People, Places, & Things NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (116)
See it if You enjoy an extreme view on a part of society you haven't experienced before. You like looking at situations in a different light and sound
Don't see it if You don't like cussing, loud music or real life discussion about drug use
See it if An absolute masterclass in acting. Intense and creatively staged. Heavy topic of addiction dissected like a slap in the face. Amazing!
Don't see it if The topic of addiction is interesting to you. If you don’t like heavy plays. It is intense.
See it if An addict journeys out of fog into her shrouded past and future. Incredible acting. Stunning staging. Gut wrenching climax with a twist.
Don't see it if You are not interested in an intense drama with dissonant sounds and flashing lights. You don't enjoy expressionist staging.
See it if you want to see a breathtaking performance by Denise Gough. Also, highly creative direction by Jeremy Herrin. Kudos also to Barbara Marten.
Don't see it if seeing a person going through rehab makes your feel uncomfortable.
See it if you are a fan of Foucault's
Don't see it if you have an issue of lines and lines of self-exposition.
See it if you enjoy powerhouse acting and superb production of a relevant topic today of drug addiction. Denise Gough is phenomenal! Don't miss her!
Don't see it if you have seen too many plays about recovery or don't enjoy plays about drug addiction. Read more
See it if You are thrilled by innovative staging and edgy content .
Don't see it if You have an aversion to loud noises and drug addicts.
See it if Denise Gough is a tour-de-force. Staging and directing masterclass.
Don't see it if Uncomfortable with the dark, raw ... hard hitting emotions and reality,
Critic Reviews (29)
“A play that blows the top of your head off...Some of the most inventive direction I’ve seen in years, a committed company, and a sensational central performance by Denise Gough...’People, Places & Things’ offers a number of compelling insights into the desperate struggles of the addict...There’s the over-arching question: ‘What is recovery?’ Emma attempts an answer at the play’s end—and it’s worth it to take the journey with her, just to hear it.”
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“Denise Gough is getting it all perfectly right in the phenomenal ‘People, Places & Things.’ It’s a whirlwind performance...In no way is this production, directed by Jeremy Herrin, standard in the slightest. It flies high, above any expectations that could exist, and then excels beyond even that...Every word and moment has intense meaning in Emma’s life and great importance in the overall arc of this fascinating tale...Gough is transfixing, and to miss her in this would be a crime.”
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“Gough’s is not the only extraordinary performance...All ten cast members do a spot-on job, and director Herrin puts them and the design team to great use, with some inventive moments of stagecraft that are downright thrilling...Some will see ‘People, Places’ with a running time of about two hours and a half hours, as overlong and repetitive. But I found it worth the wait for the penultimate scene...It was also one of the most moving scenes I’ve experienced this season.”
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“Although leavened by dark humor and eye-popping visuals, this play-so pertinent during our present opioid crisis-can be heavy going…Gough…gives a physically and emotionally grueling performance that bravely avoids sentimentalizing the character; in fact, by the end of the long first act, you may find your patience for her unrelenting hissy fits…wearing thin…Sarah's drug-fueled episodes allow director Jeremy Herrin and movement specialist Polly Bennett to concoct dazzling theatrical moments.”
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“Actress Emma (Denise Gough giving nothing less than a brilliant performance) falls apart from excessive drinking and drugging during a performance of 'The Seagull’...The scene during which she confronts her parents is perhaps MacMillan’s most effective—after a series of extremely effective play-long sequences directed by Jeremy Herrin...Macmillan lets no one off the hook in a work that makes a case for the undeniable benefits of rehabilitation.”
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“A sensorially thrilling show...As a production and a performance, ‘People, Places & Things’ is a fireworks display. Narratively, though, the play follows a traditional pattern, one you can predict...The piece shows real sympathy for those in recovery, and Gough is giving an old-fashioned, barnstorming, operatic performance. If it doesn’t bother you that there’s something false at the story’s core, then, hell, lean back and let the experience take you away.”
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“Denise Gough, the lead actor, isn’t just good. She’s great playing Emma, an actress-addict who just can’t stop imbibing every drug known to man…Emma is also wildly funny...Unfortunately, Macmillan saved nothing but platitudes for the therapist and all the other patients…Whenever the 12-step talk interrupts one of Emma’s fascinating tirades, director Jeremy Herrin invariably comes to the rescue.”
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“Herrin’s staging and the acting approach (by a strong ensemble) hews to a baseline of gritty naturalism. But the script is studded with brainy debates...Gough is so spontaneous and visceral, you nearly forget how hard she’s working — how many pivots and layers the role requires...A meticulously detailed portrait of a woman traumatized by a homogenized culture and parental neglect, who shovels mountains of drugs into the hole of her modern, excavated self."
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