City of No Illusions NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(21 Reviews)

Positive

71%

Mixed

29%

Negative

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.

The funeral directors are two sisters whose lives become intimately, farcically, and, at times, dangerously entwined with the refugees. The funeral home is a portal between the living and the dead, and the border at the edge of our country is a potential gateway to a new life. A mysterious group of musicians show up- a shadow band that occupies a permeable space between the borderlands.

Member Reviews (21)

Banal, Cliched, Relevant, Indulgent

See it if If you want to see a show about illegal immigrants. Good music. A story told that is different

Don't see it if A show that needs work. Story that overshadows the characters. Bit slow at times.

Funny, Quirky, Thought-provoking, Political theater, Fabulous use of space

See it if you enjoyed the vibrant anti-war theater of the 1970's. Politics and social values with humor and imagination. Good music too.

Don't see it if you expect a traditional well made play. The characters and situation are all farcical embodiments of the message.

Fun, Smart, Unfinished, Topical, Diverse

See it if you want to experience an engaging, topical play brought to you by several legends of downtown theater & several much younger colleagues.

Don't see it if you are looking for high budget entertainment. Read more

Ambitious, Great staging, Quirky, Relevant, Satire

See it if Experimental undocumented worker satire with live music. Make-up favouring funeral parlour attendant brings heart to hot-button issue.

Don't see it if No escaping terms/images/situations ripped from daily news cycle. Real casket. Dead body on a gurney switcheroo and other sit-com elements. Read more

Ambitious, Cliched, Disappointing, Indulgent, Quirky

See it if You want a work in progress that is all over the place.

Don't see it if You are looking for depth in developed themes. The acting leaves a lot to be desired.

Relevant, Thought-provoking, Quirky, Confusing

See it if You are down for a complex investigation of people on both sides of immigration issues with music and a great diverse cast.

Don't see it if You demand preaching from the left at this downtown institution, or if you seek your light entertainment without a core of serious issues.

Quirky, Resonant, Uneven, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy plays about current issues stitched together with elements of magic realism.

Don't see it if You are bothered by somewhat uneven acting and music that distracts rather than adds, & minimal character development. Enjoyable but weird.

Ambitious, Entertaining, Edgy, Funny, Relevant

See it if you like plays with alot of humor and live music

Don't see it if you need a clear well laid out plot

Critic Reviews (3)

“’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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“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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“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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