Eclipsed NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (570)
See it if you can appreciate stories about victims of abuse and war in Africa. This is a mesmerizing and important story about women in Liberia.
Don't see it if you cannot handle painful story lines about abuse and/or physical staging of that abuse.
See it if you want to see a star at her best, flanked by an incredible cast.
Don't see it if you want your theater light and fluffy
See it if you love great acting and a thought-provoking story.
Don't see it if You have a short attention span.
See it if You enjoy theatre about historical/societal issues. Also see it if you just want to see some incredibly talented women.
Don't see it if You don't like serious plays (though this still has some humor in it)
See it if you want to see a brilliant ensemble work through material that is almost unbearably bleak but shot through with wit and warmth.
Don't see it if the subject matter (war, sexual violence) will, I suspect, prove almost unbearable to some.
See it if you value rarely-told stories empathetically and compellingly told and acted with 3d complex characters. Political without being preachy
Don't see it if while none of it is depicted on the stage directly, this is a story about women who are consistently sexually assaulted.
See it if you enjoy shows about relevant or current topics and enjoy shows about adult topics that make you think.
Don't see it if you have no interest in a play about current events in a war torn nation or are squeamish with discussions of violence and rape.
See it if You want to understand the human cost of war.
Don't see it if You're looking for something light and easy to absorb. This show is funny at times but intense all the way.
Critic Reviews (65)
"There are scenes, both acrobatic and antagonistic, that have clearly become more second-nature for the actors in the intervening months, lending 'Eclipsed' a deeper realism...The narrative arc is set against a backdrop of an event with worldwide repercussions, but the playwright finds humanity in small details...The performances are top-notch...'Eclipsed' has moved to a larger space without losing ability to shine light on the intimate decisions its characters face."
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"Though set over a decade ago, this story resonates even more forcefully today…The five actresses who populate this story are all committed and capable of playing even the humor...I found the play informative…But I must admit I was distanced by the relentless shouting and some of the overdone body movements...I recommend this clearly sincere play to anyone interested in learning more about this underworld activity...But I warn that I found it more disturbing than moving."
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“American response to war outside our purview tends toward either apathy or fits of passion followed by amnesia. In either case, we tend to dehumanize the people involved, reducing them to hollow categories of perpetrators and victims. Eclipsed is precisely the kind of work that precludes this reaction, forcing a confrontation between audience and subject matter without offering the easy pressure relief valve of cynical hopelessness or self-congratulatory liberalism.”
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"'Eclipsed' is a bracingly important piece by the Zimbabwean-American Gurira about the effects of women during the Liberian civil wars, specifically the moral dilemma between being held captive as a rebel commander’s chattel or going into the field with a gun and making other women do it...[It] veers from warm humor to darkly urgent drama."
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"Nyong'o loses herself utterly in the searing and stunning play 'Eclipsed'...The five-member cast—all women—is a true ensemble and must not be missed...Gurira draws very human portraits of these women, and the audience will be stunned to find itself laughing as they joke in such hell...Gurira's work has been unfairly eclipsed by Lynn Nottage's 'Ruined', which shares some themes and came out at the same time, but this production proves it is an extraordinary work that shines and shines."
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"Freedom, loss of identity, sexual servitude, dignity, self-worth, guilt and anonymity are only some of the issues that Danai Gurira presents in her brilliant play 'Eclipsed'...The performances are brilliantly nuanced and paced by Lisel Tommy. She hits every emotional peak and devastating defeat to the maximum effect that the play offers...'Eclipsed' is not lighthearted fare but it is certainly a night for enlightenment and the power of women."
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"Five performers are turning in immaculate and heartrending performances in Danai Gurira's 'Eclipsed'...Rich in detail and drama, the characters' stories are rife for searing performances, and the company, led by Lupita Nyong'o, deliver turns that simultaneously touch and amuse...Under Liesl Tommy's assured direction, Nyong'o's cast mates deliver equally nuanced and appealing performances...Immensely moving and unquestionably rewarding."
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"It’s one of a kind. It stars Lupita Nyong’o in her Broadway debut, but it’s truly an ensemble play in which every actress has a stand-out performance playing a woman with her own unique experience during a dire situation. The play is edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, yet beautiful...The staging, the set, the clothing all meshes into very powerful storytelling...This play is a clear reminder, a good one, that theater is an excellent way to share important stories from around the world."
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