Miles for Mary NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (114)
See it if loved this show. Excellent ensemble work.
Don't see it if You want big spashly production. This is intimate and deep.
See it if You appreciate the theatre of power structures and are in the mood for a seriously intense comedy
Don't see it if You like comedy that doesn't force you to use your attention span and intellect Read more
See it if you’re up for an interesting, well written, terrifically acted, superbly directed, and very funny (at times) study of adult group dynamics.
Don't see it if you have never been part of a “team meeting” either for work or volunteer project — and won’t be able to believe the absurdity involved.
See it if you value fresh, vibrant theater; talky plays; were working in the 80s; can handle tense emotions burbling under the surface of pleasantries
Don't see it if you don't like naturalistic plays that bore into the excruciating minutiae of the mundane. Overlapping talking confuses you. Read more
See it if a masterfully written & performed '80s-set play about interpersonal relationships and goal-achievement among educators sounds fascinating.
Don't see it if hyper-realistic dialogue (often awkward, often funny) doesn't interest you or plot-heavy plays are more your cup of tea.
See it if Due to the brilliantly deadpan performances on stage, the laughs just keep on coming. The observational humor is king in this play.
Don't see it if Planning a telethon has never been so much fun. The play doesn't make fun of the characters but embraces them and their lives. A MUST SEE!
See it if you want to laugh. It is a simple concept but it is well done. Hilariously awkward.
Don't see it if you want something serious or thought provoking.
See it if you appreciate superb acting that captures human nature subtleties of people annoying each other purposely or unintentionally
Don't see it if you need lots of action in storytelling versus all about individual character interactions and personality clashes.
Critic Reviews (23)
"Passive aggression, as a sly and infuriating art, has surely never been practiced as entertainingly...Both a happy product of and a ruthless portrait of the collaborative process. It also turns out to present a most ingenious acting challenge, in which rage and resentment may be expressed only indirectly...This production slides from surface comedy into an unexpected realm of emotional substance, where laughter increasingly comes with a catch in its throat."
Read more
"A meticulously observed, virtuosically performed ode to miscommunication...Director Lila Neugebauer excels at drawing nuanced, sensitive work out of her ensembles, and under her guidance all six actors turn in performances as meticulous as the set on which they move...It’s smart, it’s barbed, it revels in the wince-worthy, helplessly funny observation of human idiocy...I also left feeling wrung out."
Read more
"The hottest comedy in New York this winter. Anyone who has ever suffered through a staff meeting will immediately recognize the passive-aggression and petty slights that dot this 110-minute howler...The troupe benefits from the leadership of Lila Neugebauer, the most skilled director of ensembles working in New York today. The complexity that she and the company bring to every moment makes this rather bland high school office a treat to behold."
Read more
"Comedy gold in the least likely of situations...As 'Miles for Mary' finds hilarity in these petty bureaucrats and the mind-numbing minutiae of their plans, it finds a certain sympathy for them...The cast seems to know everything about these characters...Sometimes seems like the greatest Nichols and May sketch. But everything about it has been executed with an astonishing precision, and it all contributes to the overall effect...Funniest new show in town."
Read more
"What I see is a slender premise, funny in spots and consistently well-played, but stretched out beyond its comfort zone, to almost two intermissionless hours, and lacking a certain eccentricity that might light a fire under it. For what's on stage here is a bloated ensemble effort...The Mad Ones are being a little condescending to this bunch...Neugebauer directs the intricate interplay persuasively, and the actors fit comfortably into the faculty's insecure skins."
Read more
“First up is ‘Miles for Mary,’ a company project from The Mad Ones, a New York City-based troupe dedicated to creating ‘ensemble-driven highly detailed theatrical experiences that examine and illuminate American nostalgia.’ Seen previously at The Bushwick Starr during the 2016-17 season, ‘Miles for Mary’ is a brilliant satire on group dynamics in an ongoing school fundraising committee told in real time.”
Read more
"The main comedic element lies in our pleasure of watching grownups behave like children and intelligent grownups behave like fools. The main dramatic element is anticipation of the blowup we are sure will eventually occur. Certainly, under the capable direction of Lila Neugebauer, this is ensemble acting at its best...The problem is that with nothing really at stake...The fact that many in the audience did find the play entertaining is the triumph of style over substance."
Read more
"The winning play fulfills the company’s mission with little fanfare and much affection...Truly a case of creation by committee, rather than being pulled in different directions, it is amazingly cohesive. Director and cast are one. It’s hard to single anyone out because they’re so enmeshed with each other...Devoid of bells and whistles, 'Miles for Mary' celebrates the truly mundane with an eye for detail and an ear for humor."
Read more