Later Life NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (91)
See it if you are a fan of Gurney, you enjoy light comedies that contain an underlying thread of seriousness & believe love late in life is possible
Don't see it if Gurney's WASP, upscale characters do not appeal to you nor do cerebral comedies, you don't like plots about people too set in their ways
See it if Minor league Gurney given a finely polished production by Silverstein & company Well acted by leads (though party guests start to wear thin)
Don't see it if Usual Gurney themes of longing & missed opportunities amid upper classes often comes across banal Could use more humorous self-awareness
See it if you enjoy shows about New England’s upper crust.
Don't see it if you can’t stomach wooden, lifeless performances and jokes (I think they were jokes?) that are poorly written and fall flat.
See it if I loved the quick changes of Liam Craig & Jodie Markell. They were (almost) unrecognizable in the multiple parts they played.
Don't see it if ...You want a show with a lot of action. Read more
See it if you want to see two scene-stealing performances by Liam Craig and Jodie Markell. Also, a great starry set design by Steven Kemp.
Don't see it if you don't like slowly paced plays. "Later Life" is in dire need of a shot of adrenalin.
See it if you like Guerney, one of our best playwrights I think.Set is AMAZING!Acting was uneven.Lawrence Lau overcame lackluster direction &was good.
Don't see it if you want to see a cohesive cast.Lau was the only one I believed.Plot is interesting.Direction was heavy handed and lackluster.
See it if You like A.R. Gurney plays about the upper crust This takes place at a cocktail party. Men and woman meet and talk. The sport is squash.
Don't see it if You need action and are bored easily. Do not care about marital discord. Dislike watching adults drink too much.
See it if You want a sweet fun play. No depth but entertaining. The male and female actors who play multiple characters bring the play to life. Funny.
Don't see it if You want a deep character study. This is light weight. Unfortunately the main characters are dull and uninteresting.
Critic Reviews (20)
"Mr. Gurney was no four-hit wonder, and the Keen Company’s off-Broadway revival is a welcome reminder that there are glittering gems lurking amid the paste...Unflashy conversation pieces like 'Later Life' don't play themselves. They must be knowingly cast and intelligently directed to make their full effect, and Keen Company, here as always, is up to the challenge...Silverstein has staged 'Later Life' with skill and sensitivity...The cast is satisfying, especially Mr. Lau."
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"It's a cool, expertly mixed cocktail, spiked with an extra dose of bitters, and surely only Gurney could have pulled it off...Jonathan Silverstein's direction finds a nearly ideal balance...Without deft direction and sensitive performances, 'Later Life' could break into two very different parts, but, thanks to Silverstein and his cast, the scenes featuring Craig and Markell, in addition to providing a comic countermelody to the central characters' melancholic waltz, make an essential point."
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“The tale of a would-be, could-be romance between two unhappily married, middle-aged people--Austin (Laurence Lau) and Ruth (Barbara Garrick)--never really comes together, due to the constant interruptions from ‘Sally and Others’ and ‘Jim and Others’ at a party which reunites them, many years after they first met on the Isle of Capri, when Austin was stationed with the U.S. Navy.”
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"A lovely looking revival. It once again showcases Gurney's skill at creating a play that reveals something deeper and sadder beneath its light-hearted and comic surface...Occasionally 'Later Life' injects a few too many lines that nudge the audience into awareness of the feelings behind the civilized masks. And though the play's is likely to appeal most to audiences at the same stage of life as Austin and Ruth, that's not to say that younger viewers will be left unmoved."
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"Charmingly romantic revival...It is a mix of funny and poignant tales that neatly sum up the state of educated Caucasian New Englanders of the 1990s...Under the gentle direction of Jonathan Silverstein, the play of course depends on the sparks and timing between Lau and Garrick. Both are up to the challenge with Lau letting Austin’s emotions ever so slowly simmer while Garrick reveals an inner beauty to Ruth’s wildness that any man would find hard to resist."
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"A smooth sail through lovely calm waters; charming, engaging, and somewhat electric, keeping us all guessing and engrossed within Gurney’s smart back and forth...This well written piece, full of civil and witty dialogue, crowded with too many chatty, eccentric, and slightly over-done guests, with some bland food, just made me want to slowly make my way out the door of this party smiling politely saying ‘thank you, and good night’, having had a generally nice time."
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"It seems so dated that its frequent topical references are almost quaint…'Later Life'…depicts a potential romance between two…middle-aged people…Their tête-à-tête is continually interrupted by a string of eccentric party guests...played by the same two actors…Markell and Craig lack the chameleonic, comedic virtuosity to pull off the stunt…With Garrick's doll-like features, knowing warmth, and distinctive voice, if I had to choose one reason for this play's later life, it would be her."
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"Bittersweet and very funny, 'Later Life' is a theatrical pearl...The greatest assets of this revival are Markell and Liam Craig as a succession of wacky party guests. These two have the comic timing of old pros; and, with quicksilver changes of togs, wigs, and dialect, they blunder on and off the terrace, interrupting the earnest, sometimes eloquent conversation of the might-yet-be lovers...In Gurney’s world, hope, joy, and hilarity always complement the pain."
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