The Archbishop's Ceiling
Closed 2h 0m
The Archbishop's Ceiling
65

The Archbishop's Ceiling NYC Reviews and Tickets

65%
(49 Ratings)
Positive
45%
Mixed
45%
Negative
10%
Members say
Slow, Disappointing, Confusing, Thought-provoking, Great acting

About the Show

Arthur Miller's prescient 1978 play, never before seen in New York City, forces us to confront politics as theater, where blending the truth with lies is all part of the game.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (49)

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88 Reviews | 14 Followers
94
Profound, Absorbing, Clever

See it if You enjoy a study of the relationship between the individual and the state, a la Antigone.

Don't see it if You seek escapist fare. You think 100 minutes is too long for a play with no intermission. Read more

108 Reviews | 30 Followers
92
Must see, Intelligent, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you like Arthur Miller and want to see a relatively unknown intelligent work of his that relates to the times we live in today.

Don't see it if you just want to concentrate on the lighter side of life. Read more

114 Reviews | 9 Followers
86
Thought-provoking, Resonant, Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if you are intrigued by a play about people living in a totalitarian society and caught in its methods to silence critics.

Don't see it if you dislike plays with complicated plots where nothing is what it seems at first sight and the truth emerges only slowly.

395 Reviews | 92 Followers
80
Ambitious, Profound, Intelligent, Great acting, Clever

See it if I must say I went into this play with low expectations. But I really enjoyed it, good acting, and really kept me engaged.

Don't see it if You have trouble sitting through serious plays for almost 2 hours without an intermission

435 Reviews | 60 Followers
80
Slow, Resonant, Relevant, Indulgent, Absorbing

See it if U’re a fan of Arthur Miller and want 2 c an unseen (in NYC) play if his. I enjoyed the story’s closeness 2 our days of Trump. Funny moments.

Don't see it if You’re looking for something light and airy.

444 Reviews | 79 Followers
80
Lesser henry miller, Erudite conversation, Fine ensemble acting, Relevant still

See it if Dissident writer, American author, communist sympathizer, and poetess/actress in Eastern Europe react to crackdown by government agents.

Don't see it if If you are confused by a plot that is a thinly camouflaged description of actual historical events and has no clear resolution. Read more

165 Reviews | 23 Followers
78
Thought-provoking, Intense, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you want a drama about political climates and who you should believe and trust.

Don't see it if you want more lighthearted fare.

108 Reviews | 35 Followers
78
Slow, Great acting, Dated but worth it, Thought-provoking, Historic

See it if you love Arthur Miller & want to see his less popular plays. Very good production of a quirky 2nd rate play. Interesting, but not his best.

Don't see it if you expect it to be like Miller's iconic masterpieces. Or a fast-paced modern play. Actors & director can only do so much with this script

Critic Reviews (2)

TheaterScene.net
May 13th, 2019

"Performed without an intermission, Arthur Miller's 'The Archbishop's Ceiling' goes on too long for the few events that take place. The title gives away the play's one big secret and the other later revelations seem too little and too late when there is much more technologically advanced surveillance available today. As we wake up to reports of hacking on an almost daily basis, the play's relevance seems to have diminished greatly in the intervening years since it was written."
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Outer-Stage
May 16th, 2019

"The play itself at times, can be brooding and uneasy. The goings-on can at times be sensual, even affectionate. But what brings a contemporaneous warmth to the play’s otherwise Cold War chill is the director himself and his precise direction to his ensemble casts deep appreciation for the personal poetics of individual power during times of political paranoia, hatred and deep contentment for those with opposing views. Very relevantly contemporary.”
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