Review Roundup: DATA Opens Off-Broadway

Matthew Libby’s play DATA has officially made its New York stage premiere, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, starring Karan Brar reprising his role from the Arena Stage production, as Maneesh, as well as Brandon Flynn as Jonah, Sophia Lillis as Riley, and Justin H. Min as Alex. Read the reviews here!

DATA pulls back the curtain on Silicon Valley's darkest ambitions. When a brilliant young programmer learns his own algorithm is the key to a massive AI surveillance project, he’s forced to challenge the tech world he once dreamt of joining. Confronting today's most controversial headlines, this subversive thriller follows the terrifying choices at our fingertips—and the high cost of disrupting a system that tracks your every move.

The strictly limited 11-week Off-Broadway engagement began on Friday, January 9, 2026 ahead of an opening on Sunday, January 25, 2026 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

The creative team for DATA includes Enver Chakartash (Costume Design), Marsha Ginsberg (Set Design), Daniel Kluger (Original Music and Sound Design), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design) and casting is by Taylor Williams, CSA. Ashley-Rose Galligan will serve as the Production Stage Manager.

David Finkle, New York Stage Review: With Data, Michael Libby has written an unquestionably significant play wrenched not only from today’s headlines but possibly also ripped from headlines heading our way in the frightfully near future. Furthermore, he’s unleashed a work that fits into a category that may be entirely new or at least still thin: The Intellectual Horror Drama.

Roma Torre, New York Stage Review: Data is a serious play but there is humor, almost exclusively in the hands of Jonah who knows his limitations but compensates by taking on the persona of an over-stimulated dude. Brandon Flynn is that guy to a T, and all the more impressive after seeing him play Marlon Brando so convincingly off Broadway in Kowalski

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: Luckily, the four splendid cast members help us overlook the playwright’s calculations by bringing these characters to life, even Brandon Flynn as Jonah. Or should I say him especially. Flynn is the only one of the four whom I remember seeing on stage before, and his performance both as Marlon Brando in Kowalski and the kidnapped child at the center of “Kid Victory,” were memorable.

Allison Considine, New York Theatre Guide: This moral-dilemma play contains several unexpected twists and turns, including a few that draw audible gasps from the audience at the performance I attended. The lone flaw is that part of Maneesh’s family backstory, the driving force behind his career choices, feels underdeveloped. But this thrilling new play is worth your time — even if you’re a tech employee trying to unplug from that world after work.

Average Rating: 80.0%