The Cleaning Guy (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
A FringeNYC Encore: Emerging Artists presents the hilarious journey of one man's dealings with the dirty secrets of NYC apartment dwellers.
Read more Show lessMember Reviews (35)
See it if You enjoy hearing about people's lives, and if you like to laugh.
Don't see it if You don't like one man shows.
See it if You want to go from the ordinary to the profound in less than 2 hours. This piece was a complete delight--funny, moving, and made me happy!
Don't see it if You don't like surprises, don't need affirmation that your apartment is not a total mess, don't want to support a decent, heart-warming show
See it if you wish to laugh and be moved by the life experiences of a thoughful and hard-working New Yorker.
Don't see it if you are not interested in monologues delivered in small venues.
See it if You want to hear a charitable exposé of humanity told by a veteran New York apartment cleaner. There's music and great compassion.
Don't see it if You are unnerved by people's quirky private lives, which may resemble your own. Read more
See it if you like funny thought provoking solo shows with singing. I am still considering how we all have life secrets hidden in our homes.
Don't see it if you need a lot of plot. This is a series of vignettes where the characters are acted out as well as being commented on by the performer.
See it if you don't mind one man shows or personal stories.
Don't see it if you don't want to hear a guy recount his job as an apartment cleaning guy
See it if you enjoy one person, autobiographical shows with songs, prizes (sponges!), & very touching and funny stories, including about some celebs!
Don't see it if you prefer shows with a high production budget, regular theater seating (this is a cabaret setting, w/bar), or a fear of cleaning products.
See it if you enjoy true stories with a sense of humor. Very entertaining. I loved it.
Don't see it if you want to see a drama. This show is charming with a great sense of humor and self.
Critic Reviews (3)
"Just as Adams can't help getting emotionally involved in his clients' lives, I too felt gripped by the stories in his one-man show. It's fun watching this polite Midwesterner help tidy up for New Yorkers, all the while giving wonderful impressions of his former clients…It's littered with interesting vignettes of people who struggle with their living spaces...Most poignantly, the sadness of losing clients to disease and death really stands out...Some stories need to be shared on a stage."
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"There is the potential for poignancy here, and moments when Adams almost manages the keen trick of having the audience see themselves in the people he worked for, but the parade of wacky characters tends to march off with the focus. Adams’ stage presence is not quite as glowing as his floors…He sometimes struggled to remember his lines which, if it’s your own life story you’re telling, is especially distracting."
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"Most of his stories are interesting, ranging from comedy to heartfelt drama...Though some slightly miss the mark, it is of no concern, since he writes about what he knows and has experienced in this sometimes bizarre occupation. It is the first thirty or so minutes of the show that sometimes feel repetitious. But then the performance suddenly takes off and starts to fly...It is a well-constructed piece of theater that can only improve with time and tightening the script to an hour."
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