The reviews are in for Martyna Majok's Queens at Manhattan Theatre Club, which opened a revised version of the Pulitzer winner's play at New York City Center Stage I Off-Broadway November 5. Trip Cullman (We Had a World) is directing. See what critics had to say below.
The company has also added a week to its run, with performances now set to continue through December 7.
The cast features Brooke Bloom (She's Lost Control) as Pelagiya, Anna Chlumsky (Veep, You Can't Take It With You) as Agata, Sharlene Cruz (Sanctuary City) as Glenys, Marin Ireland (Reasons to Be Pretty) as Renia, Julia Lester (Into the Woods) as Inna, Nadine Malouf (Grief Motel) as Aamani, Andrea Syglowski (Brooklyn Laundry) as Lera, and Nicole Villamil (Network) as Isabela. Understudies Amaia Arana, Awesta Zarif, Ino Badanjak, Annie Funke, and Alyssa May Gold round out the company.
READ: Martyna Majok Didn't Think She Could Write Another Play Until She Got Queens Right
Read the reviews below.
1 Minute Critic (Matthew Wexler)
Lighting and Sound America (David Barbour)
New York Stage Review (Roma Torre)
New York Theatre Guide (Gillian Russo)
The New York Times (Tim Teeman)*
The Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood)*
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The play centers on a young Ukrainian woman who comes to an illegal basement apartment in Queens in search of her mother, and who is forced to reckon with the difficult choices multiple generations of immigrant women who live in the home have been forced to make to survive. The work premiered via Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3 series in 2018.
“Queens means the world to me,” said Majok in an earlier statement. “I first began writing it in 2016 and I’ve been searching for it ever since, in various workshops, productions, and late nights and early mornings. I worried I’d never write another original play again until I figured out this one; so haunted was I by these women, so driven to do right by them. It’s with tears that I now write that I finally feel like I’ve found their story. These characters are some of the dearest creations of my life. They’re like family. And I’m bursting with love and pride to share them with this city. I’m immensely indebted to the many generous artists and institutions that have supported and cared for this play over the years. And I’m especially grateful to MTC for encouraging me and producing this newly reimagined version of Queens. It moves me so very much that it’s finding a home in one of the theatres that first gave me one. As I read the headlines and witness this country, I hope this story can offer a place at the hearth of the impossibly complicated experience of immigrant women—an experience that, for some, costs entire lives.”
The production features scenic design by Marsha Ginsberg, costume design by Sarah Laux, lighting design by Ben Stanton, music and sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, and wig, hair, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas. Rocío Mendez is fight choreographer, Katie Ailinger is production stage manager, and Bianca Mercado-Boller is stage manager.
Tickets are at ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
Andrea Syglowsk in Queens
Anna Chlumsky in Queens
Brooke Bloom and Nadine Malouf in Queens
Brooke Bloom, Nicole Villamil, Marin Ireland, and Nadine Malouf in Queens
Company of Queens
Julia Lester in Queens
Julia Lester and Marin Ireland in Queens
Marin Ireland and Anna Chlumsky in Queens
Marin Ireland and Sharlene Cruz in Queens
Marin Ireland in Queens
Marin Ireland, Nadine Malouf, Nicole Villamil, and Brooke Bloom in Queens
Marin Ireland, Nicole Villamil, Brooke Bloom, and Nadine Malouf in Queens
Nadine Malouf, Nicole Villamil, Marin Ireland, and Brooke Bloom in Queens
Nicole Villamil and Marin Ireland in Queens
