What Are Reviews For Cold War Choir Practice Off-Broadway?

The Syracuse, New York-set work centers on a young girl whose estranged uncle, a prominent Black conservative, brings his mysteriously ill wife home for the holidays.

March 11, 2026 By Margaret Hall

Alana Raquel Bowers, Andy Lucien, and Crystal Finn in *Cold War Choir Practice* (Maria Baranova)

Happy happy, joy joy, happy happy, joy! Ro Reddick's Cold War Choir Practice returned Off-Broadway March 10, and the reviews are rolling in.

The play-with-music plays MCC's Newman Mills Theater in co-production with Clubbed Thumb and Page 73. Directed by Knud Adams, the piece began performances February 21, and will run through March 29.

Described in press notes as “a fugue of Reaganomics, espionage, roller disco, and cults,” the Syracuse, New York-set work centers on a young girl whose estranged uncle, a prominent Black conservative, brings his mysteriously ill wife home for the holidays.

Read the reviews here.

1 Minute Critic (Matthew Wexler)

Culture Sauce (Thom Geier)

Exeunt (Loren Noveck)

New York Magazine/Vulture (Sara Holdren)

New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)

New York Theatre Guide (Amelia Merrill)

New York Stage Review (Frank Scheck, David Finkle)

The Recs (Randall David Cook)

Talkin' Broadway (Kimberly Ramirez)

Time Out (Adam Feldman)

The Wrap (Robert Hofler)*

*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.

Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.

Photos: Cold War Choir Practice Off-Broadway

The piece previously enjoyed a 2025 world premiere run as a part of Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks. This run features returning cast members Alana Raquel Bowers (Chicken & Biscuits) as Meek, Will Cobbs (Is This a Room) as Smooch, Andy Lucien (Bad Kreyòl) as Clay, and Lizan Mitchell (Ohio State Murders) as Puddin. The choir will be led by Ellen Winter (The Beastiary), with Grace McLean (Suffs), Suzzy Roche (The Wooster Group), and Nina Ross (To Kill a Mockingbird).

The staging features scenic design by Afsoon Pajoufar, costume design by Brenda Abbandandolo, lighting design by Masha Tsimring, sound design by Kathy Ruvuna, hair design by Sarah Jordan, music direction by Winter, and movement direction by Baye & Asa. Christina M. Wollard is the production stage manager.

Tickets are available at MCCTheater.org.