Reagan's Athena (FringeNYC)
Closed 1h 35m
Reagan's Athena (FringeNYC)
69

Reagan's Athena (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

69%
(8 Ratings)
Positive
38%
Mixed
50%
Negative
12%
Members say
Disappointing, Slow, Confusing, Ambitious, Intelligent

About the Show

Part of FringeNYC: 1984: Ronnie's in trouble! He's smacked with Nancy's astrology, Iran-Contra and Nora Astorga! Who the hell is Nora Astorga you ask? Ask Jeane Kirkpatrick! Come see the Battle of the "Amazionian Bitches"

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Show-Score Member Reviews (8)

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68 Reviews | 15 Followers
84
Absorbing, Informative, Great acting, Ambitious

See it if you like American politics and want a good historical refresher about Jean Kirkpatrick and her rival at the UN, Nora Astorga, from Nicaragua

Don't see it if important, recent American historical events bore you, or you do not want to learn something new in an intelligent way.

572 Reviews | 138 Followers
67
Script has potential, Under-rehearsed

See it if want to see the potential in this comedy/drama about Reagan, Nancy & Jeane Kirkpatrick

Don't see it if don't want to see it before it's ready to be seen

31 Reviews | 6 Followers
64
Confusing, Disappointing, Relevant, Slow, Intelligent

See it if You like and understand foreign policy, an interesting take on history

Don't see it if Can accept an actor who neither looks nor sounds like Reagan, expect some production values

2 Reviews | 3 Followers
87
Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Hilarious, Thought-provoking

See it if Using the hilarious dialogue, Talbot’s Streep-like transformation into formidable Jeane Kirkpatrick is a delightful revelation

Don't see it if Great cast cooks up dysfunctional Reagan-era political antics with spot-on zest--Uribe & Talbot sniping in the UN ladies room a real treat!

1 Review | 0 Followers
70
Confusing, Disappointing, Intelligent, The lead actor is victorious in the destruction of the playwright & sadly her fellow actors

See it if You wish to see how an unrehearsed, miscast production resulted in the 'assassination ' of this political satire.

Don't see it if You are a budding playwright, and choose not to witness how one poor performance ricochets and sends your dialogue circling the drain, tsk

2 Reviews | 1 Follower
69
Confusing, Ambitious, Cliched, Relevant, Intelligent

See it if You like politics

Don't see it if You don't like dry performances

2 Reviews | 0 Followers
68
Clever, Ambitious, Original, Slow

See it if you are curious about little known aspects of women in politics in the Reagan era.

Don't see it if you don't have the patience for plays in development.

1 Review | 1 Follower
20
Cliched, Dated, Slow, Disappointing, Vapid

See it if You would rather learn about the Iran-Contra affair through bad acting than Wikipedia, You like big names more than good theatre

Don't see it if You prefer plays that are rehearsed, technically competent, not insulting to women, or with good writing. This fails on all those counts.

Critic Reviews (3)

Time Out New York
August 15th, 2016

“This underrehearsed piece is marred by sluggish pacing and lengthy expository scenes with secondary characters. Worse, the comedy it does mine is unfortunately vulgar...The scenes between Kirkpatrick and Astorga have a great deal of potential. These two very different women spar over politics, celebrity culture and Chanel in ways that are smart and exciting. Perhaps Nevaer could refashion this as a two-hander, and flush the rest.”
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Theatre is Easy
August 25th, 2016

"The staging is static, and actors spend most of their time sitting down or facing front...Actors flub lines and visibly skip around the script...Characters often describe their personal changes rather than actually undergoing them onstage. Consequently, there is little emotional arc for any character...There are, however, a few successful moments...While comedic elements are inconsistent and frequently lost behind exposition, the moments that shine through are sharp and witty."
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Theater Pizzazz
August 22nd, 2016

"While political drama can be hard-hitting, 'Reagan’s Athena' is more like an acute career study...Some of the most dialectically challenging (and politically energized) text in the script might not be the most dramatic...The actors look like they are still fine-tuning points in the drama. Searching for meaning in the dense, layered story, the overall execution of the play feels a bit dragged down...It would be inspiring if the play was lifted up, out of the workshop phase."
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Trailer

Creative team