Open NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%

(20 Reviews)

Positive

85%

Mixed

15%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Confusing, Resonant, Ambitious

About the Show

"Open" is a magic show with no magic. A woman called The Magician seems to pantomime a myriad of tricks, but her act reveals she is attempting the impossible—to save the life of her lover, Jenny.

And yet, is it possible that the more we believe in their love, the more The Magician's illusions are actually becoming real? The clock is ticking, the show must go on, and as impossible as it may seem, this Magician’s magic act may be our last hope against a world filled with intolerance and hate.

Member Reviews (20)

Clever, Barebones, Confusing, Non-linear, Romantic

See it if you'd like a gay love story w/imaginary magic tricks. Clever premise wears thin. Non-linear plot gets confusing. Moving, but manipulative.

Don't see it if you want full char devt (lover is a blur). Some aud particpn. Distracting costume. Hill annoys a bit. Script slow in parts. Theatrical piece

Intelligent, Moving, Complex, Resonant, Absorbing

See it if On the surface, the magician is trying to save her lover; underneath she is trying to find herself. Her illusions represent her facade.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy multi-level character development stories, where a lot of the action is a subconscious struggle. You don’t like solo plays.

Critic Reviews (4)

“Kristen, the narrator and sole character of Skillman’s new play...executes magic tricks because she is the one who needs to believe. The miracle this lovely show pulls out is that by the end, she does — and so do we...’Open’ is not a postmodern deconstruction of David Copperfield, however, but a fragile love story that harbors tragedy under its seemingly goofy exterior...’Open’ reminds us that making an audience believe is a trick writers and actors can master.”
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"When the door to a theater closes, the rest of the world usually stays outside. But in Crystal Skillman’s sensitive solo show 'Open'...everything penetrates...The play feels long at 75 minutes, because the central metaphor wears out too soon. But the depth of Hill’s commitment keeps reawakening the pathos. The magic in 'Open' is all pretend, but the violence Skillman refers to is brutally real."
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"Skillman unfolds an achingly beautiful story, dropping bits and pieces of Kristen's thoughts and memories as she balances her tightrope of love, commitment, sacrifice, and transformation. Hill's performance as Kristen is funny, honest, compelling, and heartbreaking; one cannot take their eyes off her, and it's not because she is the sole occupant of the stage."
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“This play is music. It is that song you love. You know that song when every note of it is perfect, every instrument chosen is the correct choice, and the voice of the singer is the kind that lifts you to another realm. It is a poem, a love letter to us, crafted by an artist...Skillman mixes the world of magic, with the world of the living, all with precision and grace...Hill beguiles her actors to become dancers, magicians, clowns, mimes, musical instruments of storytelling.”
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