Playing Hot NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (41)
See it if you like a show that uses every part of the room, makes you feel like you are part of the show, enjoy jazz and are interested in its history
Don't see it if you don't like jazz, can't stand thru the show (there are limited seats).
See it if You love jazz. You are interested in the history of the New Orleans music scene. You enjoy being surrounded by the action.
Don't see it if You don’t enjoy New Orleans Jazz. You have difficult standing throughout a show.
See it if you like jazz; you want a hybrid concert/theater experience; you like dancing along with actors
Don't see it if you don't want to stand the majority of the time; you don't want to be encouraged by actors to dance during the musical interludes
See it if you love music and New orleans. A genuinely fun uplifting show teaching us about origins of jazz. Immersive and cleverly staged
Don't see it if If you cant physically stand. Most of the audience is standing throughout the show. And it can be loud (which i liked)
See it if you want to join a NOLA second line that leads to a dance hall celebration of the origins of jazz & the story of its forgotten originator.
Don't see it if ur not able to stand (& dance) for 90+ minutes & immerse yourself in the uplifting jazz celebration & somber recounting of its tragic OG. Read more
See it if you like jazz music, enjoy to be on your feet and dancing, or immersed in the action.
Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional play. This was a mix of music, dancing, and acting vignettes.
See it if fascinating and tragic true story of a musician lost to history told through music, parade, and live concert venue
Don't see it if don't want to stand--or want an immersive experience. Read more
See it if you love jazz, love New Orleans, want to learn more about the history of both
Don't see it if you want a fully developed musical; play is many small pieces stitched together
Critic Reviews (3)
"Endearingly messy...Offers a composite portrait of Bolden that is decidedly PG and largely good-humored. The show, directed by Bradley, keeps changing viewpoints in an enthusiastic if unruly manner...'Playing Hot' often trips on itself by wanting to take on too much, and some of it borders on cartoonish, as if the authors and director weren’t sure of what they want to say or how they want to say it...But the show also knows when to stop the merriment, and ends on a quiet note."
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“Clearly the work of young, enthusiastic, but relatively inexperienced theater-makers. Johnson and Armento’s book is erratically structured and unintentionally borders on parody. Even the central character...comes across as two-dimensional...Despite these criticisms, I nonetheless still ended up having fun. Indeed, when 'Playing Hot' drops its pretensions of being a musical and commits to simply playing Bolden’s music, it thrillingly lives up to its title..”
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“It’s almost like the show is a way to actively learn about this lesser-known piece of jazz history while also having a fun evening out...The dance breaks where cast members...encouraging audience members to let loose make for a lively show...The performers are all solid, particularly the musicians. The music is fabulous...Part play, part dance party, and part jazz concert, Pipeline Theater’s ‘Playing Hot’ is an invigorating theatrical experience.”
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