The Suitcase Under the Bed
Closed 2h 0m
The Suitcase Under the Bed
77

The Suitcase Under the Bed NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(138 Ratings)
Positive
83%
Mixed
15%
Negative
2%
Members say
Great acting, Entertaining, Dated, Absorbing, Great writing

About the Show

The Mint Theater Company presents four short plays (including three world premieres) by late Irish dramatist Teresa Deevy.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (138)

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230 Reviews | 46 Followers
100
Absorbing, Clever, Enchanting, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you are a fan of the unexpected twist> The mint's selection of plays, as always, is right on the mark. Love it

Don't see it if you aren't interested by at least one of the following topics: love; relationships; Irish culture; old plays; Mint productions

85 Reviews | 13 Followers
94
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Refreshing, Delightful

See it if You are excited about the discovery of a "lost" playwright. If you are a fan of Chekhov, Ireland & intimate, funny, heart-breaking moments.

Don't see it if You are expecting "Cats". Or if you have a TV attention span. (though, these are 4 1-act plays, so something new every 1/2 hour!) Read more

98 Reviews | 20 Followers
90
Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Masterful, Intelligent

See it if you enjoy great acting, and period dramas... an evening of subtle beauty.

Don't see it if you can't appreciate a world that moved on a much slower pace.

165 Reviews | 34 Followers
85
Delightful, Dated, Funny, Great writing

See it if You enjoy one-act plays and exploring works of little-known playwrights.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy period pieces or Irish humor.

145 Reviews | 28 Followers
85
Quirky, Great writing, Funny, Clever, Dated

See it if You are in the mod for short pieces that are both funny and sad, you are keen on seeing little hidden gems, you like to see the woman's POV

Don't see it if You like only contemporary works and themes, you prefer a single story line in your evening of theater Read more

253 Reviews | 13 Followers
84
Enchanting, Entertaining, Clever

See it if You enjoy short stories.

Don't see it if You prefer a cohesive play.

55 Reviews | 34 Followers
80
Great writing, Entertaining

See it if This was a great opportunity to see some never-seen works by a wonderful Irish playwright. The stories were completely absorbing.

Don't see it if You don't like short plays or stories with a focus on Irish life

54 Reviews | 8 Followers
80
Entertaining, Great staging, Dated

See it if You enjoy seeing productions of seldom-seen works that have fallen into obscurity but deserve to be better known.

Don't see it if You have low tolerance for shows that are slightly dated

Critic Reviews (23)

The New York Times
August 25th, 2017

'Birth' is perhaps more benign to its protagonist than any of the evening’s other plays, and given Adair’s sensible yet magnetic Sara, it seems only fair...In ‘Holiday House,’ the open-ended conclusion is unsettling...Deaver, impressive in her previous roles of the evening, soars in ‘King of Spain’s Daughter’...Varga's costumes and Shaw’s gentle sound design reflect a rich understanding of the era, as does Bank’s assured direction. He clearly adores Deevy, and ultimately so will the audience."
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Time Out New York
August 24th, 2017

"Director Jonathan Bank and his company shine in the collection’s dramatic installments...But the pace falters in 'Strange Birth,' a sweet but slight rom-com, and 'Holiday House,' a Noël Coward–esque comedy that droops where it should skip. In the Mint’s production, Deevy’s work feels old-fashioned in a way that is both comforting and a little sleepy. But she wrote with gently cutting wit and had a keen ear for dialogue."
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Theatermania
August 24th, 2017

"While Bank didn't strike gold for the Mint with this particular discovery, there are some definite moments of luster...The first two pieces are charming, sentimental, and just a bit boring in that way mediocre Irish plays tend to be...'Holiday House' sparkles with wit and intrigue...'King of Spain's Daughter' leaves us unsettled and impressed...One of the Mint's goals is to highlight overlooked female playwrights, and with this somewhat sleepy and mismatched evening, it partially succeeds."
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BroadwayWorld
September 3rd, 2017

“The evening starts strong, thanks to the spunky and endearing performance of Ellen Adair as Sara Meade, the central character of ‘Strange Birth’…As a collection, the plays of ‘The Suitcase Under the Bed’ reveals a community of stories that hide beneath the unremarkable façade of everyday life. The charming, well-acted evening makes one hope the Mint has even more from the Deevy collection to remove from storage.”
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Lighting & Sound America
August 25th, 2017

"A sterling quartet of one-acts...Deevy specializes in a kind of plainspoken poetry that packs plenty of feeling, mixed with barbed wit, into her characters' economical exchanges...Bank's staging is filled with little details that speak volumes...In a cast loaded with graceful performances, the biggest impression is arguably made by Deaver in a trio of roles...One is amazed that this fine playwright was allowed to slip into obscurity for so long."
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Talkin' Broadway
August 24th, 2017

"These seven actors play a total of 22 roles during the course of evening, each performance beautifully etched and well delineated...Deevy's writing consistently displays a wonderful facility for dialogue and an ability to get under the skin of her characters, along with the intermittent liability that some of her plot devices and situations strain credulity...Bank has helped the actors achieve jewel-like performances, and his blocking is skillfully economic."
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TheaterScene.net
August 27th, 2017

“Exquisitely produced by the Mint Theater, Jonathan Bank's direction is leisurely and slow, which undercuts the theatricality of all but the last and the most satisfying one, ‘The King of Spain's Daughter,’ originally given four separate stage productions at the Abbey from 1935-1939 and two in London in 1939...Two of the plays end too abruptly calling out for a more substantial length, while one of the plays seems to go on too long.”
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CurtainUp
August 24th, 2017

"The production has been effectively organized...To help Mr. Bank achieve this fluidity, a big bravo to the seven fine actors who play 22 characters...'Strange Birth' makes for a lighthearted little romantic sketch...Though the tempest in this teapot won't come to a full boil, Deevy's 'Holiday House' script has the out-of-joint feelings simmering subtly with some very sharp and character-defining dialogue...A tastefully presented four-course menu."
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