THE MONSTERS at City Center (MTC)?

[MB124]

Posted: 1/28/26 at 11:31am

Has anyone seen this? Any reviews yet? 

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/28/26 at 11:49am

The play had a pre-New York engagement at Two River Theater in Red Bank last fall. It got pretty good reviews there. Here's the NJ dot com review:

https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2025/11/the-monsters-is-a-moving-story-of-sibling-love-on-nj-stage-review.html

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/28/26 at 12:00pm

I posted briefly about this in the snowstorm thread. I saw the second preview on Saturday and all I can say is WOW. This is already a contender for one of my favorite plays of the year, if ever.

The play is staged with the audience on 3 sides and there isn’t a bad view at all regardless of your seat. The premise of the play is, essentially, an estranged pair of siblings, separated by time, age, and traumatic life events, reunite at an MMA match and attempt to embark on rediscovering their relationship. However, both siblings are continually faced with their demons and how they have shaped the “monsters” they’ve become (one of many meanings behind the title). It manages to subvert a lot of the potential pitfalls that could make it feel sentimental, and goes out of its way to avoid it as often as possible.

Aigner Mizelle and Oak Onaodowan are giving some of the most visceral, physical, and emotional performances I’ve seen put to a stage. They seldom ever leave the stage and are basically doing a 100-minute full body workout between individual training sequences (including some balletic hybrid fight choreography by Rickey Tripp and others) and pair fights between Mizelle and Onaodowan. With regards to the “book” (non-fight) scenes, both performers have crafted and curated very lived-in characters. The intimacy of the staging and venue does not allow the performers to escape their characters, and so they are locked in, and from the jump, you are locked in with them.

I HIGHLY recommend seeing this if you can. The run ends in early March and has been selling well, but is popping up on TDF and the 35 under 35 for MTC is also available for later run performances.

[Merkin2]

Posted: 1/28/26 at 12:10pm

Theyre having the party for young folk, has anyone been?  I’ve never been to one hosted by mtc

[FunathonGroff]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 3:49pm

New York Times Critic's Pick and extended one week. Haven't seen it yet but hear great things/the choreography is awesome. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 5:56pm

Merkin2 said: "Theyre having the party for young folk, has anyone been? I’ve never been to one hosted bymtc"

 

Stop being weird.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 6:05pm

The play is mostly strong.  The time jumping contextual scenes don't always work or feel fully necessary, adding to length.  But overall its nice.

The performances are both pretty fantastic.  The only moments of awkward acting happens when the female plays young.  It feels stereotypical rather than thought out.

Overall worth your time if you have siblings.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 8:30pm

FunathonGroff said: "New York Times Critic's Pick and extended one week. Haven't seen it yet but hear great things/the choreography is awesome."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/theater/the-monsters-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.FrIT.QCbUCU7fblYc&smid=nytcore-android-share

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 8:46pm

So torn…in town next week, this or Spelling Bee 😬

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 7:30am

Play Esq. said: "So torn…in town next week, this or Spelling Bee 😬"

SPELLING BEE just extended until September, if you plan to be back before then. It’s a strong revival and definitely airy and full of laughs. This is decidedly the opposite (though there are some really good jokes landed by Aigner Mizzelle’s character), but it’s a very strong and intimate play and I personally tend to go for those. The fight choreography alone is astounding.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 9:14am

Thank you!  I saw the Broadway run of Spelling Bee and I'm in the City pretty much weekly, so I am inclined towards the Monsters.  That said, I'm in for a theater weekend and It'll be a back to back showing of that and Bug, which will make for fascinating conversation!

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 11:41am

Play Esq. said: "So torn…in town next week, this or Spelling Bee 😬"

Spelling Bee if you want joy. Monsters was solid, but it’s gonna move you more than entertain you. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/13/26 at 11:56am

This show unfortunately didn’t do very much for me. Agreed that there are some unusually thrilling fight sequences (the lighting and choreography are amazing), but other than that I found the play trite and the direction stagnant and unimaginative. 

The performances are mostly good, but I cringed when the script called for them to “act young.” It’s a tricky tightrope to walk, and I didn’t find it successful here, in terms of the writing or the execution. (Made me really appreciate what Kara Young and Nicholas Braun did in GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES when the script called for them to play children.) 

Overall, I wasn’t moved in the way I’d hoped to be. Hardly a disaster or anything, but I can’t say I’d recommend rushing to see it. 

Updated On: 2/13/26 at 11:56 AM

[Theater3232]

Posted: 2/14/26 at 8:20pm

I wouldn't recommend either.  The 7:30pm show let out at 9:15pm and felt way longer.  The 5 to 10 minutes of fight/punching in the air etc are certainly pleasant enough to watch, but not enough to sustain the remainder of the show.  Didn't feel "real" to me.  This review sums it up well:  https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/the-monsters-off-broadway-review ("... fallen into the trap of a playwright directing their own work...")

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 6:12pm

Booked Monsters, so happy to run the center on these two fields of opinions!

Not to highjack this thread, but looks like I may have a slot for Saturday night.  Any suggestions?  I'm caught up on Broadway so looking for off- or off-off.  

Thanks in advance!