Mandela, The Untold Story NYC Reviews and Tickets

69%

(12 Ratings)

Positive

58%

Mixed

17%

Negative

25%

Members say

Ambitious, Disappointing, Relevant, Slow, Educational

About the Show

Exposes CIA role in Mandela's arrest, mirrors Black struggles in U.S. and South Africa's apartheid.

Explore the covert story behind Nelson Mandela's arrest in 'Mandela,' an off-Broadway play delving into the CIA's involvement. It authentically depicts Mandela, Winnie, and the ANC without sanitization, revealing the parallel struggles of Black activists in the U.S. and South Africa against apartheid. The play provides a raw and genuine portrayal, shedding light on historical events without embellishment, offering a thought-provoking examination of the shared hardships faced by those fighting against injustice in different corners of the world.

Show-Score Member Reviews (9)

Intense, Relevant, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting

See it if A captivating rendition of one of the most outstanding leaders of our times. Despite the serious subject, the show provides moments of joy,*

Don't see it if Some violent scenes with loud blank guns may trigger you. Read more

Ambitious, Great acting, Intelligent, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if you want to know more about Nelson Mandela and his family/friends before he was arrested and what he endured during captivity.

Don't see it if scenes of racism and violence triggers you.

Relevant, Slow, Intense, Intelligent, Great staging

See it if you don't know this historical story or you would like to review it again - a solid effort by the cast with good projections and costumes.

Don't see it if you're time strapped-my performance started 20 minutes late. Sound was not always right, sometimes lost, sometimes distorted. Gun warning.

Thought-provoking, Disjointed, Ambitious

See it if You'd like to learn more about Mandela's story, with some intriguing parallels between South African Apartheid and Jim Crow laws in the US

Don't see it if As others have noted, staged gunfire feels heavy-handed and may be triggering. Second act loses momentum w/ some abrupt tonal + story shifts

Educational, Amateur, Disappointing, Cliched, Ambitious

See it if you know nothing about Nelson Mandela and want to learn a little, or want to support theater in secondary education

Don't see it if you require a professional polished show - this is definitely a amateurish high school quality production in pretty much every aspect Read more

Ambitious, Confusing

See it if You appreciate raw acting.

Don't see it if You want to watch something that has a flow to it. This was so disjointed. It’s like a foreigner read a blog about him and decided to make Read more

Forced, Disappointing

See it if a broken timeline biographical play about Nelson Mandela would be useful to you.

Don't see it if you want a good play that delves into Mandela's philosophy. There isn't any of that here and there may not have been much in his life. Read more

Disjointed, Slow, Disappointing

See it if you want to learn about history but only if you have never heard about Nelson Mandela...

Don't see it if you can't sit through two hours of a bad production. Also, they use blank cartridges for gun fire. Read more

Trailer

Creative team

American Theatre of Actors