Karen Finley: Unicorn Gratitude Mystery
Closed 1h 10m
Karen Finley: Unicorn Gratitude Mystery
74

Karen Finley: Unicorn Gratitude Mystery NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%
(15 Ratings)
Positive
87%
Mixed
7%
Negative
6%
Members say
Funny, Intelligent, Intense, Edgy, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Karen Finley, a name synonymous with performance art and boundary pushing, presents the world premiere of three short works.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (15)

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JR
140 Reviews | 27 Followers
85
Funny, Intelligent, Profound, Thought-provoking

See it if you like performance art & want to see "the Queen of Performance Art" in her new show. Finley does stream-of-consciousness like no one else.

Don't see it if you like linear text, plot or character driven performance. Or if you are a Republican.

376 Reviews | 99 Followers
80
Uneven, Politically potent, Old-school performance art, Riveting

See it if you can endure a really tough, cynical, satirical, profane presentation of the state of American values both today and yesterday;

Don't see it if you are politically naive ( especially if under 40); can't face American superficiality, faults & skewed values; you believe in "magic"

754 Reviews | 127 Followers
78
Entertaining, Funny, Original, Edgy, Disappointing

See it if you enjoy social commentary with a whimsical bent. There are some lovely moments but not quite as many as I had hoped for.

Don't see it if you are expecting chocolate sauce.

96 Reviews | 29 Followers
78
Clever, Edgy, Intense

See it if You like mostly funny, intense, political is personal and personal is political standup/performance.

Don't see it if You are looking for a plot driven story, this is stand up performance. That it was mostly read from her script can be off-putting.

68 Reviews | 16 Followers
75
Entertaining, Ambitious, Edgy, Intelligent, Thought-provoking

See it if you like-performance art-solo shows-performers taking on various roles-stand up comedy-poetry readings-political commentaries

Don't see it if you want-character development-three dimensional characters-a plot/story-an elaborate set design-an overarching theme/moral

506 Reviews | 77 Followers
73
Clever, Funny, Intelligent, Intense

See it if You like intelligent performance art.

Don't see it if You object to raunchy or political humor.

181 Reviews | 39 Followers
70
Overrated, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Indulgent, Disappointing

See it if You're a Karen Finlay fanatic. I've seen (and loved) her before, but the night I saw this, it was not a focused, riviting memorable show.

Don't see it if Youre expecting another home run by her. Also, this is performance art-do not expect the usual 1 woman show. This challenges-but disappoints

115 Reviews | 47 Followers
65
Absorbing, Ambitious, Confusing, Edgy, Intense

See it if You like performance art. If over the top takes on the election entertain you. If you like Karen Findlay it is a great example of style.

Don't see it if If you like subtlety, are offended by sexual content or making fun of candidates. You find loud, over the top comedy difficult. Read more

Critic Reviews (7)

The New York Times
August 11th, 2016

"Time has not reined in Karen Finley’s fire…Decades on, and she still has the uncanny ability to go from zero to fury in a split second…Ms. Finley can also be wickedly funny...Like the first two, the last piece makes some wild turns, touching upon the concept of blondness in Hollywood and society’s exploitation of war and veterans. The connection between all those elements may be a little fuzzy, but no matter — Ms. Finley knows anger; she also knows entertainment."
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Time Out New York
August 23rd, 2016

"There's plenty of breakneck obscenity, but some element of shock is gone…Yet there are other surprises here, ones that emerge out of a piece that starts as chaos and coheres as it goes along. Be ready, though, the 90 minutes contains much that is discombobulated and self-indulgent…Finley has a particularly emphatic way of making subtext into text...It's a Finley show, so she smears a lot of crap on that body—but somehow, she also seems to be clearing some of the bullshit away."
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Theater Pizzazz
August 2nd, 2016

"This Obie Award-winning performance artist clings to myth like she clings to her microphone, considering freedom, jewel tones, and archetypal power of the mythic figure. Juxtaposing imagery of the horned beast with the politics of the day, Karen Finley proves with 'Unicorn Gratitude Mystery' that she really knows how to spit it...Finley is absolutely irreverent, and uncommonly on time."
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Front Row Center
September 16th, 2016

"Finley’s work is very retro...It's free-flowing and not always easy to follow, but that is not Finley’s intention. She is there to engage and challenge...Finley saves the best for last when she drops all the costumes, lets down her hair and reads a story/prose poem. It was this last Finley who pulled me in completely. The Finley with nothing between her and the audience is the Finley that strikes the deepest and the most profound note."
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New York Theater
September 10th, 2016

"Some might consider them little more than profanity-filled screaming rants and non sequiturs...A point that is a major theme of her work: How loathe Americans are to face the grim realities in our society. Finley has a method beneath her work’s apparent madness; an art to her seeming random self-indulgence...If it’s hard to call what Karen Finley does in 'Unicorn Gratitude Mystery' political theater, her provocations resonate with surprising power."
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Blog Critics
August 9th, 2016

"Performance artist Karen Finley is angry, topical, and provocative in her new show 'Unicorn Gratitude Mystery.' She’s also hilariously funny...Trump may be easy prey for someone with Finley’s arts and smarts, but she continues to find new, sometimes startling angles of analysis and attack...Karen Finley may paint with a broad brush her conclusions about the psychology of Trump, the Clintons, and our culture’s hordes of believers in easy answers. But the paint is red-hot as ever."
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New York Theatre Review
August 6th, 2016

"As Finley’s giddy triptych unfolds, she illuminates the power of counterfactual thinking in both fairy tale realms and national politics...Finley possesses a wacky sense of style and a go-for-broke physicality, but her real weapon is her voice, with which she luxuriates over the syllables of her text...It may not be possible to fully comprehend or contain the worlds Finley conjures. But it’s that space for feeling, whether it be fearful, joyous, or raging, that creates a space for catharsis."
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