The Great Leap NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (50)
See it if using a sports metaphor to stand in for the shifting power dynamics between the U.S. and China intrigues you.
Don't see it if a somewhat heavy playwriting hand will interfere with your enjoyment. Read more
See it if You enjoy plays based upon true stories and that are well done and engaging with unexpected twists in an intimate setting.
Don't see it if You prefer musicals and large theater productions.
See it if you love twists on historical events. All four actors were incredible, and the directing was really top-tier.
Don't see it if you're not highly interested in human stories revolving around historical events. This was incredible, but don't come looking for a comedy.
See it if For fast paced excellently acted play based on unusual subject matter- regardless of whether it's tcompletely historically accurate.
Don't see it if Don't like small theate experiences or small venues.
See it if Fascinating contrast of Chinese vs American values in sports, family, and politics. Excellent characters, funny moments, and plot twists.
Don't see it if You would not enjoy a non-linear basketball themed show with Chinese chatacters, history and themes.
See it if you know or are curious about events at Tianamen Square. This complex drama is about that & ever so much more.
Don't see it if you don't care for complex story lines or only like musicals.
See it if interesting as it is based on a true story with Wang excellent
Don't see it if somewhat predictable and shallow but still worth seeing.
See it if Interesting drama of political history of US recognition of China to Tiananmen Sq -- overlain with sports diplomacy and family relations.
Don't see it if Tony Aidan Vo is the new BD Wong. You get to see both of these charismatic Chinese-American actors in the same play
Critic Reviews (17)
"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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“For the most part, ‘The Great Leap’ is a story well told. Three-dimensional characters, albeit with single defining traits, interact in ways that are sometimes very funny and consistently entertaining. The play’s surprise ending is a stretch. It’s set up well – enough information for you to see it coming; not so much as to be obvious – but the surprise itself seems contrived. Still, it provides insight into both Manford and Wen, who each obtain their own insight into themselves and each other.”
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“By turns funny and intense, 'The Great Leap' is an intimate story played out on a world stage. The play is wonderfully written, well structured and considered very moving. The actors give consistently excellent performances...Ahn, as Connie exudes warmth...As Chang, BD Wong is riveting. His every moment burns with longing. Speaking in a quiet measured tone he is nonetheless intense and remarkably present...’The Great Leap’ speaks of ambition and overreach — and the power of idealism."
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"Yee - who reportedly drew her inspiration from some real-life events experienced by her father -- has created a two-act work that manages to enlighten us about history without being pedantic and move us as people without being overly sentimental. If basketball (the ostensible subject of the play) had a four-point shot, this play might be its theatrical equivalent."
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"The game not only brings Saul and Wen together again, it also introduces several melodramatic plot devices...Even more contrived-but undeniably absorbing-is its nexus between sports and politics, since the game coincides with what was happening politically in China in June 1989…Regardless of its several implausibilities…and its need to depend on soliloquies for important exposition, 'The Great Leap'…holds you as tightly as a ball in Bill Russell's palm…The acting is uniformly exciting."
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"Just good enough that one wishes it were better. Playwright Lauren Yee displays a knack for sketching vivid characters and situations with dramatic potential...The three male characters all get a chance to shine...The direction by Taibi Magar is unfussy. There are some fine moments, but they are too few."
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"Such a fluent piece of playwriting, set around a terrible and notorious historical event, that you will go home and Google elements of it immediately...If the play flags slightly when its political preoccupations overshadow the characters, it doesn’t seem a foul deserving of the referee’s whistle. The play is a believable encapsulation of history, and a respectful reclamation of the same."
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“The plot is quite predictable. But Yee handles the development of the plot and characters with so much aplomb that the audience is more than happy to take those leaps with her. There is humor throughout, even in the tensest scenes...While the turns in the story are frequently predictable, Yee’s writing is so crisp and dimensioned that we just go with its flow. The direction by Taibi Magar strikes a balance between the humor and the unraveling of the characters’ stories at an energized pace.”
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