Off the Top NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (45)
See it if You want to see something smart off the beaten path
Don't see it if You want a more traditional production Read more
See it if you enjoy scientific word play. I enjoyed this show more than I had thought I would. Afterwards, got to talk with Baba–who was very friendly
Don't see it if You don't like rap. But honestly see it even if you don't think you like rap–like me.
See it if you're willing to park your expectations at the door, and enjoy peeking into the workings of brainiac improv artists (and the rest of us).
Don't see it if you're only fulfilled by guffaws and pratfall comedy, 'cause this strives for so much more that you can carry with you out the door. Read more
See it if You want a fun, intimate, brilliant night of theatre with a brain stimulating twist!
Don't see it if If you want to see typical plays or musicals. This is out of the box. Oh go on ...step outside the box....!!!
See it if You like neuroscience, rap, comedy all rolled into one.
Don't see it if You like small intimate shows and small acts.
See it if You like rap and are interested in the brain. Or if you like either one or the other. The show is pretty brilliant.
Don't see it if You're expecting a huge show with great staging. It's just two people in a basement bar. But it's a great show, so don't miss out on it!
See it if You would like a really interesting science lecture.
Don't see it if You want a plotted play.
See it if you want a fun show. Hard core neuroscience interposed with wrap music is an unexpected combination. A light, jovial, evening.
Don't see it if like wrap music or learning about the brain.
Critic Reviews (5)
"Proof positive that opposites not only attract, but can also formulate a fully engaging equation of entertainment and elucidation...The couple’s animated delivery brings a feeling of spontaneity to the memorized sections…They’re both irresistibly charming, enthusiastic, funny, and talented, and smart enough to have figured out a way to integrate their personal lives and professional careers into one terrific show with 'Off the Top.'"
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“Combining Berlin’s engaging lecture-esque talks about the brain and its functions, Brinkman’s own freestyle raps, PowerPoint slides and a few guest comics, the loved-up couple craft a wonderful show that is funny, heart-warming and pleasingly educational…Brinkman and Berlin should congratulate themselves on a lovely show that would delight children, adults, theatre-nerds and scientists alike…I left feeling warm, cheerful and enlightened."
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"It may be the best show of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe...Brinkman flexes his considerable rap skills…It’s a near-perfect show…Not only is it massively entertaining, it’s also eye-opening...One does get the sense that this could equally be a science class taught by a comedian, as a comedy gig led by a scientist… You’ll laugh throughout, and keep thinking about it afterwards – 'Off The Top' is a comedy gig that keeps giving long after you’ve left."
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"These guys are incredibly clever and inspiring, and manage to produce an educational, inspiring and wonderfully entertaining show from beginning to end. Baba and Heather had a delightful, bantering rapport between them…The show ends with a rap by Heather herself, and its humor sent you off with a good feeling, adding to a sense of smugness that you’d stumbled across an absolute jewel of a show."
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"Their chemistry on stage is fantastic. 'Off The Top' is essentially a humorous lecture and it achieves exactly what it sets out to, entertaining and informing simultaneously. Though asking an audience member to come onstage and rap 15 minutes into a show is risky, it works in this environment, where the goal is to see how the brain works during improvisation...You’ll learn a lot here, with plenty of laughs along the way."
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