Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone
Closed 2h 0m
Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone
72

Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone NYC Reviews and Tickets

72%
(22 Ratings)
Positive
68%
Mixed
18%
Negative
14%
Members say
Great acting, Dated, Disappointing, Entertaining, Funny

About the Show

Terrence McNally's late 1960s-set drama portrays the life and attitude of one Tommy Flowers—irrepressible cut-up, determined freeloader, and disenchanted rebel against society.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (22)

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180 Reviews | 39 Followers
87
Clever, Entertaining, Charming lead, Great writing, Funny

See it if U want to catch classic McNally done v nicely. The lead carried show w/so much charm & energy, u can't help but cheer him on-no matter what!

Don't see it if Play is dated (times & thinking seem far ago), & the lead's life principles may irk some. However, this is a well done small scale revival ~

138 Reviews | 87 Followers
85
Great acting, Intelligent, Relevant, Intense, Funny

See it if You want see a great ensemble work together on a work that is surprisingly relevant to the present moment.

Don't see it if The play is very much of 1971 and trades in certain counter-culture assumptions. If that era doesn’t appeal to you, then this won’t grab you

69 Reviews | 29 Followers
83
Entertaining, Great acting

See it if You enjoy a good story.Very cosmetic .

Don't see it if N/A

52 Reviews | 10 Followers
81
Relevant, Great writing, Great acting

See it if ....you enjoy seeing excellent acting young by aspiring actors exhibiting great talent.

Don't see it if ... you don't enjoy shows that go on for 2-1/2 hours. Two hours would have been fine.

82 Reviews | 6 Followers
81
Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Clever, Great writing

See it if you enjoy good acting and intelligent writing.

Don't see it if You prefer musicals.

226 Reviews | 43 Followers
80
Timely, Political, Youthful, Satirical, Daring

See it if your ears are open to yesterday's youthful rebellion echoing crazily into the present (with a killer James Dean impression).

Don't see it if you get scared when the actors talk to the audience (and some audience members unexpectedly talk back).

572 Reviews | 138 Followers
79
Great showcase for david gow, Incredibly evocative of the era, Sets off memory bombs in this viewer, Some scenes remain questionably unexcised, Terrance mcnally in process

See it if desire to see David Gow b4 he's famous, want entertaining enuf early McNally, intimate staging, committed cast, arc of tragic dimension r 4u

Don't see it if period pieces, sociopathic behavior, being up close & personal, Terrence McNally, don't appeal to you

1166 Reviews | 464 Followers
77
Entertaining, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Fluffy, Slow

See it if You like Terrence McNally’s writing. This is a decent production. It’s especially interesting seeing it through today’s political lens.

Don't see it if You’re looking for a show with a lot of action or even plot. This just sort of meanders along without ever making a clear point.

Critic Reviews (6)

TheaterScene.net
December 3rd, 2017

"This is a painfully dated, aimlessly episodic and interminable affair best left to dramatic literature scholars and McNally completists to read...Mr. Gow perhaps saw this showy role as a vehicle for him to shine in and he does up to a point. Gow is an appealing, very talented young man who gives an admirable performance in such problematic material...Ms. Braza has done her best to make something so unwieldy stageworthy."
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Theatre is Easy
December 3rd, 2017

“The play is both dated and flawed. The production is enigmatic. For example, Tommy was given an honorable discharge from the military, but where and when he served, remain mysteries...Gaps like these make ‘Tommy Flowers’ unsatisfying, and unfortunately, Braza's staging isn't really able to fill them in. Although the fast-paced repartee between characters is laced with humor and pithy one-liners, by the end of the night I had no idea where Tommy Flowers had gone. Worse, I didn’t care."
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Stage Buddy
December 13th, 2017

“A cheeky little time capsule from 1971 provides glimpses of the loose, inventive spirit of the youthful Terrence McNally...The play is, in some ways, a long monologue interspersed with dramatic scenes. There are also a few fantasy sequences...Through all of this, Gow is great fun to watch. It’s a flashy and challenging role, and the actor explores effectively all the nooks and crannies of Tommy’s jumbled psyche.”
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DC Metro Theater Arts
December 2nd, 2017

"Especially timely now, in our present climate of disunity and unrest...Directed by Braza with the requisite combination of outrageous humor, biting observation, and harrowing poignancy...Despite the show’s occasionally stilted delivery and slow pacing, Starting 5’s production presents a welcome opportunity to see one of McNally’s seminal works...Recognizes its relevance for a new audience, addressing many of the important historic issues that have resurfaced in our own time."
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The Modernist Beat
December 9th, 2017

"There are some dated elements to McNally’s script, but much of it remains surprisingly relevant in part because the playwright did not construct a realistic work...It is in ambiguity that the plays finds its resonance, particularly a year into the Trump Era...The ensemble moves seamlessly from the ridiculous to the realistic...Throughout, Gow finds the humanity that underscores all the character’s actions, and thus finds the tragic in the play’s final moments."
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W
December 15th, 2017

"The auspicious opening immediately pins Tommy Flowers onto a historical timeline, back in the pre-electronic era. It’s wonderfully nostalgic...A series of skits and vignettes, under the guidance of Braza, take us through Tommy’s Big Apple roller coaster of highs and lows...Will he ultimately follow the steps of the dangerous manual? It is here when McNally’s decades old play suddenly leaps from the amusing past into an unsettling present."
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