Rent Control
Closed 1h 30m
Rent Control
90

Rent Control NYC Reviews and Tickets

90%
(97 Ratings)
Positive
99%
Mixed
1%
Negative
0%
Members say
Funny, Great acting, Entertaining, Clever, Hilarious

About the Show

A struggling actor turns an NYC rent-controlled apartment into a lucrative Airbnb scheme in this wild-but-true one-man show, written and performed by Evan Zes. A hit at FringeNYC 2016.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (97)

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50 Reviews | 12 Followers
99
Entertaining, Funny, Great acting, Absorbing, Clever

See it if you like one person shows with multiple characters. Bonus points if you are a New Yorker.

Don't see it if You are not a fan of one-person shows. Read more

332 Reviews | 41 Followers
89
Absorbing, Entertaining, Funny, Enchanting, Great storytelling

See it if You like a one man show. You want to laugh. You want to hear a great story that sucks you in. You want to be entertained.

Don't see it if You do not like a one man show. You do not want to laugh. You do not want to hear a funny and moving story about a struggling actor.

87 Reviews | 13 Followers
88
Entertaining, Funny, Great acting, Raunchy, Great writing

See it if Know rent control in NYC, want to laugh throughout the show & be thoroughly entertained. Relevant and cleverly scripted.

Don't see it if If you don't like vulgarity. If not there's no reason to not enjoy an evening of entertainment in a solo show.

754 Reviews | 127 Followers
86
Funny, Resonant, Clever, Ambitious, Quirky

See it if you are a New Yorker or hope to be one! This one man show will either fill you with servivalisalist pride or send you fo the safe suburbs.

Don't see it if you are not prepared to laugh through the pain.

Al
127 Reviews | 888 Followers
85
Absorbing, Delightful, Entertaining, Funny

See it if you can relate to the rent-controlled vs. free-market rent disparity, you've used Airbnb, or you know what it's like to be poor in NYC.

Don't see it if you don't like one-man shows or dingy theaters.

502 Reviews | 67 Followers
85
Entertaining, Great acting, Funny, Hilarious, Great writing

See it if you enjoy a comic interpretation of one man's adventures in the bizarre world of NYC rentals.

Don't see it if you work for the IRS.

84 Reviews | 47 Followers
85
Hilarious, Great acting, Entertaining, Clever, Must see

See it if You enjoy one man shows with a great act portraying an array of characters from his life. You enjoy laughing alot. You are an actor.

Don't see it if Like a play with lots of special effects and heavy drama. Read more

216 Reviews | 58 Followers
85
Funny, Entertaining, Clever, Raunchy

See it if if you like New York stories and want a few good laughs. Good script, good timing, good laughs throughout, well performed.

Don't see it if if you don't like one-person performances; I found the venue of this small bar room to be cozy but it may not suit everyone. Read more

Critic Reviews (5)

Theatermania
August 22nd, 2016
For a previous production

"This solo show from Evan Zes may just be the surprise thriller of the festival. It's thrilling because it deals with the shady underbelly of New York City's most tawdry industry: real estate…An average Joe with a dirty sense of humor, Zes knows how to spin a yarn, adding layers of intrigue until we are not sure whom to trust…You'll laugh at Zes' grotesque portrayals of his neighbors and roommates and cringe at the way the big sharks of Manhattan real estate devour us minnows."
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Theatre is Easy
August 21st, 2016
For a previous production

“At first seems like a well-rehearsed monologue rather than a full show. This stiffness quickly melts away, however, to reveal a dangerously hilarious actor/writer with a clear ability to capture an audience...It is his performance that makes the piece, in more ways than one. With such a simple set-up, Zes needs to be near perfect in order to maintain interest, a task he easily accomplishes...A highly enjoyable piece with a wonderful performer at the helm.”
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New York Theater
August 15th, 2016
For a previous production

“Zes, as it turns out, is a winning performer - as funny and foul-mouthed as a stand-up and as skilled in storytelling as any Moth champion. He is also talented in mimicry, portraying some 30 characters in his engaging tale that is as much about the life of a struggling actor as it is about his adventures as a housing hustler. Add to that a self-deprecating persona that is as often disarmingly frank as it is funny.”
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NY Theatre Guide
August 18th, 2016
For a previous production

"Zes unfurls a whopper of a rent control anecdote...Zes has a cheerfully profane, blithely fatalistic way of narrating all of this, and when the plot thickens, it allows him to do more voices...In a town where housing is at such a premium, who doesn’t love a good apartment tale?...He’s an engaging host, and the pretty-happy ending is very gratifying."
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DC Metro Theater Arts
September 29th, 2016
For a previous production

"The self-described 'fuckin’ actor' with a 'worthless MFA in fuckin’ acting' is eminently likeable, completely natural, and thoroughly entertaining,..Underlying the humor, Zes slyly acknowledges both the diversity and the economic disparity that define the melting-pot culture of NYC...Those are issues to which a lot of people in the arts, and in New York, can relate, that visitors will find illuminating, and that will leave everyone rooting for this delightful (if not 100% ethical!) underdog."
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