"An eminently entertaining and well-played production that is filled with hissable villains and honorable but desperately impoverished victims and heroes...As outlandishly as its convoluted, coincidence-strewn plot defies the traditional conventions of play writing, it has a ton of heart...You are in for a real treat, a rare opportunity to see a genuine melodrama that does not pretend to be anything else, with no ham-handed wink-wink performances among the fine company."
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"One of the theater's most skilled 19th-century melodramatists, Boucicault was uninterested in the finer points of history, character development, or narrative objectivity which, of course, is why, as the Metropolitan Playhouse's lively revival of 'The Poor of New York' demonstrates, his works are often so much fun...Boucicault wasn't prone to letting a bunch of cumbersome details and ho-hum dramaturgical considerations get in the way of a good story or a necessary cause."
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"Directed and designed by Alex Roe, this production has been given an inventive staging...Although very dated in style, the play effectively hits its targets. The actors often speak their thoughts to the audience to help move the plot along. As performed by this solid cast, this historical period piece comes alive...For a glimpse into America’s theatrical past and its uncanny mirror to our continuing legacy of financial malfeasance, 'The Poor of New York' is highly recommended."
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"Alex Roe keeps this show tight. Actors move freely and smartly throughout the economical stage with great timing and as such, the musical blends and works beautifully for the entire two hours and 15 minutes...The staging of this show was refreshingly different...All the actors were very strong in their roles...The blend of direction, lighting and particularity to costumes make this musical a true art form."
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"Boucicault’s dialogue is quite lively and fun and, at times, unabashedly sentimental. Artistic Director Alex Roe, who also designed the production, has beautifully staged the piece without patronizing the material one jot...The actors are uniformly excellent with everyone astutely cast, and utterly in the spirit...Melodramatic as the proceedings are, there’s a good deal of honest sentiment here and certainly the depiction of poverty resonates with much of what we see today on our streets."
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"This is not just a story of evil and revenge. It is a social/ethical call for empathy and compassion for our fellow man – a quality greatly in demand these days but, sadly, in little evidence. 'The Poor of New York' is exquisitely portrayed by a fine cast. Don’t miss it! I promise you a smile at the end."
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