If I Forget NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (407)
See it if If you like shows about family dynamics, with both humor and pathos.
Don't see it if You like your shows to be totally upbeat, and your ending happy.
See it if you enjoy contemporary plays that boldly delves into issues of culture, religion, and politics. Acting/writing is realistic and on-point!
Don't see it if you dislike wordy plays, or productions that take place more or less in one location. Also if you are culturally or religiously sensitive.
See it if You enjoy Jewish dysfunctional family living room dramas; this is a fine specimen with message about personal and social history
Don't see it if You're not highly interested in Jewish culture or need more than stereotypical depictions and the age old debates; rather slow and linear
See it if You're into experimental theatre. You like Russian/Eastern European theatre. You yourself is Russian/Eastern European/Jewish.
Don't see it if You can't stand anything experimental. You're not into small theatre groups with big dreams. Read more
See it if you want to watch great actors do their thing or like family dramas
Don't see it if you aren't a fan of family dramas
See it if you wonder if "political correctness" can get in the way of honest discourse.
Don't see it if you like plays with more action and less talking.
See it if you enjoy well-done family dramas with realistic sibling relationships and large doses of humor
Don't see it if you don't have the appetite for another drama about a family, its history, and their hidden secrets
See it if you would enjoy a play with good dialogue and interesting characters that raises some questions about family, the past and Jewish identity
Don't see it if it would bother you that the play has some structural flaws, too much family dysfunction, and an ending that seems grafted on
Critic Reviews (37)
"'If I Forget' speaks to both the head and the heart...It isn’t perfect. The plot, which turns on a question of real estate, takes its time arriving and mostly hangs around to facilitate debate...Under Daniel Sullivan’s sensitive direction, the ripe interstitial music nudges emotion too obviously and the ending, which shifts the play into magical realism, makes its themes too explicit. But the script and the remarkable actors make you embrace the Fischers."
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"Directed by Daniel Sullivan, who has a gift for raising dialogue to its smartest expression, 'If I Forget' is ambitious and often very funny...Although some of Levenson’s plot twists are contrived, the play is fearless in its confrontation of Jewish self-image before a New York audience that surely includes many Jews...He gives us a lot to talk about, and a play to remember."
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"Brilliantly staged and at once funny and deeply unsettling...Levenson is such an expansive and gifted writer – and Sullivan so expert at drawing true-to-life performances from an extraordinary cast – that we never feel trapped in a situation comedy...In a stellar cast, Shamos blazes forward; this gifted actor is giving the performance of his career...This is the play of the season so far. I won’t soon forget it."
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"One character’s controversial and incendiary take on the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine conflict makes Levenson's work singular. There are some issues. Credulity strains at times — wouldn’t a professor wait until he has tenure before publishing a surefire hot potato of a book? Just asking. And the plot snowballs in the final stretch. Still, the excellent cast mines every bit of fury and humor. 'If I Forget' is whip-smart, bold and, finally, memorable."
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"The problem with many, if not most, family dramas is that the families are so often hateful. Playwright Steven Levenson avoids that trap...Heritage means a lot to this closely knit family, which is what keeps us engaged in their quarrels...In the tradition of domestic drama, Levenson’s play involves a lot of talk and precious little action. But the talk is surprisingly gripping, especially when one secret after another is teased out of the siblings."
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"'If I Forget' can feel overstuffed at times. But it all works beautifully, thanks to the richness of the writing, the superb performances of an ensemble that doesn’t strike a false note and the impeccable direction of Daniel Sullivan...The razor-sharp dialogue makes the two-and-a-half-hour running time fly by...Some of the plot elements are admittedly not fully convincing...But for the most part, the play rings with stunning emotional truth...Each of the actors is outstanding."
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"Sharp and thoroughly touching...Levenson has already proven himself as a craftsman of compelling, poignant drama and his skills serve him well again here...Shamos, Walsh and Dizzia make those family bonds feel authentic...The setting and subjects they tackle really resonate...'If I Forget' succeeds both as a thoughtful family drama filled with wit and as a compelling dissection of the world we live in."
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"A deeply absorbing, issues-oriented family drama that's likely to hit a nerve in both head and heart...Levenson captures the family dynamic with great ease. The dialogue is fluid and intelligent; and he manages to slip in some pointed laughs along the way...And thanks to a flawless ensemble, we're hooked from the very first scene right through to the bitter end...There aren't many plays that can twist your head around 180 degrees. But this one does, and most convincingly."
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