The Artificial Jungle NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (113)
See it if Tight ensemble works like a Swiss watch. Bank on Chase, pretty and sassy leading lady. Just buy into the situation and let farce entertain.
Don't see it if You hate farce and need a steady drama diet. Read more
See it if You appreciate the utterly ridiculous, especially if it comes with piranha puppets (and a great soundtrack)
Don't see it if You want serious or substantive
See it if you enjoy campy comedy from the Theater of the Ridiculous with over the top acting.
Don't see it if you want something serious, less "fringe-ie" and more conservative.
See it if you saw Therese Raquin and wished it was a comedy.
Don't see it if you have no sense of humor.
See it if you love farce. Or if you have fond memories of the Ridiculous Theatre company. If is goofy and fun - a modern day Carol Burnett sketch.
Don't see it if you hate farce. Or if you want a serious night out.
See it if you want to see a bunch of committed actors taking on this "iconic" piece (including the piranha). Kudos to the members of the TBTB.
Don't see it if your not a fan of campy, over the top humor.
See it if You like dark comedy, camp & definitely over the top performances by a talented cast, see this show. It's laugh out loud funny at times.
Don't see it if Don't like camp or the ridiculous, want thought provoking work or expect a serious show...this is not for you. Read more
See it if you want a taste of what Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Co. was about in its hey day.
Don't see it if you do not like campy humor though, there are some real belly laughs here.
Critic Reviews (15)
"It’s that touch of zaniness that’s lacking in this revival by Theater Breaking Through Barriers...Even under Mr. Quinton’s direction, the cast members strain rather than perform and don’t appear to enjoy a gourmand’s taste for riotous, yet disciplined, scenery-chewing. Ms. Chase comes closest with a ripe Noo Yawk accent that drips over her lines like hot fudge on a sundae. But even a tasty dessert can’t rescue a pallid main course."
Read more
"After wobbling in tone and pace, the production pops to life in its much briefer second act, a straightforwardly silly travesty of 'Thérèse Raquin.' Alyssa H. Chase plays a trashy Venus flytrap of an unfaithful wife—as though 'Little Shop of Horrors's' Audrey had the soul of Audrey II—and the capable Anthony Michael Lopez is the sexy drifter she ropes into crime. A grinning puppet piranha provides welcome comic bravado; this is a rare play where the scenery chews the actors."
Read more
"A riotous revival...Thirty years later, the play still feels subversive, witty, and even eerily relevant....Under the steady direction of Everett Quinton, the entire cast unflinchingly commits to each beat...Even when you're laughing at the suspense-genre tropes, you can't help jump in your seat when they take you by surprise...Lest you think 'The Artificial Jungle' is merely a camp-fest, good for laughs and nothing more, a sly social critique emerges."
Read more
“The production provides plenty of hilarity, thanks to Quinton's direction and a cast that knows that the surest route to big laughs involves playing this absurdly steamy melodrama for keeps…Quinton, who knows this property better than anyone alive, orchestrates the action with gusto…The director handles these high-camp proceedings with total deadpan assurance, keeping his cast from signaling to the audience that they know they're in a comedy.”
Read more
"Anyone who saw the original 'The Artificial Jungle' in 1986 will find the current revival a blast from the past and a replica production. That's because it's directed with real pizzazz and flair by Everett Quinton, who was a star of the original production, and he knows exactly what made it work in the first place. The revival is in celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Ridiculous Theatrical Company."
Read more
“The hilarious, campy style of Charles Ludlam lives on in this excellent revival...The play and production, like Ludlam, is indeed ridiculous, so if you’re looking for sincere, heartfelt fare, this is not it. But if you’re looking to celebrate the artificial limitations of theatre, and laugh at the ridiculousness of stock characters, a fabricated plot, and phony-baloney horror, ‘The Artificial Jungle’ will make you smile. I can’t think of a better way to honor Ludlam’s memory."
Read more
"Directed into 100 minutes of quick-paced theatrical excellence by Ludlam’s talented partner Everett Quinton. 'The Artificial Jungle' mixes all human emotions into a stew of wonderful theater...The delight of most Ludlam plays is to take the structure of classical text and add layers of parody, camp performance, and fun. 'The Artificial Jungle' succeeds on all these levels...The cast is fantastic across the board."
Read more
"Moderately amusing revival…Much of this can be humorous but it no longer packs the comic punch it had in 1986…While the exaggerated acting is more or less in tune with Ludlam's intentions, it can do little with lines that too often thud and situations that are wildly overstated…The show's drollest moments, though, come from those ravenous piranhas, represented by puppets...Their reactions to what's going on offer the show's most hilarious contribution."
Read more