The Knight of the Burning Pestle
The Knight of the Burning Pestle
Closed 2h 5m NYC: West Village
77% 156 reviews
77%
(156 Ratings)
Positive
81%
Mixed
18%
Negative
1%
Members say
Entertaining, Clever, Funny, Delightful, Quirky

A group of storytellers find their play stopped by a new story in this Elizabethan comedy.

Read more Show less

Critic Reviews (9)

The New York Times
April 27th, 2023

"It’s a satire of theater that is also a valentine to it, to the transport of becoming swept up into a play, to the wonder of seeing someone just like you onstage."
Read more

The New York Times
April 27th, 2023

"It’s an invitation to all of us: To put on our colanders, take up our kitchen implements and give ourselves over to make-believe."
Read more

Theatermania
April 27th, 2023

“The production’s two hours and 15 minutes feels overlong for a comedy this nonsensical, and it’s hard to stifle the yawn we feel coming as we hit the 90-minute mark. Still, the cast’s energy doesn’t flag and a final joyous singalong closes the show, sending us out of the theater with a smile.”
Read more

Lighting & Sound America
April 28th, 2023

“The truly laugh-provoking moments are all interpolations and bits of comic business that might profitably be added to a dozen different plays… Co-directors Noah Brody and Emily Young are adept at handling individual moments, but they have no long game to play, no overarching vision; they end up with a show that wanders badly in search of a purpose.”
Read more

Talkin' Broadway
April 27th, 2023

“The outrageously talented ensemble is expertly directed by Noah Brody and Emily Young, whose compassionate focus on mirth and merrymaking ensures an engaging, perfectly paced romp with nonstop aural and visual delights.”
Read more

TheaterScene.net
May 3rd, 2023

Another problem is the number of different styles of acting; it is as though almost all of the actors are performing in different plays, which is not helped by the inconsistent costuming by Yvonne Miranda which makes use of several centuries of clothing from Jacobean to contemporary. The songs are not consistent either: some are from the original play and others are contemporary. It is as though the directors chose to throw in everything except the proverbial kitchen sink.
Read more

Theater Pizzazz
May 8th, 2023

“The story, of course, is of very little consequence, because the main point is the mockery of such oft-repeated stories...it’s not a play one would go back to for a second look; but, well performed, as it is here...not great theater, but utterly first-rate comedy, especially in a great production.”
Read more

T
May 5th, 2023

"The actors are clearly having fun, and several display much potential, especially Mr. Steinfeld, but it would be nice if the audience had a smidgen of that fun as well."
Read more