Broken Bone Bathtub NYC Reviews and Tickets

92%

(15 Reviews)

Positive

93%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Enchanting, Refreshing, Thought-provoking, Quirky

About the Show

Solo artist Siobhan O'Loughlin returns to NYC with an immersive theater experience that explores themes of trauma, suffering, human generosity, and connection.

'Broken Bone Bathtub' is an interactive work that takes place in an actual bathtub. After a serious bike accident, a young woman musters up the courage to ask for help and shares her story. The audience takes on the role of her close friends, not only listening but sharing their own experiences, and assisting the cast-clad artist in the actual ritual of taking a bath. Must be age 21 or older to attend. One-drink minimum required.

Member Reviews (15)

Absorbing, Clever, Refreshing, Resonant, Enchanting

See it if You like a real, raw performance in unusual setting. Siobahn is a great storyteller and knows how to engage the audience, A fab experience!

Don't see it if You don't like the company of others or are not willing to share. If you are not open to new experiences or need a traditional "show."

Ambitious, Moving, Indulgent, Refreshing

See it if you like immersive, very VERY up close and personal theater.

Don't see it if you don't like audience participation, small spaces, stories about youthful angst or perching on a toilet or a tiny stool for an hour or so. Read more

Critic Reviews (8)

"As with all immersive work, the experience is fluid. Theater is a living art form to begin with, but when you add intensive audience participation and change venues nightly, the experience is even more changeable...Ultimately it's O'Loughlin's open and compassionate heart that gives meaning to 'Broken Bone Bathtub' and inspires others to share freely about their own struggles...'Broken Bone Bathtub' is brave, funny, and surprisingly uplifting."
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"O’Loughlin is a gifted raconteur, her warm, conversational banter as disarming as it is engaging...Her non-confrontational style encourages sharing and makes 'Broken Bone Bathtub' as much our story as it is hers...I cannot think of a single person who could not relate to the piece on some level. More importantly, its challenge to directly interact with this humanity reminds us that we are not alone in our joy or suffering, and more capable of making a difference than we may realize."
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"The messages of good shows land with people when the artist asks one profound question, and not 20. What makes this show great is that O'Loughlin is in no hurry to push us toward an answer, but seems sure enough of herself to let each performance yield its own conclusions...O'Loughlin is paying it forward to honor her support system who rallied in her time of need and granting us, in our ever-closing windows of direct contact, to remember how to be there for the sake of another person."
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"If it sounds voyeuristic, or gimmicky, it’s O’Loughlin’s approachability as a storyteller and a listener that makes 'Broken Bone Bathtub' both compelling theater and a cathartic group experience...That dynamic of openness and sharing causes every performance to be unique...The ending isn’t exactly a twist, but it is emotionally intimate; sometimes the things we ask of our friends aren’t necessarily what we need, they’re what will keep us connected to them."
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"A rare and intimate treat...By opening herself up first, she had created a safe space in which we could all be honest...Good theater often feels like a mirror being held up to one’s own life...This was good theater. O’Loughlin didn’t make you wait until you were walking to the subway to reflect upon the show and its themes; she asked you to do so as you went along. Each story she shared was an opportunity for self-reflection."
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For a previous production

"'Broken Bone Bathtub' is what’s becoming known as an immersive theater experience...O’Loughlin wasn’t just aiming for novelty with 'Broken Bone,' though she admits that was part of its appeal...The vibe is relaxed if a little uncertain...As intended, unscripted moments lent this show its own comic flavor."
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For a previous production

"In perhaps the most clear-cut and brilliant case of form mirroring content I’ve ever seen, this show is specifically designed to forge connection between the room of six-ish audience members and Siobhan…'Broken Bone Bathtub' is not simply a solo show. It’s an experience, an event, and a little bit of group therapy…Her story is so full of isolation…And yet, in that room, we were all so utterly bonded. This was one of the most special solo shows I’ve ever seen, and I won’t soon forget it."
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For a previous production

"Towards the end of the piece, you could really sense that there was a change in the room...I would recommend going to watch Siobhan’s play simply because it evokes what most of us are afraid of revealing to others, what we are insecure about, wanting to ask for help when we really need it... She not only wrote a cracking play, but made discoveries about herself as well."
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