our attention and diluting the power of the play...Actors compensate for the lack of fire in the script.”
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"Avital Lvova is singular in her ability to take the beautiful poetry of Naylor’s text and deliver it effortlessly...Lvova is athletic, gripping, and her performance is doubtlessly the highlight of the play...'Borders' is co-directed ingeniously by Michael Cabot and Louise Skaaning, who make great use of the barebones set to transport us from bus to basement to prison to art gallery to boat...We are ushered through Naylor’s text thanks to elegant transitions and brilliant performances."
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“A small, spare, sometimes poignant but not especially enlightening play that alternates monologues by two characters, a British photographer and a young Syrian woman...There is a deliberate discord between the largely comic tone of Sebastian’s anecdotes and the largely tragic tone in what Nameless says...At its best, the two performers...tell some vivid anecdotes...At its worst, the two characters too often speak in a pseudo-poetic diction.”
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"Written in breathless, staccato, pulp fiction-style sentences filled with vividly carved verbal images…For all the play's hearts-in-the-right-place depiction of Syrian suffering, it fails to go much beyond the depiction of the struggle of two artists to remain true to their convictions, with the Middle East crisis a conveniently dramatic background to their respective dilemmas…Which is not to deny its onstage dramatic power…'Borders' is knife sharp, bullet fast, and edgily funny."
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“Directed with lean briskness...We rarely see the moral courage we are encouraged to think lies within Simon that has become extinguished. The same quality in the nameless young woman is never in doubt...It is her character...that is the most resonant. Through her, rather than the comical Simon, Naylor’s message is simple, emphatic, and angry: These are people. These are people we have a responsibility to help. Yet do we recognize that? Do we do anything about it?"
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"Deftly interweaving these two monologues, Naylor asks pertinent questions about the power of art, the responsibility of the artist, and the integrity of a society that only cares about refugees when Angelina Jolie tells it to...Their slowly converging stories are both compelling and convincingly rooted in gritty geopolitics...At times, one wishes he would take more formal risks...This is a form that has limits. And 'Borders' – excellent though it is – doesn’t push them very far."
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"As the story moves to the present day, Sebastian has returned to 'real' photography, joining a Mediterranean mission where he wants the shot that will renew his fame...Nameless, by now a pregnant refugee, is fleeing for her life in an unseaworthy boat. Their two stories collide — but who is rescuing whom, from what?...Naylor interlaces the serious — and sometimes shocking — details of their histories with wry asides...Michael Cabot directs a gripping hour that races by."
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"A two-hander, featuring a pair of characters in motion towards one another on both sides of the Mediterranean. Both are artists in their own way...Naylor's dialogue is crisp and evocative, and the non-existent set is so far stripped back that all the tools Cabot has to work with are his very talented actors, leading to a result which is pure and captivating. Even if moments occasionally swing close to cliché, Naylor’s name remains a mark of quality for those who like to see good political drama."
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