Rent Party NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%

(1 Review)

Positive

100%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Slow, Ambitious, Clever

About the Show

Set in Harlem in the 1920s, this new work invites you to follow Rose, Jenny, and Ricky as they help their mammas throw a rent party to save their home.

From the show:

In the early 1900s African-Americans began to migrate north in large numbers. Harlem was where their community was, so many moved there, despite the high rents. Rent parties became a popular way for families to raise the rent money they needed. They would hire a musician or band, get cheap refreshments and charge a small entry fee.

An innovative toy theater fills the stage, a replica of a Harlem block from the 1920s. Lights flicker on as people awake. We see toy theater puppets, shadows come to life in windows, and at a certain point the whole set transforms. All the while actors frolic in 20s costumes, original saxophone music plays through the speakers and a cat does back alley beat poetry. We’re transported in time to an era poignant and pivotal to the African-American experience in this country and people of all ages should know these stories, hear these words and listen to this music.

Member Reviews (1)

Slow, Ambitious, Clever

See it if you'd like a slice of African-Americana; you appreciate the artistry & creativity involved in puppetry and animation.

Don't see it if you only want to see a "real" play rather than a puppet show, though it's not the traditional type of puppet show. Read more

Critic Reviews (1)

"'Rent Party' is billed as a show for the whole family, but it will be of real interest primarily to preteen children. At that, it seems a rather dull outing. The actors here tend to speak in a sing-song-y manner. Very little humor or visual excitement ensues."
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