The Boy Who Danced On Air NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (60)
See it if you like an intimate political musical with great tunes, an absorbing plot, and high stakes. A both challenging and emotional little show/
Don't see it if you don't like political musicals, are uncomfortable with gay abuse, rape, or a show set in Afghanistan.
See it if you have the stomach for a really good musical that is about a very rancid subject: pedophilia in Afghanistan. So well done and worth it.
Don't see it if you only like "My Fair Lady" musicals that don't try to open our minds to strong subject material.
See it if you like dark themes, you like new musicals, you like small casts, you like great singing
Don't see it if dark topics make you feel uncomfortable, you want a large cast, you want a standard storyline Read more
See it if you are ok with difficult subject matters staged to beautiful music. great voices. wonderful actors.
Don't see it if overly complex story lines. politics could have been left out. trying to be too clever. very difficult topic
See it if you want to be shaken, moved, tense, relieved, enchanted, frightened, by new material that is inescapably emotionally complex.
Don't see it if a difficult play about conflicting moral values, traditions and cultures isn't your taste. Not for the those who want simple happy endings Read more
See it if To learn about a hidden, yet commonplace practice in mid-East tribal cultures, musicals about a masculine practice that turns to love
Don't see it if Uncomfortable with macho behavior in a homoerotic practice that challenges a modern society
See it if Ambitious chamber musical about culturally condoned (?) pedophilia in the Arab world. Very well sung & acted despite uncomfortable depiction
Don't see it if Overly plotted (the subplot is extraneous) & many songs hinder pacing The gay relationship between the bacha bazi dancers is underwritten
See it if you want to learn about this custom. you want a glimpse into Afghan disillusionment in US.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with pedophilia, Muslims as victim, hero, and villain. With USA strictly villainous. Read more
Critic Reviews (25)
"In this deeply moving portrayal, exquisitely told through song, we are witness to intolerable crimes and brutality against these very young boys...This is not an easy production in which to be an audience and the fact that it is somewhat lightened by melodic music and good storytelling helps. But if you are squeamish in the face of bodily harm, beware!...Tony Speciale directs this cast with extraordinary understanding and tantalizing aplomb."
Read more
“I admit to being riveted by the story while wishing that the production was a little better...Clearly, the story and the setting are unique and interesting and deserve to be told…Raviv brings Jahandar brilliantly to life on the stage in a nuanced and masterful performance. I just wish that they had spent a little more effort on the character of Paiman...What did work well however, was the music and lyrics..I think with some work, this could become an important piece of theater.”
Read more
“This vibrant, brave work will surprise you in a way you won’t see coming, and you’ll leave feeling fulfilled as ever, with a fresh outlook on life and a reinvigorated passion for doing all that you can...With a play filled with so many different factors, and a host of dazzling visual and musical elements that toy with your emotions on every level, it’s this story of hope, determination and self-belief that really keeps you centered, focused, and enthralled.”
Read more
"This creation certainly soars through the air, while also stumbling at moments in its sincere treatment...There is one beautiful song after another...It’s quite an amazing casting score that this production found all of these wonderfully voiced men, who fit the characters' descriptions so perfectly...The unneeded use of the politics and the Unknown Man add little to the heartbreaking story that already has been crafted with such care."
Read more
"Features some terrific solo dancing and stirring song duets...Offers much stunning visual appeal. Having seen the Frontline documentary, however, I was left with many questions...How much of the real story is sacrificed to hew to the conventions of American musical theater? Sohne and Rosser do not omit the ugliness, although the musical presents it discreetly...The effect is to make 'The Boy' feel more like a homoerotic romantic musical than a sort of sober drama."
Read more
"A provocative, thoughtful, and moving story...It is handled with sensitivity and delicate understanding…The band fully realizes some of the most gorgeous and original tunes heard in ages...Speciale's entire cast is comprised of skillful actors who make each part distinctly their own...Rosser and Sohne sanitized the depiction of bacha bazi...Still, I commend them for exposing the subject and bravely tackling such a complicated matter with earnest humanity and heart."
Read more
“[A] dull, melodically uninteresting…score played offstage by a five-piece band…Speciale's earnest, physically agile production never convinces us we're not on W. 36th Street but in rural Afghanistan. Partly, this is because the dialogue and accents…sound so American…'The Boy Who Danced on Air' is to be applauded for dramatizing…bacha bazi in a way that finds tragic beauty in its victims. But provocative subject matter, even when sensitively presented, doesn't necessarily make great theatre.”
Read more
"Viewed through exotically shaped music and well-crafted lyrics, it’s exhilarating. Viewed through Sohne’s complicated book, it’s not only offbeat but also downbeat—but definitely not to its detriment...The singing—as well as the acting—is up to the standards set...Speciale creates a surreal atmosphere that lifts ‘The Boy Who Danced on Air’ into its own unique stratosphere. Along the way, he lifts the audience with him."
Read more