Loose Ends NYC Reviews and Tickets

68%

(24 Reviews)

Positive

67%

Mixed

21%

Negative

12%

Members say

Entertaining, Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Funny, Great acting

About the Show

T. Schreiber Theatre revives Michael Weller's 1970 play about a young couple grappling with conflicting opinions on the importance of having a career versus raising a family.

Paul is a Peace Corps dropout and Susan is in free fall when they meet on a beach in Bali. They end up moving to Boston, marrying, then separating, and reconnecting in New York. She has become a successful photographer, he a successful film editor. He wants children, she doesn't. 'Loose Ends' revolves around the eternal questions that haunt the couple: “Am I enough?” “Where do we go from here?,” and “How do we define success?"

Member Reviews (24)

Clever, Entertaining, Great staging

See it if Nice to reflect upon the 70's. Small stage does nice job with clever usage of materials for the set. T. Schreiber himself directs.

Don't see it if do not want to see some up and coming actors from the various classes at the studio.

This needs to be cleaned up

See it if want to get a look into the 1970's

Don't see it if a 2:45 show scares you. BEWARE, this started at 8PM I didn't get out of the theater until 11PM. Show has it listed at 2hrs but its not. Read more

Choose better play, Adequate performances, Lackluster, Too much set, White people's problems?

See it if revisiting the 70s & the conflicts of the well connected, marriage/family vs. job, having it all, etc. are issues u want 2 see discussed

Don't see it if you're looking 4 insights into the 70s, a plot driven storyline, well developed characters, or scenes that go on 2 long drive you crazy

Dated, Slow, Entertaining

See it if You have fond memories of the 1970s and want to compare experiences.

Don't see it if You aren't content to follow a long story from youth to adulthood with many characters.

Absorbing, Delightful, Funny, Great acting, Great staging

See it if You want to see a play that is strongly based in the 70's. You want to see a play about a couple and their mainly ups and some downs.

Don't see it if You are not interested in a love story. you don't want to see a fun play. You don't like anything 70's Read more

Tedious, Overly long, Pointless, Extraneous characters

See it if you lived through the 70s and are nostalgic for the transition from flower child to materialistic adult; like any relationship story

Don't see it if you lived through the 70s and do NOT care to relive that era; don't like meagerly drawn protagonists & too many unnecessary characters Read more

Great writing, Ambitious, Entertaining, Uneven

See it if You want to see a great script acted with so-so actors. The leads start strong but in the 2nd act they seem bored with the play.

Don't see it if You are looking for great consistant performances.

Entertaining, Funny, Great staging, Refreshing, Great acting

See it if you would like to see a show about a couple's romance and relationships during the 1970s, involving their trials and tribulations

Don't see it if you're not interested happenings in the '70s, issues with a young couple's dating and marriage, involving problems many couples face then as Read more

Critic Reviews (5)

“The last scenes of this somewhat meandering play are brilliant…Once this play really wakes up, it becomes risky. And these actors are up for that. There is an inconsistent level of performance but the actors make a journey together that’s emotionally touching when it counts…The director Terry Schreiber deserves kudos for fulfilling the slowly developing gift of this play and for guiding his actors on this surprisingly funny and rocky road.”
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"The eight-scene structure provides a wonderful framework within which the play examines a long-term relationship...However, some of the simpler moments the play explores, while lovely and insightful, don’t provide enough conflict to sustain the play’s lengthier run time. This is in part because the play’s conflicts are largely internal. The performances, directed by Terry Schreiber, thus become key in bringing out the unsaid conflicts."
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"It’s difficult to sit through a 2½-hour play disliking the protagonist. Nor does it help that Loren Bidner delivers a one-note portrayal of the exasperating young man. Unfortunately, he’s not alone. I’ve seen some first-rate productions at T. Schreiber. This one is not well cast...Terry Schreiber’s direction is uneven...Many of the actors don’t listen to one another...While 'Loose Ends' rings true to its era, why a revival now?"
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"The script still feels fresh with clever dialogue...The supporting cast was also marvelous...It was with them that the heart of the show beat. On the other hand, the two main characters portrayed by Bidner and Vink, are not the type of people you feel inclined to cheer for. It doesn’t help that both actors give us one-dimensional performances...The production is also hurt by long transitions...While the play seemed perfect for the times, I don’t see the point of a revival today."
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"Weller’s drama has to be more than trying to choose between a family or career during the '70s. Yet the depth of their problems, and even their backstories, are never entirely explored...The climaxes do not lead to powerful payoffs but more or less take the characters back to where they originally started...Various undeveloped characters arbitrarily show up, lending a viewer hope that they will move the story forward or eventually reappear. But they are used only as short-lived comic relief."
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