THE BROTHERS SIZE Reviews

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/6/07 at 11:43pm

It's late and I don't really have the strength at the moment to do a full-fledged review thread, but the new play THE BROTHERS SIZE by the very young and promising playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney opened tonight at The Public and has received all positive reviews so far. Probably worth checking out (I have tickets for a couple of weeks from now and look forward to it):

From the Times:

"“The Brothers Size,” Tarell Alvin McCraney’s absorbing and emotionally resonant drama set in the bayou country of Louisiana and loosely based on West African myths, is decidedly the work of a young writer. But there is evidence in Mr. McCraney’s richly drawn characters and colloquial poetry, which manages to sound both epic and rooted in a specific place, to suggest that he has a long career ahead of him........ Listen closely, and you might hear that thrilling sound that is one of the main reasons we go to the theater, that beautiful music of a new voice."
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/theater/reviews/07brot.html


From Variety:

"Landing near-simultaneous professional debuts in New York and London might be indication enough that an unknown 27-year-old playwright is one to watch, but the real proof comes in the work itself. A recent M.F.A. graduate of Yale School of Drama, Tarell Alvin McCraney brings assured stagecraft and a distinctive lyrical voice to "The Brothers Size," the story of two siblings in Bayou country, Louisiana, weaving together contemporary urban conflict and West African myth in a rich language that's both poetic and colloquial."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935332.html?categoryid=33&cs=1


The AP:

"Initially, the wheels of this play, which opened Tuesday at off-Broadway's Public Theater, turn slowly, belying the strongly affecting theater that follows. Yet everything about the production, on display at the Public's tiny Shiva Theater, is daring and unflinching in its minimalism, with a set consisting of nothing more than a pile of stones at center stage, framed by a ring of sand."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/07/arts/NA-A-E-STG-US-The-Brothers-Size.php


All That Chat:

" Family, like legend, lasts forever. The Brothers Size engrossingly gives both their due. "

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/11_06_07.html


Newark Star-Ledger:

"McCraney composes his seamless story in terse, urgent sentences that convey considerable meaning and atmosphere. The talk here is swift, pungent, often foul in its everyday idiom. Yet there's a strong poetic sense to the rhythms and images arising over the play's 90 minutes.......... What's new in theater, you wonder? This playwright certainly is new -- and a promising voice -- and so are these compelling young actors. Catch them here and now, close up, while you can. "

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2007/11/brothers_return_not_as_simple.html

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/07 at 10:13am

Backstage is a Rave:

"Directed by Tea Alagic with rigor befitting a ritual and accompanied by a percussive score from Vincent Olivieri and Jonathan M. Pratt, Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brothers Size bursts across the stage with blistering intensity and keen intelligence....Burke Brown's ultimately atmospheric lighting design also features an astute use of fluorescents, which, combined with McCraney's use of verbalized stage directions, keeps audiences at a remove: ideal for this exciting new play that's both parable and affecting drama.

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/nyc/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668817

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/07 at 10:15am

Theatremania is Positive:

"Tarrell Alvin McCraney's The Brothers Size celebrates the art of storytelling, even as it spins a compelling tale about the titular two brothers. First seen as part of The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival earlier this year, it makes a return visit to the Public, featuring the same cast under Tea Alagic's fine direction."
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/12000

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 11/7/07 at 3:45pm

I saw it last Friday and thought it was great! I loved the use of music and rhythems. The only problem was that the actors kept forgetting their lines, but I'm sure they know them by now.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 11/9/07 at 11:39am

This show is coming to Studio in DC after it finishes its Public run. I am very much looking forward to it and glad to hear the good reviews.

[The Bandstand]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 10:46pm

Should I see this?