The Grand Paradise NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (73)
See it if You like interactive theater; very sensual and though provoking (some scenes are beautiful; other a little cliched)
Don't see it if You are not into "new age" philosophy; feel uncomfortable on 1 on 1 interactions or being touched.
See it if You're into some home-grown immersive theater; if you're open to interacting with performers, and have a tortured relationship with desire.
Don't see it if You have a low tolerance for dance sequences; if you walk through the world with a stank face on.
See it if You enjoy the challenges and rewards of an immersive theater piece; questioning your time on Earth, destiny and freedom are all part of this
Don't see it if You can't stay on your feet long or only like conventional seated theater.
See it if you like immersive theater experiences done with a great eye for detail
Don't see it if you need a play with a strong plot or if you dislike interacting with actors and being left alone in small spaces
See it if you like intimate theater one on one. The world of the Grand Paradise Resort creates and evokes memories of things that might have been.
Don't see it if you need to sit down to enjoy a show. There are place to sit but the full experience depends on you to interact with the performers.
See it if you like immersive theater and hipster date night ideas
Don't see it if you don't like immersive theater
See it if you want to have a truly bizarre, fun time. Everyone has a different experience as actors lead you off to rooms and make you do weird stuff.
Don't see it if you don't like being touched by strangers/if you don't like being stuck watching average dancing for long periods of time.
See it if You'd like an immersive experience at a tropical resort, and partaking in philosophical repertoire. You will feel welcome at every turn.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable being intimately touched by strangers, gratutitious nudity, or tire of repetitive exotic dance routines
Critic Reviews (24)
"An enthusiastic if not always engaging exercise in theatrical immersion…The movement is well executed, but before long there’s a depressing sameness to all that writhing. Maybe this is meant to suggest the eventual monotony of all erotic experience, which it certainly does, but it’s doubtful 'The Grand Paradise' wants to stress such a downer of a theme...It would help if the producers had at least managed to secure a liquor license."
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"Transporting the audience to the 1970s and incorporating themes of youth, beauty, and time, among many, many others, 'The Grand Paradise' is an event like no other...It's the little moments that we will treasure forever. I found serenity at 'The Grand Paradise' and I feel rejuvenated. This is one night that will stick in my memory for eternity."
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"The evening worked and the dance numbers performed by a strong ensemble are the reason why. What worked less well was the production design at the smaller, more detailed level...Self-contained scenes were less successful textually, but none were bad, a credit to the actors who delivered them."
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"Over the course of your visit, you’re likely to be rubbed, grabbed, hugged, massaged, slow-danced, and led into private rooms, but it’s all in great fun...Each of the five main characters experiences a kind of reawakening—compelling, emotional stories we followed with great interest...Kudos go out to the cast, composer and sound designer, costumer, and environment designer, who have gone full tilt in making sure your stay is a very pleasant one."
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"These things generally go off better with a bit of liquor; that didn’t transpire. I had a good time at 'The Grand Paradise,' hokey and heavy-handed though it could sometimes be. The Third Rail team is admirably skilled at provoking you to a reaction, even if what you remember most is feeling vaguely uncomfortable and insecure."
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"Mostly a dance theater piece...the heart of it comes in the monologues, which are intimate, moving scenes about the nature of time, and loss, and unfulfilled desire. When immersion theater works, it is because it becomes something you are experiencing rather than something you are watching. The best of it is a little disorienting, a little exotic, a bit joyful, sometimes a bit frightening...'The Grand Paradise' does all this. It's worth the trip."
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"All of the dancers are extremely talented performers and are very attractive. The choreography is inspired and utilized to exhibit sexuality and/or to tell a story...Interactions seemed forced and were unusually uncomfortable...The company members didn't seem to have the skills to put a guest at ease...That having been said, 'The Grand Paradise' is an experience you will not want to miss. It is part of the happenings of our decade."
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"'The Grand Paradise' keeps audiences entertained during their entire two-hour stay and the ensemble cast is a veritable treasure trove of diverse talent…Within the marvelous bigger picture of 'The Grand Paradise,' the slightly lengthy improvisational dance scenes are a forgettable flaw...The cohesive theme, remarkable talent and complex-yet-invisible immersive design make for a fun and refreshingly unique experience."
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