Three Wise Guys NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (28)
See it if you enjoy funny and engaging plays of the old days and about the times of prohibition.
Don't see it if you prefer big productions or are not interested in period pieces.
See it if You like Runyon characters. A fun play. TACT always has good sets, good production values and good acting.
Don't see it if You want depth. Some of the coincidences and twists and turns seem a bit forced. Read more
See it if You like quirky, shtick, funny show, reminiscent of 39 Steps of a bygone era. You like to root for the under dog.
Don't see it if You expect a TONY award winning show, don't like shtick, funny shows. Don't like shows like 39 Steps.
See it if Interesting take on the Three Wise Men Xmas story. Good ensemble acting.
Don't see it if Do not see if you perfer musicals or a large cast well written in-depth story.
See it if Despite valiant efforts of talented cast, these wise guys remain pretty pedestrian Plumpis' Capone-sque kingpin amuses the most
Don't see it if Uneven adapt of Runyon stories carries most of the blame; lacks the breezy panache necessary to pull off send-up Ditto lackluster direction
See it if you're a Runyon fan and enjoy his work.
Don't see it if you don't like dated, clichéd material. Sorry, this was just not my "thing".
See it if You like Damon Runyon-esque characters and stories that come off a bit campy.
Don't see it if You don’t care for Damon Runyon charicatures and over acting in a dated plot line.
See it if You like a light comedy mystery with a feel good story.
Don't see it if You dont care for small cast productions or prefer a more serious play.
Critic Reviews (18)
"'Guys and Dolls' has co-opted the Runyon oeuvre; any attempt to dramatize the gent's writing without a terrific musical score is probably doomed to sound as airlessly ersatz as it does here…Everything about the comically convoluted script just lies there….Runyon's humorously ungrammatical New York mobster patois is intact…This affords a jot of jocularity but it's no substitute for a stage-worthy story and characters."
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"This homage to times gone by, is sweet, charming, and utterly enjoyable...Like the old screwball comedy’s of the 20’s, there are many who will not see this piece as viable, but my guest thanked me afterwards for bring her to something so enjoyable. There is a place for theatre that reminds us of the simplicity of the past...The cast are all deliciously wonderful, as they take on multiple roles. Scott Alan Evans directs this piece with whimsy and delight."
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"A good, well written story and would’ve made a wonderful 1950s’s film or musical. In fact, the piece would benefit from background music. Silences weigh heavily...It’s short on atmosphere and connective tissue...I really wanted to like the production more than I did...Staging and timing are skillful, but the capable cast is so utterly natural, they convey no brightness, no zip. Perhaps exaggeration of style would help. There’s potential here. I enjoyed the story/script."
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"An uneven production...With the puppets from internationally known puppeteer Andy Gaukel, and vivid screen projections from established designer Dan Scully offering exciting visuals, Evans cannot seem to get his actors to keep pace or to fully own the inherent comedy of Runyon's stilted language. The result is a weak finish."
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"A tasty slice of that quality known as Runyonesque...Not exactly the madcap caper it may well intend to be...Squeezes in more plot than laugh lines...Still, it's a likeable entertainment, thanks in large part to an ingratiating cast, and Evans' light but imaginative hand as director of the show as well as its co-writer...May not be a 'great' play, but...It should leave the company’s final audiences with smiles on their faces."
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"A new comedy that has captured the warmth and loopy humor so prevalent in the source material...A company of 7 veteran actors performs with a perfected rhythm and a consistent accent to the breezy dialogue...It’s an ensemble cast that plays together like a well rehearsed orchestra, with each actor delivering clever dialogue that tells the complicated story of three hapless gents...A play that’s highly original...A delightful and refreshing divertissement."
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"If you love Damon Runyon’s outlandish characters and their eccentric articulations, you’re in for a treat...Although the combination, as hammered out by Scott Alan Evans and Jeffrey Couchman, is at times a bit clumsy, the result is a thoroughly entertaining evening...This comedy is surprisingly tame and, for the most part, entirely appropriate for youngsters...The cast is quite wonderful. One only hopes they are having as good a time as they are giving the audience."
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"A nostalgic work with more than a little heart...There’s something special about Runyon characters. They often inhabit the fringes of society yet have a unique moral code...Unfolding in leisurely fashion, the tale still manages to cram a lot of action into its deliberately meandering style. Though there are moments when events more than stretch the bounds of credibility, by the time they occur, we are too invested in the story and its characters to mind."
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