High Noon NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(30 Reviews)
Positive
80%
Mixed
20%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great staging, Great acting, Absorbing, Intense, Ambitious

About the Show

Axis Company presents an ensemble driven adaptation of the 1952 Western classic. 

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Member Reviews (30)

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1085 Reviews | 265 Followers
79
Ambitious, Great singing, Great staging

See it if if you liked the western high noon. Good ensembles. a short show.

Don't see it if if you want a grander, longer show. If you want a more in depth performance.

716 Reviews | 219 Followers
85
Intense, Thought-provoking, Suspenseful, Clever, Insightful

See it if Pending arrival of murderer tests townspeople’s character. Staging & sound amplify the terror. Feels like “The Twilight Zone”. Well acted.

Don't see it if Ambiguous ending open to interpretation. Does it matter what happens next? Maybe these people are already in purgatory.

655 Reviews | 129 Followers
93
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Entertaining, Refreshing

See it if Great acting , not long. They tell the story in a refreshing way. Yes it a western.

Don't see it if You want active and flash. Read more

688 Reviews | 116 Followers
76
Ambitious, Confusing, Great staging, Intense, Edgy

See it if Heightened ambiguity & ominous stagecraft highlight eerie adapt of classic '50's western Stylish staging & choreography keep audience alert

Don't see it if For maximum effect, basic plotline of movie a must Can loose story threads w/ numerous actors & tonal quality Still packs a sinister punch

670 Reviews | 156 Followers
94
Taut, Lean, Mysterious, Thrilling, Great staging

See it if you’d like to see a Western that blows the genre open, but not before it pays the original its deepest respects.

Don't see it if for you the Western is sacred, or you can’t bear to see the original film tampered with, or you’re looking for a conventional play. Read more

don
506 Reviews | 1000 Followers
95
Absorbing, Clever, Great staging, Great acting, Intelligent

See it if you want to see an expert cast tackle a tradition and make it their own. Superb lighting, perfect setting. great costumes

Don't see it if Only one hour (could be a positive for some)..

567 Reviews | 147 Followers
83
Absorbing, Great staging, Intense, Relevant

See it if Waiting for God-ot & the angry guy on the noon train. Metaphorical (grey-shades) monochromatic costumes confound innate impulse to pick hero

Don't see it if Ensemble remains on stage for the hour duration. Simple set then becomes cluttered w/ townies. Loud end effects. Guns. Read more

445 Reviews | 67 Followers
85
Great acting, Great staging, Absorbing, Profound, Resonant

See it if you want fascinating ensemble production of a classic movie that only live theater can do. Very different in a good way,

Don't see it if you are expecting the Gary Cooper Western.

Critic Reviews (8)

Theater Pizzazz
October 9th, 2018

“A far reaching adaptation of the very familiar 1952 western...Tension filled...the characters are dressed in black and dark grays immediately creating a sense of foreboding...and it can’t be good...The somber cast moves in tandem some of the time, as pocket watches open and close, as they stare in one direction; severe deadpan delivery provides the emotional buttress to a constant feeling of suspicion and waiting, waiting for something to happen.”
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Front Row Center
October 9th, 2018

“Hollywood Western meets ‘Waiting for Godot’...An intriguing, at times unsettling evening of theater...Foreman dared to veer in the direction of truth, devising a realistic, nuanced narrative...Sharp has dug into Foremans’ screenplay, dissecting its emotional complexity...A truly ensemble piece. The uniformly excellent cast often moves as one...Unaffected choreography keeps the action moving despite the abstract, bare bones presentation.”
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Off Off Online
October 12th, 2018

"The script, presumably cobbled together by the whole company, sticks fairly close to Foreman’s original, but with some odd digressions and odder directorial touches...Beyond the adjustments in plot and characterization, and there are several, director Randy Sharp has reconceived the material as something of an existentialist nightmare...Makes a reasonable case for reinvestigating and reinterpreting beloved old movies. But be advised, it’s missing a couple of reels."
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T
October 7th, 2018

"A famous Academy Award-winning Western film is reinterpreted for the stage. The tension created is riveting...The actors are on stage for the entire performance which lasts a little more than an hour. There is continual movement in which the characters ebb and flow into their scenes. The dialogue is crisp and appropriately clipped and melodramatic for the western genre...The impact is stylized, true to the spirit of a western yet somehow a dreamscape...This troupe has great style."
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Theatermania
February 20th, 2018
For a previous production

"Every performance is unnervingly suspicious...Presented as one long scene with no clear breaks, Sharp's dark vision feels like an inescapable nightmare...Despite its occasionally soporific tone, 'High Noon' couldn't be timelier as we reexamine political authority and who has the legitimacy to wield it. While the original film presented a black and white tale of duty, Axis admirably paints in shades of gray."
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TheaterScene.net
February 25th, 2018
For a previous production

"A triumph of superior production design and physical staging, this 60-minute theatrical adaptation of the classic 1952 film 'High Noon' conceived by Axis Company is emotionally uninvolving...Director Randy Sharp has the cast of 10 on view and in motion for the entire time. They’re precisely and variably positioned all over the space and this yields numerous aesthetic stage pictures and tableaus. Some of which are gratuitous embellishments."
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T
March 8th, 2018
For a previous production

"Samuel Beckett’s 'Waiting for Godot' meets Clint Eastwood’s 'High Plains Drifter' in Sharp’s involving staging. All of the actors are onstage through the entire production as if trapped; their words move the tale from the hotel and the depot to the court and the prairie...'High Noon' is famous for, among other things, the building tension leading to the action-packed finale, but Sharp chooses another path there as well, providing a surprising, subtle twist."
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C
March 16th, 2018
For a previous production

"The intimacy of this 'High Noon' is as palpable as the storyline...In this town without pity or spine...neighbors, lovers, and business partners are interchangeable and the color scheme is film noir. The feeling was also vintage celluloid; French New Wave, to be precise. This haunting theatre piece—a simmering 75 minutes, no intermission—is a true ensemble performance with every actor connected and showcased."
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