The Great Leap NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Congested tale of two countries...Ambitiously straddles several well-worn narrative forms, and not without strain. The play is replete with the clichés of sports underdog nail-biters, angry-young-teen stories and roads-not-taken dramas of middle-age regret...But Ms. Magar keeps the more conventional machinery of “The Great Leap” moving at a well-oiled pace. And the performances are smooth and credible, even when the plot is not."
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"'The Great Leap' can feel hasty and overstuffed; there’s a whole prestige-TV season’s worth of big reveals crammed into her two hours. Yee's writing for Manford and his cousin Connie shows its expository effort, and her last-minute repurposing of real-world heroism is unintentionally offensive. Yet there’s a lot to applaud here. Yee knows how to make her characters seem like real people and Taibi Magar’s precise production has visual flair."
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"Smart, feisty, highly enjoyable...Here in Magar’s swift, punchy staging, anchored by four excellent performances, we feel the kind of up-and-down-the-court rush Yee is striving for...They don’t illustrate the game — rather, they help us imagine its stakes, its dangers, its magic...If 'The Great Leap' is a touch Hollywood-ish in its narrative neatness, it’s still an exhilarating, deeply satisfying piece of work, powered by gutsy performances and full of bright, inquisitive, humorous life."
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"Its kicker of a finish...is both surprising and makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, despite a fine company and a story with some spark to it, getting to that terrific ending is a bit of a trudge...At its best when comparing the two cultures' contrasting styles of play to their contrasting styles of life. But Yee's story seems too large and action-packed to be satisfactorily told in a four-character play. Too much is described rather than seen, which saps the piece of potential excitement."
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“Magar, has handled her cast of newcomers and old pros deftly...Engaging as it is, ‘The Great Leap’ runs into trouble in its later passages, as things get increasingly tangled in the wildest coincidences...Still, the cast and dialogue are usually lively, and Wong gives one of the first notable performances of the new season. His quietly focused, witty, and often moving depiction of this complex character provides plenty of evidence that this fine actor still has plenty of game.”
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“Yee draws some interesting parallels between sports and politics even though she's guilty of falling back on clumsy contrivances to advance her plotting...The absence of actual basketball playing isn't necessarily a problem—until it is. Magar keeps the action moving and her superb cast in motion...Despite its flaws, it's gratifying to see an innovative play hold up a mirror to sports and finds politics and our shared humanity reflected back.”
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“Thrilling basketball action with only one player, no basket, and barely a Spalding in site...Yee is in thorough control. She manages to mix the sweep of the Chinese and American dynamics, the humor of her borscht-belt-like Ugly American, and the harsh-but-tender family drama. And basketball...The performance of the evening, though, comes from Wong...I don’t know that I’ve seen him give such an affecting performance since ‘M. Butterfly.'”
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"Although the topics of international diplomacy and competitive sports may seem like disparate themes, Yee’s fine writing and fiery wit allows the two subjects to intertwine effortlessly...Yee’s script is bolstered by the dynamic and seemingly effortless direction of Taibi Magar...It is BD Wong’s portrayal of Wen Chang that brings the play to its knees. His tender portrayal of a man who had survived both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution feels stirring and soul-shattering."
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