City of No Illusions
City of No Illusions
Closed 1h 30m NYC: East Village
74% 21 reviews
74%
(21 Ratings)
Positive
71%
Mixed
29%
Negative
0%
Members say
Quirky, Relevant, Entertaining, Funny, Clever

About the Show

In La MaMa and Talking Band's world premiere experimental drama, a funeral home near the New York/Canadian border becomes a refuge for two asylum seekers. 

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Critic Reviews (3)

Theater Pizzazz
February 18th, 2019

“’City of No Illusions’ provides the right bit of magical realism...It has a glimmer of humor, wrapped within the larger, blunt recognitions about death that could surround us, at any time...What makes ‘City of No Illusions’ unique is that it is a bit gruesome, while simultaneously being joyous. The most memorable thing about this play is the script that cuts into the psyche, asking the audience to take a careful and deep look at the journey that some might take to the afterlife.”
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T
February 13th, 2019

“Against a backdrop of lovely live music, a rather predictable kitchen-sink-style realist plot unfolds...It feels as though the issues supersede character development...The need for human connection and seeing beyond differences is a driving force of this play, and the moments that achieve it play out beautifully. There is ample charm and well-mined humor...But ultimately the execution falls a bit flat...Intent and energy are wonderful things, but they can only take one so far."
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The Theatre Times
February 16th, 2019

“A political comedy...A jumbled and absurd fusion of character and plot...As enchanting as the shadow band’s music is, what purpose they serve on the stage, their cryptic lyrics confounding an already wonky plot, is unclear...And Zimet’s presentational staging, basic and uninspiring, contrasts badly with the mythical goings on at this mortuary. But the impulse to set a meditation on the refugee crisis inside a funeral home is a creative one, however obvious the metaphor.”
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