Red Hills NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (16)
See it if Rwanda and its history interests you, you like site-specific, immersive staging
Don't see it if You don't like to stand or sit in uncomfortable chairs or 90 minutes. A two person play doesn't do much for you.
See it if immersive and interactive theatre is a plus. great use of space, scenic design, and music/foley.
Don't see it if u don't like participation or want to be seated for the whole time. Don't like well-meaning whiteness being challenged.
See it if You don't mind being beaten over the head with a hackneyed story. It is hard to believe someone agreed to be identified as a dramaturge.
Don't see it if Obvious is a problem for you. Please, give the hero a bad habit, and give us any reason to not hate the stupid, evil white guy.
See it if You enjoy immersive theater and are willing to walk from one room into another. Also if you enjoy political theater.
Don't see it if You do not like any of the above
See it if you are interested in an exploration of forgiveness (or lack thereof) and stories/who should be telling them
Don't see it if you're not comfortable with some audience participation, you want proper seats, you want a lot of plot/action
See it if You want to be disappointed. Site-specific shows when done right are powerfully immersive, this feels forced at best and grueling at worst.
Don't see it if You want to see a thoughtful examination of how genocide affects a nation.
See it if You enjoy shows with audience immersion/interaction. You want to see a piece of theatre that will make you research the subject matter.
Don't see it if You very much dislike any sort of audience participation. You feel you would not be able to sit on a wooden bench for a while. Read more
See it if you want to understand the genocide in Rwanda in the context of a victim and his family.
Don't see it if You don't want heavy themed shows of a disturbing subject matter.
Critic Reviews (3)
“A clever, site-responsive play...An intelligent work of theater and ultimately a reassuring one...What Ms. Pearl’s canny direction and the evocative design can only somewhat disguise is the conventional structure of the piece...The problem isn’t that this is a hopeful ending, but that it’s an ending that elides some of the more uncomfortable questions about who gets to own pain, who gets to profit from it, what it means that hate has birthed a tourism industry.”
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“A reworking of Lewis’ solo memory play ‘Dogs of Rwanda’...Kawe maintains Lewis’ basic plot but alters the conception for two characters...Lacks a compelling spine and earlier presentational additions don’t really add much...Never becomes very compelling...Writing is slack, rudimentary and persistently not very clear. The audience is often directly engaged to react...'Red Hills' nobly seeks to dramatize a notable and tragic historical event but does so inadequately.”
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"An honest conversation, full of laughter and heartache, between unlikely companions in misery. The seamless collaboration of two authors elevates the monologue of a privileged white man and returns the voice to those whose story it is in the first place...Ssenjovu’s performance is lively and forceful, and watching him savor Kawe’s tart jokes is very refreshing. The effect is strengthened by the contrast of horrifying stories of genocide in which his entire family perished."
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