Aubergine NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (163)
See it if you want a great story of end of life palliative care & the family's emotional.realities.
Don't see it if you don't want to see above.
See it if You enjoy deep family dramas with realistic, well-acted characters, and a glimpse into the history of a Korean-American family.
Don't see it if You don't like plays about death.
See it if Thoughful, moving work on loss (particuliarly a parent) and an after-life. Cho's best work as playwright; fluid direction & acting
Don't see it if Recent loss of someone close or a hospice journey. Bothered by deliberate (slow) story development & pacing. Multiple endings saddle finish
See it if You enjoy cooking or eating
Don't see it if You have lost your father recently
See it if You're a foodie or you like how food can be a part of your life through ritual and within family dynamics.
Don't see it if You're looking for something dynamic -- this is more of a slow burn.
See it if You want to see South Asian families stories represented on stage Are up for delving into care giving, death and unresolved relationships
Don't see it if You are freshly grieving and need distance Read more
See it if You like father-child stories, meditations on death and loss, like to prepare food, eastern mystisism, endearing characters
Don't see it if You don't like written translations of dialogue on set, father-child issues, stubborn characters, overly cute endings
See it if you want to hear an original voice.
Don't see it if conventional plays are your cup of tea.
Critic Reviews (31)
"In 'Aubergine,' an appealing, lyrical family drama, life boils down to two essentials: food and death...The way that Diane eventually features in the main story helps invest Cho’s play with a lovely magical realism...Cho’s play isn’t strictly realistic. although the acting is all low-key and convincing...At one point, Lucien gives Ray a gift of an eggplant...but calls it an aubergine....'That starts to approach the beauty of the thing itself.' As with aubergine, so with 'Aubergine.'"
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“Unfortunately, there’s not quite enough meat on ‘Aubergine’s' bones to fill out its over two hours’ traffic on the stage; toward the end, the conclusion seems ever more elusive. It proceeds from brief episode to brief episode but rarely comes to a boil, the most intense moment coming just before intermission...‘Aubergine’ is the uncommon word for a common vegetable, eggplant. In her play, Julia Cho also has made something uncommon out of the common.”
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"Covering all-too-familiar ground, it’s not an altogether satisfying play, but there are many moments where your taste buds will explode with pleasure…As superb as these many monologues are you can’t help but wish that Cho had spent the same amount of time and energy on crafting actual dialogue...From such a seasoned playwright, one expects a four-star, completely fulfilling meal, rather than one that leaves you a little hungry and a bit underwhelmed."
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"A tender play both incisive and contrived...Under Kate Whoriskey’s direction, scenes are skillful and affecting, cruel and kind. There are wordless pleasures here...But Cho interleaves these insightful scenes with somewhat forced monologues in which each character describes the best meal that he or she has ever eaten. Each of these speeches is elegantly written, but these seem like rather blatant demonstrations of Cho’s skills and concerns rather than vital components of the piece."
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"At first the show is a sleeper, but it wakes up in the second act to a profound experience. Part of that has to do with the wonderful Tim Kang...This is one layered, fabulous actor...Here food communicates the emotions, childhood memories, parental disagreements and who these characters really are deep down inside...The cast is strong, especially Mr. Kang. The direction by Kate Whoriskey is disjointed in the first act and much more concise in the second half."
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"'Aubergine' is a provocative, emotionally-effective comedy-drama centered around death, family and gastronomy, and totally delectable...The cast is universally strong...This very special play is well guided by director Kate Whoriskey...Cho has more than a dozen productions to her credit...The impressive 'Aubergine' demonstrates that she is a first-class playwright, indeed."
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"Julia Cho’s new play at Playwrights Horizons is a flawed, uneven work, but it packs an emotional wallop...A common thread that stitches the play together is the important role of food in our memories and family relationships...There are many engaging moments, but they don’t fit together all that well. Some trimming would improve the play, especially dropping the facile ending...Kate Whoriskey’s direction is a bit sluggish at times."
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"There are lovely things in this production, including Derek McLane's elegant origami-style set…But I wasn't as taken with the show as much as some others…'Aubergine's' Proustian allusions to the memories food evokes, the connections it reinforces, didn't seem all that fresh to me. And some of the magical realism Cho added seemed a bit forced…Even though this play didn't fully satisfy me, I'm grateful that it was made so easily available for me to taste."
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