The Tallest Man in the World NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (30)
See it if you like poetic dramas that tinker with the form.
Don't see it if the mix of poetic language with vernacular English & naturalistic storylines with a mythic tale might bother you unduly. Read more
See it if Intriguing yet puzzling drama about three Irish misfits who's lives seem to be intertwined Equally poetic & cryptic; often feels allegorical
Don't see it if Xia works hard to stage (with levels) in Tank's cramped black box & Riain's drama lacks linear structure Kilgore fares best as 'tallest man'
See it if dark, introspective, long, convoluted Irish drama addressing incest, exploitation, depression, isolation, addiction, death intrigue you.
Don't see it if you cannot follow complex plot line with few actors playing multiple roles not matching their ethnicities, nationalities, accents, and ages.
See it if u'll enjoy a prose poem acted out; won't mind that characters interact w/ one another in atypical ways & don't mind non-lineal plots.
Don't see it if u are uncomfortable w/dark themes; prefer traditional theatre;dislike characters who deliver long monalogues & don't really interact. Read more
See it if you can follow actors playing multiple roles (I think) in a non-traditional script
Don't see it if you need a linear plot or don't like actors speaking (and sometimes seemingly mumbling) in accents. Read more
See it if You are ok with being confused by a story and like unconventional theater.
Don't see it if You want to see stories that don't leave you in the dark.
See it if you like lyrical Irish plays with actors thoroughly engaged.
Don't see it if you want a linear story in a properly staged venue. Read more
See it if Enjoy Irish sentiment, but it really isn’t very Irish. Some of it was poetic, some was repetitive and banal.
Don't see it if You are claustrophobic in small dark spaces,
Critic Reviews (4)
"A haunting, poetic tale of love and loneliness...Ailís Ní Ríain’s 'The Tallest Man in the World' articulates this concept through the voices of three characters, each secluded but linked through fractured memories and frustrated longing...The play’s non-linear structure, evocative of memories themselves, leads us to piece together a through-line from constantly shifting accounts...It is these stylized trappings that make 'The Tallest Man in the World' deeply relatable."
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"For a play including rapes, suicides, gravely misdirected desire, and the anguish of the need to be loved, 'The Tallest Man in the World' is funny as often as it is harsh or elegiac. This play is likely to stick with audiences like Eamonn's encounter with the one woman who ever made him feel blissfully small. Seeing 'The Tallest Man in the World' should be high up on any theater fan's list."
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“’The Tallest Man in the World’ at best is very vague...Unfortunately, Riain does not challenge, provoke, nor engage us with this mess...The problem with this play is not only poor direction by Xia, but it is poorly written...Riain only touches on things, barely scratching the surface...This nonlinear play is very confusing...’The Tallest Man in the World’ is just not any good...This play lacked inspiration of any sort.”
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"'The Tallest Man in the World' tells a relatable story through an abstract lense...The story is told non-linearly, traveling back and forth from location to location, from past to present, and back again. This style ensures that you, as an audience member, are always thinking, trying to piece together each tangled thread...Not every question is answered and yet you walk out completely satisfied...Riain writes almost in poetry...A unique and beautiful piece of theatre."
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