Review Roundup: GINGER TWINSIES World Premiere Opens Off-Broadway

Read reviews for the world premiere of Ginger Twinsies, a loving send-up of the beloved 1998 film The Parent Trap. now playing Off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre.

You want the 411? In the summer of 1998, a pair of long lost, red-headed twin girls unexpectedly meet at sleep-away camp and hatch a plan to reunite their estranged parents. Sound familiar? Shut up, no it doesn't! Welcome to Ginger Twinsies – a loving, outlandish, and wildly inappropriate send up of the Lindsay Lohan/Nancy Meyers classic that made us all believe that Oreos go great with peanut butter, wedding gowns deserve top hats, and being young and beautiful is not a crime. So, pack your bags! Kevin Zak (no credits) invites you to enjoy this 80-minute Parent Trap parody stacked with nostalgia, camp (literally, they go camping), and some unexpected twists. 

The stacked lineup of hilarious New York actors and comedians bringing double trouble to Ginger Twinsies includes Russell Daniels as Annie, Aneesa Folds as Hallie, Jimmy Ray Bennett as Martin, Lakisha May as Elizabeth James, Grace Reiter as Chessy, Phillip Taratula as Meredith Blake, Matthew Wilkas as Nick, and Mitch Wood as Lizard/Others. Mike Liebenson, Omolade Wey, and Casey Whyland round out the cast as understudies.

Written and directed by Kevin Zak, performances began on July 10, 2025, for the strictly limited, 16-week engagement through October 26, 2025. 

Johnny Oleksinki, The New York Post: The entire off-its-rocker off-Broadway show, whose sole sin is occasionally trying too hard, is lovably loony.

David Finkle, New York Stage Review: Zak has nudged them to yell every line at the top of their lungs so trippingly on the tongue that any number of his jokes(?) are lost in the gibble-gabble-gargle.

Austin Fimmano, New York Theatre Guide: Ginger Twinsies is exactly what it hopes to be: a fast-paced, queer parody of a beloved cultural classic that may just be the spiritual successor of Titanique.

Joey Sims, Theatrely: A more experienced director than Zak might have identified areas to trim or condense (even at 80 minutes, Twinsies feels stretched out). But the work of his crackerjack creative team is faultless, from Beowulf Borritt’s purposely flimsy set pieces to Krystal Balleza and Will Vicari’s ludicrous wigs. And a supremely talented cast keeps things moving swiftly enough, most especially our delightful lead twins, Daniels and Aneesa Folds, who both deliver star-making turns.

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post: The Orpheum’s most famous tenant, “Stomp,” opened years before “The Parent Trap” hit theaters, and closed in 2023 after nearly three decades. Since then, the tricky venue has been something of a Goldilocks. Some shows have proved too boffo. Others have been too amateurish or niche. While I don’t suspect “Ginger Twinsies” will find much of an audience beyond Disney+ subscriber millennials or curious St. Mark’s bar-flies, it’s the first tenant there in two years to strike me as just right.

Average Rating: 70.0%