World Builders NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%

(21 Reviews)

Positive

86%

Mixed

14%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Ambitious, Intelligent, Absorbing, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Flux Theatre Ensemble presents a new dark comedy about two psychologically fragile patients who meet during a clinical drug trial.

In 'World Builders,' Whitney and Max live deep within their own imagined realities—one expansive and fanciful, the other dark and brutal. To break free of these visions and become functional members of society, they embark upon a clinical drug trial that might erase these worlds forever. But are they truly able to leave their fantasies behind? In a medicated age when our imaginations are colonized by mass media, how do we know when happiness and love are real?

Member Reviews (21)

Thought-provoking, Slow, Disappointing, Relevant, Nonsensical

See it if You want to hear some good ideas and possibilities played out but not taken to a logical or believable ending.

Don't see it if You want a fully functional play. I liked the ideas of this one...the possibilities of what it could have been but not at all what it was.

Absorbing, Great acting, Funny, Thought-provoking, Quirky

See it if If you're interested in how human minds work. The play studies the evolving connections between between two people who have never connected

Don't see it if mental illness disturbs you. The form it takes here is imaginative not creepy. The actors are marvelous.

Disappointing, Slow

See it if you want to see two great acting performances

Don't see it if you don't like drawn out plays with unnecessary dialogue. Read more

Ambitious, Great acting, Edgy, Long, Intense

See it if your idea of a fun night is living with two participants of a drug trial for a long 100 minutes. Intense writing. Needs editing.

Don't see it if you don't want to get into the heads of two mentally ill very human beings or you want a more enjoyable evening.

Thought-provoking, Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing, Intelligent

See it if you'd like to see and support a well-executed two-hander about two lost characters who find each other.

Don't see it if you don't like small shows; the topic of mental illness doesn't interest you. Read more

Great acting, Ambitious, Great staging, Intense, Too long

See it if you're intrigued by mental disorder & psychology theme and be treated to fine intense acting that will drive you to deep empathy & sympathy.

Don't see it if you get impatient with plays with just long dialogues w/o anything else much to entertain your senses but your own imagination and feelings. Read more

Great acting, Great writing, Ambitious, Thought-provoking, Intelligent

See it if You want to get a real feeling for people who exhibit schizoid personality

Don't see it if You do not want to see a show with many positive attributes, but becomes so detailed it is tedious. Read more

Great acting, Intelligent, Ambitious

See it if acting was really terrific - The first 30 min and the last 30 min were pretty compelling - good story line - just should have been shorter

Don't see it if get bored by details of fantasy land. I got lost in her descriptions. I mean who cares.???

Critic Reviews (4)

"A shared tale of love, agency, and devotion...Humorous, heartfelt, and philosophical of its own accord, Johnna Adams’ script shines under the actors’ chemistry and realism...By inviting the audience into its characters’ worlds, and similarly tasking us to hold them, 'World Builders' challenges us to dissect our own...'World Builders' reaches no neat conclusions, but offers in Max and Whitney the possibility that love and empathy may well be worth the risks they entail. "
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“The dialogue is artfully crafted, Kelly O’Donnell directs with a sure hand, and the early going suggests a strong result...Before the final conflict arises my patience wore out…Whitney and Max passionately – and incessantly – debate how to achieve a happy ending together. Like real life, but unlike an effective stage drama, it just goes on and on...In the end they exasperate us beyond tolerability…A beautifully realized production. It’s just that, there’s way too much there there.”
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"During the show’s intermissionless 90 minutes, Spielmann uses her characters' words to extends her world around the set and into the audience. Schulenburg keeps up artfully awkward attempts to maintain his character’s boundaries. Together, these actors create a joyous, revelatory experience akin to a happy version of the film 'Cocoon.' O’Donnell, as director, regulates the pace of this mind-opening tale better than certain medications."
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“An empathetic, whimsical portrait of two people finding comfort in each other’s fantastic delusions...There is a warmth and fluidity to the physical life of the show…Adams’s script has a lot of fun fleshing out the fantastic details of Whitney’s world…But the script really drops in when Max finally opens up about his...Is it possible—or even moral—to try and avoid facing pain? Whatever one decides, 'World Builders' is a call for empathy for those engaged in the struggle.”
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