Soundstage
74

Soundstage NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%
(22 Ratings)
Positive
64%
Mixed
32%
Negative
4%
Members say
Ambitious, Great staging, Slow, Edgy, Quirky

About the Show

HERE presents this world premiere theater and film hybrid from Rob Roth who performs alongside his on-film counterpart, actor Rebecca Hall. An audio and visual poem that meditates on the concept of the artistic muse.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (22)

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63 Reviews | 26 Followers
91
Great staging, Great acting, Edgy, Enchanting, Riveting

See it if you are a fan of multimedia-infused theater. Also, if the name "David Lynch" gets you excited.

Don't see it if you don't appreciate nonlinear narratives and poetic approach to narration Read more

102 Reviews | 65 Followers
88
Exquisite, Intense, Great staging

See it if You love theatrical cinematography, stunning imagery, flawless details and bravery. What if this was the only place you could see yourself?

Don't see it if If you hate the abstract, or the art more than the dialogue. Dislike Ingmar Bergman, Picasso, Sunset Boulevard, Noir, Pan's Labyrinth. Read more

567 Reviews | 150 Followers
87
Clever, Edgy, Entertaining, Absorbing, Multi-media mix

See it if Gay man reveres female screen image via his immersion into TV/Film w/ live strings and vocals. Technical feats of blended media(+wig forms).

Don't see it if One-hour solo show. Female siren, actor Rebecca Hall, upstages (but doesn't appear onstage) and is truly larger-than-life.Don't sit in front

77 Reviews | 8 Followers
86
Intelligent, Masterful, Great staging, Riveting, Thought-provoking

See it if You like performance art done using newer technology, spliced w/multiple mediums simultaneously to indirectly convey deep msg/feeling

Don't see it if You don't like edgy performance art

55 Reviews | 11 Followers
85
Ambitious, Edgy, Intense, Thought-provoking

See it if you are a fan of avant-garde theater. This is a dreamlike exploration of loneliness, nostalgia, and obsession told through song and cinema.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy experimental art, or are not interested in stories told through a queer gaze. Also note that smoking & drug use is depicted.

1122 Reviews | 324 Followers
79
Absorbing, Slow, Great staging, Edgy, Quirky

See it if you want to be immersed in the interaction of the technically superior muse and the searching character who is well played by the actor.

Don't see it if multi-media, including a roving camera and projection crew, sometimes with loud television static, and live:screen interaction are not 4 you

180 Reviews | 44 Followers
78
Slow, Intelligent, Great staging, Ambitious

See it if you enjoy experimental pieces that fully take advantage of their deployed technology

Don't see it if you dislike multi-media heavy pieces or require an over-arching "message" to latch on to. Read more

60 Reviews | 15 Followers
76
Absorbing, Slow, Great staging, Edgy, Confusing

See it if you like multi-media stage poetry

Don't see it if you don't like experimental stuff

Critic Reviews (4)

The New York Times
September 20th, 2018

“This beautifully designed, maddeningly aimless show...demonstrates how difficult it is to theatricalize a mindscape...The biggest coup...is Hall’s magnetic presence...The text is verbose and vague, and so comically overheated that it can feel like a parody of Tennessee Williams...What’s most frustrating is that...'Soundstage' dispenses enough tantalizing nuggets to make you wish a dramaturge had helped harness Roth’s imagination...Ultimately, there is no emotional payoff."
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The Observer
September 17th, 2018

“A lusciously designed, 60-minute queer exorcism...Roth’s construct, while technically impressive with its crisp, expertly framed cinematography and intricately choreographed audio-visuals, does not really push the human conversation forward. Instead, it’s a heavily mediated backward glance that might be meaningful to the creator, but feels dated and vaguely unnecessary. When technology is the freshest thing onstage, there may be a problem.”
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T
September 18th, 2018

"The technical composition is flawless...Roth gives a seamless performance...The entire piece feels like a kind of dance...Some beats teeter between vulnerable and self-indulgent. There’s a great deal to take in and it can be challenging to know where one’s attention ought to fall...However, once one lets go and allows themselves to sink into the haunting, out-of-time world...’Soundstage’ is a singular experience for audiences that enjoy something off the beaten path.”
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The Theatre Times
September 22nd, 2018

"A compelling stream of consciousness that flows along with the sound waves and vintage film footage. With stunning technicality and poetic sensitivity, the show paints and composes the complex emotions when we are left alone, discarded and exiled into our most profound addictions and desires...It is rare to see such high-quality execution of all the technical characters including...synchronization between live actor and pre-recorded footage."
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