Meet the Cartozians at 2nd Stage

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/7/25 at 3:36pm

I saw this yesterday and thought it was really really great.  They're still pretty early in previews and David Cromer came out before the show to mention that intermission might be a tad bit longer than usual and that they were happy to take feedback, but it didn't end up seeming excessively long to me at all.  I'll admit his announcement made me a little nervous about the state the show was in but it was an extremely polished production, and while I'm sure some minor tweaks could be made here or there, nothing jumped out to me as being in previews for a brand new play.

The play deals with an Armenian family, with the first act in 1924 dealing with a determination for whether Armenians should be considered white, for citizenship purposes.  I didn't realize this was based on an actual trial that happened, and it was really interesting to learn about that moment in history, but it was also wonderful just seeing the family dynamic between the characters as they talked through their family history and experience in the US.  Act 2 explores the ramifications of that trial 100 years on in 2024 and what the Armenian community might look like today and how they see themselves in the broader scope of the world.

I'll admit when the second act first started, I was loath to leave the family and characters I had grown attached to in the first act, and it was a little hard to resituate myself, but a debate emerges and becomes kind of the new centerpiece of the play.  I think it also added a nice layer of considering how much of our public lives are performance and how others may think they understand certain things about you but can never truly know for sure.

Anyways, I saw that there wasn't a thread for this yet so I wanted to sing its praises, but curious what others thought!

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 11/7/25 at 4:56pm

Good to hear. I’m seeing this next week, mainly for Andrea Martin. Is there humor in the show?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/7/25 at 5:00pm

There's some understated humor especially from Andrea Martin in the first act, but the second act gets funnier and lets loose a bit more.

[Cheesecake2]

Posted: 11/8/25 at 1:31pm

Oh I’m so happy to hear this.  I’ve got my tickets!!