The Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (37)
See it if you are a fan of Adam Rapp's work and enjoy intense, character-driven plays.
Don't see it if you prefer plot-driven plays or are uncomfortable with damaged characters in extreme emotional states.
See it if You're an Adam Rapp completist; you want a character study with uncommon characters in uncommon scenarios.
Don't see it if You don't want a play that almost feels like a documentary. It's less of an escape and more of a reminder of cold reality.
See it if You want to see an unconventional family drama with good acting. Story is a bit episodic where it should be organic.
Don't see it if You are squeamish about mental illness.
See it if You like quirky stories about psychotic people
Don't see it if You aren't open to mental health issues
See it if Heavy situations involving mental illness.
Don't see it if Have no patience with a slow pace. Authors directing their own work.
See it if You enjoy stories about people, family, relationships, told by a great cast.
Don't see it if You prefer more fast-paced stories.
See it if You like shows about mental illness,broken families and rebellious teens Are OK with criminal situations Like to feel uncomfortable
Don't see it if You dislike foul language Are under age 16 Find severe mental illness uncomfortable to watch Dislike hideous crimes
See it if You like quirky characters dealing with mental illness.
Don't see it if You don't appreciate stereotyped characters inserted into a play to create unnecessary drama that could have arisen in a more authentic way.
Critic Reviews (17)
"There is intrigue, surprise, shock, confusion, and a redemptive vision of unconditional and nonjudgmental love. The audience needs to engage in every delicate moment of how Mr. Rapp’s extraordinary characters embrace their engaging conflicts to spin a tale of healing and release...This is a brilliant ensemble cast that exercises its collective and individual craft without reserve or trepidation. Adam Rapp’s direction is remarkable and brims with intensity and subtlety."
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"What may be surprising is how utterly moving this work turns out to be…The play really starts to hit the heart when Monique retreats to Ellis’ bedroom, letting the estranged pair begin to reconnect. Rapp and his two main actors make it clear just how difficult that sort of rapprochement can be…This play shines its own bright light on the universal difficulty of having an honest relationship with the people we value most."
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"To my great surprise, I found it both involving and touching…The playwright directed with assurance. The play has some slow moments. If Heyward were not such a stage presence, I would have found her character an annoying cliché. Barrett’s role is a bit underwritten. Despite its shortcomings, the play succeeds in taking us to a place that we probably never wanted to go while getting us to care about someone we would rather dismiss."
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“Playwright Adam Rapp eschews his usual shock effects and bleak visions of the future and instead goes for something softer and more intimate...Apps expertly plays Ellis as a man who is walking on eggshells...A powerful look at a man teetering on an abyss, his desperate efforts to keep his balance, and those around him struggling to understand, ‘The Purple Lights’ is both thoughtful and touching.”
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"Some will applaud Rapp for tackling the topic of mental illness in this manner. Some, like me, will simply not enjoy the idea of being entertained by it. It felt more like a required summer reading project that was meant to be discussed afterward....With only a few moving performances, 'Purple Lights' left me feeling empty, worn-out, and ready for a drink. Perhaps Rapp should focus on writing or directing. Doing both removes a creative mind from the theatrical process and the work suffers."
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"'Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois' is a tense, brilliant drama that takes you from the worst to the best...The acting and directing are extraordinary...Rapp uses brutality not just for sensationalism, but to take you to a deeper understanding. The sense that we ourselves may be at fault, that we’re too quick to think the worst of others, heightens the impact of the stunning, breathtaking ending. I felt changed."
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"This is one of those plays told in real time in which secrets are revealed at well-paced intervals, not for dramatic surprise or narrative manipulation but to provide a means for the audience to share the various perceptions of all the characters as each appalling truth is exposed...In short, an auspicious unveiling of a new text that expands the author's range and should continue to build an afterlife for itself, just as it offers the modest prospect of the same for Ellis and Catherine. "
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"As for 'The Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois,' the set-up, extraordinary characters, and interesting situation end up inconsequential and unbelievable...It’s really a very small play stretched out to 85 very long minutes...Crispin Whittel’s direction is deliberate, but he called forth some lovely nuances from his game cast, who were all at the mercy of repetitive information, one-note dialogue, elliptical conversations, and extraordinarily unsympathetic characters."
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