The Newman Theatre just opened its doors to the adaption of Shakespeare's Lancaster vs York plays in the historical play Henry VI: A Trilogy Told In Two Parts. A dramatic take on The Wars of the Roses, a period of British history that played out like a real life Game of Thrones, the plays take in the turmoil of a Battle for the crown of England that would shape not just Britain, but Europe at large, for centuries. Directed by Brown-Fried, take a read below of what critics thought of Off-Broadway's new addition.

The Reviews

Culture Sauce

"After a somewhat lumbering start, though, the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) delivers a gripping and stylish new two-night production of Henry VI at the Public Theater."

"The first act, which tries to speed through the first play of the Bard's trilogy, remains a bit of a slog. The show gains momentum over time, particularly on the fleet-footed second night, which combines the second half of Part 2 and the entirety of Part 3."

New York Theatre Guide

"But while everything else on stage may look vaguely futuristic, the characters themselves feel lived-in in all the best ways. As King Henry, Jon Norman Schneider takes us on a journey from the privileged youth with a dangerous blindness to the real world, to the man on the brink of losing it all who must learn to speak for himself. While he maintains an air of otherworldly detachment, Queen Margaret (Teresa Avia Lim) is his opposite, burning with barely contained rage in every scene she's in."

"Myka Cue shines - first figuratively, and then literally - as an impassioned Joan la Pucelle (Joan of Arc) who makes you want to throw down your sword for her. Elsewhere, Rajesh Bose plays a rascally Richard, Duke of York, who is very fun to track as he schemes too close to the sun, but it's the pathos in his final monologue before a brutal death that proves unforgettable. And Julyana Soelistyo, as the villainous future Richard III, radiates authority while also creating a distinct physicality in the role that sets her apart from the rest."

New York Stage Review

"Stephen Brown-Fried adapts and directs the rarely produced Shakespeare works outstandingly, with a stunning 16-member NAATCO cast"

"The five-hour-40-minute result is masterful, replete with numerous drills, actors facing actors in ominously staged confrontations. Most notably, the plays are beautifully spoken - with, it does need to be reported, a small garbling quotient. Brown-Fried is also significantly aided by fight choreographers, movement directors, and intimacy coordinators Orlando Pabotoy and Kimiye Corwin."

New York Theater

"It is so rare for any company to stage Shakespeare's "Henry VI" trilogy that one could honestly say that the National Asian American Theatre Company's production is unlike any you've ever seen in New York before."

"His adaptation condenses the three parts into two (with separate admissions), judiciously cutting in half what would have been a 12-hour running time. The design, by a different team, is minimalist and modernist now, but the movement directors are the same, and the battle scenes in particular are still stunningly staged."