Rip Tide NYC Reviews and Tickets

88%

(6 Ratings)

Positive

100%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Great acting, Delightful, Clever, Funny

About the Show

Edgar Oliver reflects on his downtown theatre journey, and The Pyramid Club's influence on him.

For more than thirty years, Edgar Oliver has been a prominent figure in the downtown New York theatre scene. But how did Edgar embark on his remarkable journey as a performer?

At the age of twenty-three, he discovered the Pyramid Club, a now-vanished establishment on Avenue A. This venue, a haven for artists and outsiders alike, served as Edgar's inaugural stage in the city. In the hidden corners of this enchanting theatre, Edgar unearthed the voice that conveyed all the sorrow, splendor, isolation, and camaraderie of his early life to his audience. The Pyramid Club played a pivotal role in shaping the beautiful, poignant, and triumphant individual he has become.

In Rip Tide, live, original music by Paul Carbonara will echo the enigmatic and intricate world of The Pyramid Club and Edgar's place within it.

Show-Score Member Reviews (6)

Absorbing, Intense, Funny, Great writing, Great acting

See it if Carbonara acoustic&melancholic music mirrors perfectly the complex world of the Pyramid Club&Oliver's place in it.Authentic act in black box

Don't see it if Uninterested in a one-hander, though writer/perf Edgar Oliver is very good at portraying multiple characters of the 80s East Village club * Read more

Challenging, Great acting, Touching

See it if Edgar Oliver is a compelling performer with a unique POV and story to tell. It's a vivid chapter in history of queer, downtown NYC.

Don't see it if Don't see if you dislike monologues or personal histories. Live music is used effectively but it's not a musical.

100

Entertaining, Enchanting, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if Enjoy an absorbing, moving, & walk down memory lane.

Don't see it if If you don’t like the past

During previews

Exquisite, Absorbing, Riveting, Great acting, Delightful

See it if you enjoy masterful storytelling - here a one-hander by a lower east side legend beautifully enunciating his tales w/great 3-piece combo.

Don't see it if you are looking for a play with characters or you do not appreciate memoir shows of eccentric personalities.

During previews

Refreshing, Great acting, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if Wonderful storytelling of a man’s life & times in New York.

Don't see it if If you do not like one-man shows with a bare stage then skip this one.

During previews

Beautifully performed, Memoir, Nostalgic, Poignant, Funny & sad

See it if you are an aficionado of Edgar Oliver's peculiar brand of gothic/funny/poignant story telling; are old enough to remember the pre-AIDS 70s

Don't see it if you don't like solo/memoir shows; can't relate to themes of gay identity, awkward situations, getting noticed & finding your happy place Read more

Critic Reviews (2)

“Stylishly directed by Randall Sharp, the piece foregrounds Oliver as a particularly gripping storyteller, which he is. You’d be captivated if he were telling you these anecdotes down the block at the Washington Square Diner, but in the furtive, slightly ethereal confines of Axis Theatre, it feel like a séance summoning the ghosts of the past.”
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“Like a flower slowly opening its petals to reveal its beauty, ‘Rip Tide’, the one-person show now playing at Axis Theatre, carefully and beautifully unfolds its story over the course of 60 minutes.”
Read more

Trailer

Creative team