“Much of the show consists of characters debating — sometimes amicably, often less so — contrasting philosophies of life and belief...But the creative team struggles to musicalize and dramatize arguments about, say, forgiveness and repentance...Despite its weighty themes, ‘Watch Night’ is strangely bereft of affecting tension.”
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“ ‘Watch Night’ wants to wrap itself around anti-Black violence, antisemitic violence, questions of forgiveness and redemption (and their different interpretations in the Jewish and southern Black...The play is less a coherent drama than a box containing a jumble of Important Things to Address — a 500-plus-piece puzzle in which the pieces have often been jammed together no matter how they fit.”
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It’s not a straightforward account of the two massacres or their aftermath, not documentary theater, but a gorgeously sung-through opera and stunningly staged dance theater piece that presents a series of confrontations and debates between fictionalized characters. These are lyrical expressions of harsh thoughts and unreconciled emotions. This first theater piece commissioned by the PAC NYC could not feel more appropriate for its location at the World Trade Center.
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There’s a lot to admire with the direction and choreography of Mr. Jones, whose staging utilizes the entire space, encircling the audience and cutting through the aisleways. His storytelling comes across as minimalist, busy, and grand at the same time. As compelling as it is, something is lacking — and more than just an intermission. For better or worse, the show leaves us unresolved and lugubrious. As difficult as it is to ignore the butt barometer that engages with its own opinion as you shift in your seat to find comfort, maybe discomfort is the goal. After grappling with the issues and questions being stirred about, the heaviness will follow you out of the theater and lurk amongst the darkness of the 9/11 memorial, questioning your own forgiveness — or the lack thereof.
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" 'Watch Night' dances on the pulse of our ailing American nation-state, suggesting both how we might succumb to our darkest impulses but also how we might heed the warning bells and instead join our voices together in song. This is art that appeals to the better angels of our nature; it is a call to contemplation, and to grace."
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