Eclipsed NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (570)
See it if Very good drama and good acting.
Don't see it if You don't like serious drama.
See it if Very intense and thought provoking. Very lucky to be able to have after show discussion with cast.
Don't see it if Looking for light enjoyable evening out
See it if a taut, involving drama about the ravages of war that seamlessly integrates moments of humor appeals to you. Superb performances, A+ writing
Don't see it if you hate outstanding, unforgettable theatre experiences.
See it if you want to see an amazing performance about a difficult social subject matter - one that needs attention and should be heard by everyone.
Don't see it if you don't have a heart
See it if You are ready for a provocative and demanding experience with remarkable actors who take you to the danger they face.
Don't see it if Not for children.
See it if you want to be engaged in deep emotions facing women in a revolutionary country. Violence, rape and questions of just who we are
Don't see it if You can't handle frank outward emotions and language.
See it if you have a social conscience and appreciate a totally gripping story
Don't see it if you have no sympathy for people at their most vulnerable
See it if you're interested in a show with an important message, great writing, or masterful performances. This is a heavy show with humor mixed in.
Don't see it if you'd rather see a light-hearted, feel-good spectacle.
Critic Reviews (65)
"A riveting, superbly acted production...I hope Ms. Nyong’o’s starlight draws audiences to this detailed and painfully moving exploration of the brutality and dehumanization that seem to be endemic to African conflicts...The superlative performances from all five actors, under Ms. Tommy’s sensitive direction, draw us so deeply into the lives of the women that this darkness nevertheless flickers with glimmers of light, humanity and even hope."
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"Urgently powerful...All four of the actors portraying these women are superb. Gurira renders their plight in sometimes harrowing detail, but her focus is on the personal: their secrets and rivalries, their fears and guilt...Applause seems an insufficient response to Gurira's bracing tale of war and endurance. It inspires you to extend a hand."
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"The collision of sorority comedy and war drama eventually tears the play in two. At some point — the first act is overlong — what was gripping starts to feel a little desperate dramatically...Yes, the play’s faults are visible, but so, even more starkly, are the insights and conundrums that make it unmissable."
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"You must not miss it...To be sure, 'Eclipsed' is oddly undramatic. Indeed, it feels less like a play than a fictionalized documentary—but one of genius, a deceptively bald piece of storytelling in which the everyday details of life during wartime are charged with overwhelming emotional import...This is great theater."
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"A sincere but preachy play..Slices of life don’t get much bleaker...A ray of hope comes with Rita, a peace worker. Too bad Rita is so stiffly drawn and there to provide exposition and the show’s rather abrupt ending. Fine performances under Liesl Tommy’s sensitive direction help compensate."
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"Playwright Danai Gurira delivers politics with a passion in 'Eclipsed,' a searing drama about the decisive roles women played in the second Liberian civil war. Superbly directed by Liesl Tommy and powerfully acted by a strong ensemble, the play gives voice to women ranging from the wives of warlords to activists."
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"An unflinching treatise on the subjugation of women in war-torn Liberia. It’s a gut-wrenching saga told with poignancy and wit, precisely the kind of niche today’s cutting-edge theater strives to fill...Her mature play is filled with revealing and absorbing dialogue. But unmistakably illuminated is the utter chaos of war in Africa and its effect on women, providing insights no media account ever could."
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"Liesl Tommy's fine production is not simply a case in which attention must be paid due to worthy subject matter and a proudly hoisted diversity flag. It also signals Gurira as a playwright of uncommon ambition. Some second-act structural weaknesses notwithstanding, 'Eclipsed' pulls us into and holds us captive in a vivid world whose stark horrors are rendered with unflinching honesty and delicate poignancy."
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