Master of the Crossroads NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (39)
See it if This is an impeachable powerful production. The story touches tender subjects including mental health. Not to be missed.
Don't see it if If you can't handle intense stories
See it if One of the most intense powerful shows you will ever see
Don't see it if High intensity exhausts you.
See it if You enjoy super intense, dramatic shows. You are interested in the efforts of war on soldiers. You enjoy small cast/intimate shows.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with cursing or nudity. The subject of PTSD is unsettling to you. You’re looking for a big show with elaborate sets.
See it if You don’t mind filling in the blanks with your imagination in this decent but flawed script. Very well acted but the story takes some jumps.
Don't see it if You don’t want in your face storytelling. Loud, harsh, graphic storyline told in a very intimate setting makes for a tense evening.
See it if you're OK with being shocked to show how PTSD affects soldiers & those they touch. Lots of Qs, but no answers. Think Apocalypse Now.
Don't see it if stark depictions of madness are more than you can handle. Not as loud or nude as others have suggested, but some of both. Confusing ending.
See it if you enjoy extreme energy, poetical religiosity, physicalized emotion, and fantastic actor Obi Abili.
Don't see it if you want a production that breathes a little, develops character and action, and allows its actors to catch their breath.
See it if if you're into INTENSITY: yelling, violence, a reckoning with the darkest emotions of humanity.
Don't see it if You want a fully-formed story clearly communicated; if you're okay being yelled at for 80 minutes.
See it if you think you might like to experience several high-energy breakdowns over the course of a play, all intensified by the tiny playing space.
Don't see it if you're looking for insight into any of the many hot-button issues that this piece invokes, from battlefield trauma to religious hypocrisy Read more
Critic Reviews (7)
"The tone goes from frenzied to hysterical to off-the-charts bonkers...When a story begins with its intensity needle as firmly in the red as this one does, there are no options left besides self-combustion...The production ends on yet another abrupt turn, this time into ritualistic violence. Abili throws himself into the scene with committed fury...For a minute or two, fascinated by Abili’s abandon, you may even stop wondering why this is all happening."
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“A wild contemporary Southern Gothic tale coupled with sociological themes. The fierce cast of three acts up a storm to great effect, the events are compelling, and the grotesquely ritualistic finale is unsettling...There’s a lot of finely choreographed movement and ferocious fight sequences...Technically the production is small in scale, but its elements achieve high caliber theatricality...Powerfully dramatizes topical subject matter that’s rarely seen on the stage today.”
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“Calderon does not disappoint...An incredibly intriguing and unique play...It explores themes of mental health, racism, internal struggles with life choices, and human weakness and strengths, during a life altering point in the lives of three people...A strong script, excellent direction, and top level acting...It is given exactly what is required, with no trickery or slight of hand. It is simply a thrilling, powerful, flawless play, and a theatrical gem that should not be missed.”
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"It is an intense performance. It is raw, intimate, and inescapable...The audience and actors reach a level of involvement and critical thinking that other plays rarely achieve. No one is bored during this tumultuous ride...All three characters are masters of their respective crossroad they are at: religion, war, relationships, mental health, and human suffering."
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“Post-traumatic stress disorder, familial conflict, crucifixions and redemption are at the forefront of family conflict in ‘Master of the Crossroads’...The theme of redemption through sacrifice is woven tightly throughout play...The audience gets a glimpse of what the characters are struggling with day-to-day...With these components working harmoniously, ’Master of the Crossroads’ is harsh, dark and eerie to make a point about the poor mental health care that American veterans experience.”
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“One of the most physically intense hours of theater you’ll ever see...’Crossroads’ is the theater experience equivalent of a Rothko painting—you don’t really go to see it for the form or the shape or even the story, you go to have it make you feel something, to take you on a visceral ride...It’s a sit-back-and-be-prepared-not-to-so-much-as-itch-an-itch type of play from beginning to end.”
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“A compelling and masterful drama...The play draws in the audience at a primal level as we see three individuals struggling with the affects of PTSD...Calderon explores themes of hyper-religiosity, betrayal, guilt, denial, rituals, mental health, the trauma of war, and the insidious effects of poverty and racism to weave together a troubling tapestry...The acting...is mesmerizing...They are directed...in a way that gives them free rein to vent their rage, frustration and fear.”
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