Sancho: An Act of Remembrance NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (22)
See it if You enjoy British history and one-man shows. You want to learn about people your textbooks ignored.
Don't see it if You need dramatic action. You dislike period dramas or stripped down staging.
See it if You are interested in a profile of a black Englishman and his mark on history.
Don't see it if you want a theatrical piece that doesn't bury the lead. Read more
Critic Reviews (6)
"A joy to experience. Joseph's Sancho is overflowing with charisma, and sometimes it's hard to tell if it's Joseph or Sancho who has the audience wrapped around one finger. Joseph writes and plays him with such vivacity...Wonderfully written and masterfully acted. A reminder of the power of theater to teach us of the incredible people who came before us, left out of our textbooks, but still with stories that make us laugh and cry. A show that you just won't want to miss."
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"The play bears the marks of Mr. Joseph’s research, and he has clearly absorbed the style of Sancho’s writing, though he takes care to make it playable...What’s here is much more episodic than dramatic...The few moments of action feel contrived...Yet if the monologue Mr. Joseph has written isn’t quite the costume drama he intended, he has created a detailed portrait of a man who was an interested witness to the events of his day and who helped to shape them."
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"Joseph’s true goal...was casting a little light on the history of free blacks in the West. In this he succeeds winningly, bringing a kind of humble audacity to role of Sancho while keeping the tone buoyant, never didactic. It’s a lovingly and masterfully crafted performance...The captivating quality of the performance and the inherently interesting story made me want more of it – more story...'Sancho' is less a deep portrait than a tantalizing glimpse of the life and times of its subject."
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"It is, first and foremost, a captivating story expertly told by Joseph...He talks to the audience as to an interested stranger, all flashing smiles and half-mocking boasts. But shining through this winning exterior is a grit and an emotional depth that comes to the fore...It is testament to Joseph’s versatility that he manages to cram a host of idiosyncratic supporting characters...'Sancho' is undoubtedly more than an entertaining tale...The piece has an undoubted contemporary relevance."
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"Paterson Joseph is as charming as his subject, and is also the author of this nuanced portrait of a black man who rose from slavery in the heart of London...It’s remarkable how Joseph nearly plays two characters: the younger, brasher, and older, wiser Sancho, and how he is equally convincing and magnetic as each...For Americans, the story is a reminder of the importance of the right to vote, and the dignity intrinsic in exercising it."
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"Joseph’s energetic portrayal, as directed by Simon Godwin, rejects the comforts Sancho enjoyed as a darling of high society...What shines forth in 'Sancho: An Act of Remembrance' is not just a fascinating, often overlooked historical character, but Paterson Joseph’s commitment to reveal and celebrate the forgotten Brits of African descent."
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