The Paper Hat Game
Closed 0h 50m
The Paper Hat Game
67

The Paper Hat Game NYC Reviews and Tickets

67%
(22 Ratings)
Positive
68%
Mixed
18%
Negative
14%
Members say
Clever, Slow, Quirky, Ambitious, Original

About the Show

The Tank presents Scotty Iseri's misadventures as whimsical prankster through the language of toy theater and projection.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (22)

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1180 Reviews | 466 Followers
88
Clever, Enchanting, Exquisite, Masterful, Quirky

See it if You're a fan of detailed puppets with a quirky story. Super great puppets. Attention to detail is amazing. Story is odd but sweet.

Don't see it if You can't handle quirky. This show is small but powerful.

214 Reviews | 61 Followers
79
Exquisite, Great staging, Quirky, Masterful, Original

See it if you like experimental theatre presentation and design, especially puppetry and animation

Don't see it if you want your puppet shows to have plot and dramatic complexity.

270 Reviews | 58 Followers
75
Clever, Original

See it if You are open to puppets. It is a pensee on the big cold city, and an attempt to brighten it. Not all goes well, but the craft is impressive

Don't see it if You need things to move forward crisply. It is a long hour.

91 Reviews | 30 Followers
75
Clever, Entertaining, Edgy

See it if You like innovative staging, but try to sit near the front, it's small and a little dark. Hard to see in the back.

Don't see it if You hate puppets, are easily bored by non-linear "arty" shows.

563 Reviews | 194 Followers
75
Clever, Slow, Great staging, More an art performance than a theatre performance, Beautiful paper sculptures

See it if You enjoy art installations. This is a series of slow-moving, pretty dioramas of paper & video. You like puppetry & want to see backstage.

Don't see it if You want a traditional theatre piece with a story & a lot of dialogue. You don't enjoy puppetry and/or art.

87 Reviews | 77 Followers
73
Clever, Great staging, Slow, Original, Delightful

See it if you want to see some really great puppetry. The mixed-media aspect was cool, but the paper work was really the best part.

Don't see it if you value story over form. Also, if you get uncomfortable with technical difficulties. Felt like we had several and my stomach was a knot.

311 Reviews | 494 Followers
72
Original, Quirky, Innovative, Clever

See it if you're looking to see something out of the ordinary. This is more puppetry and performance art than a play, but still very enjoyable.

Don't see it if you need dialogue or a plot to enjoy a show.

408 Reviews | 86 Followers
70
Quirky, Refreshing, Ambitious

See it if you want to see a short, quirky & creative show with terrific puppetry, you can look beyond puppets to see exploration of human experience

Don't see it if you don't like puppets, you can't arrive early to get a seat close to the front (the "stage" is very small)

Critic Reviews (12)

The New York Times
June 26th, 2016

"This enchanting, sui generis toy theater piece provides a multilayered, multidimensional portrait of a Chicago in perpetual upheaval and a man who is nearly crushed by it...The timeless 50 minutes of the show’s duration is rather like a magically charged version of the hat from the title: an unexpected mitzvah that shakes the urban blinders off our eyes and forces us to see the uncanny beauty and terror of where we live."
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New York Theatre Guide
July 2nd, 2016

"Overall, the story is a delight for adults and children alike...Certain sections of the story seem to be drawn out longer than necessary, but it is worth it to see the imagery. It is not until very late in the piece that Iseri’s character speaks. He explains a darker part of the story that would have otherwise been extremely unclear…The toy theatre piece is a miniature reminder of the joy, trials, and winning attitude that, combined, make up New York City."
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Lighting & Sound America
July 1st, 2016

"The entire enterprise is so singular, so original, and, in its small-scale way, so daring...Where 'The Paper Hat Game' disappoints is in the narrative department...It coasts for a good long while on its sheer visual invention...In the final analysis, 'The Paper Hat Game' succeeds more as a demonstration of the skill of its creative team than as a fully realized piece of work...Still, shows as original and dazzling as this don't come along every day. I'm betting you'll be mesmerized."
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Stage Buddy
June 28th, 2016

"An unexpected delight…It’s a transcendent experience as we delve into the psychology of a large and busy metropolis…The highly innovative video and photo motion animation will have you questioning what is real and what is imagined…'The Paper Hat Game' is both joyous in its childlike wonder and emotionally brave and revealing in its storytelling. It is a most unique theatrical experience that will satisfy all your senses."
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Theatre's Leiter Side
June 30th, 2016

"The narrative—which touches on themes of alienation, loneliness, and the difficulties of communication within the urban jungle—is a bit fuzzy and lacks fullness; even the visuals aren’t always immediately accessible. However, the overall combination of video, puppetry, and multiple scenic devices showing the urban landscape from both interior and exterior perspectives is exceptional."
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Village Voice
June 28th, 2016

“Relying on a dense soundtrack of city noise with only sporadic dialogue, ‘Paper Hat’ toys with a couple of narrative styles but never settles on one (a brief foray into documentary, for instance, jars). The visual artistry, however, delivers. Creator/director Torry Bend and video designer Raquel Salvatella de Prada play with scale, depth, and perspective to make colorful use of limited space...It's a riveting, kinesthetic experience that makes ‘Paper Hat’ worth the ride.”
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B
July 8th, 2016

"The show is crammed with moving images, box scenes, live puppets manipulated by live puppeteers performing before projections, with loud live sounds...The bleacher seats at 3 Legged Dog distance viewers from the miniature happening. Probably a more intimately laid out setting would have helped the audience enjoy the show even more. At a distance, it was charming and moving, disquieting and lively."
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Off Off Online
July 7th, 2016

"It’s rare to see anything remotely like 'The Paper Hat Game': a seamless and brilliant performance. The delicacy, virtuosity, and utter freshness of this avant-garde theater work will delight you long after you’ve left the theater...The 50-minute production is visually and acoustically dense—exquisitely so...'The Paper Hat Game' brings a childlike sense of wonder to the mundane."
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