Public Charge Off-Broadway Reviews

Simply put, Public Charge is not very good theater, but as a docudrama, it’s an important work that deserves to be seen. The story is true as told through the eyes of former diplomat and co-writer Julissa Reynoso who created the play with Michael J...

Simply put, Public Charge is not very good theater, but as a docudrama, it’s an important work that deserves to be seen. The story is true as told through the eyes of former diplomat and co-writer Julissa Reynoso who created the play with Michael J. Chepiga. In episodic fashion, it takes us through Reynoso’s (Zabryna Guevara) experiences from 1981 as a young girl in the Dominican Republic straight to her career in government where she rises to become US Ambassador to Uruguay in 2011.

This isn’t snark, but a palette cleanser from the doomscrolling. Public Charge may uplift many who have grown depressed and disillusioned, urging us to pick up the pieces, take action, and remember that the work, however maddening, is always worth ...

This isn’t snark, but a palette cleanser from the doomscrolling. Public Charge may uplift many who have grown depressed and disillusioned, urging us to pick up the pieces, take action, and remember that the work, however maddening, is always worth doing.

A wistful nostalgia courses through Public Charge, a reverence for a recent past when government workers epitomized competence and know-how to produce real change. USAID has been dismantled; career diplomats sidelined or removed. What has been lost i...

A wistful nostalgia courses through Public Charge, a reverence for a recent past when government workers epitomized competence and know-how to produce real change. USAID has been dismantled; career diplomats sidelined or removed. What has been lost is not only lasting change but the idealism needed to reclaim the former status quo.

My audience laughed nervously as Reynoso vowed to get Clinton elected, as if the play is ushering in a Shakespearean tragic hero. This final scene seems like the play’s cross-examination of itself, acknowledging that faith in the government might a...

My audience laughed nervously as Reynoso vowed to get Clinton elected, as if the play is ushering in a Shakespearean tragic hero. This final scene seems like the play’s cross-examination of itself, acknowledging that faith in the government might as well be taking not just a fall, but a farcical plunge. But its abruptness sidesteps a real sense of reflection.

Mostly, though, Public Charge feels like a tease of juicy subject matter kept firmly obscured—the work of a public official constrained by habitual discretion. There is something to be said for a play that argues for the value of government service...

Mostly, though, Public Charge feels like a tease of juicy subject matter kept firmly obscured—the work of a public official constrained by habitual discretion. There is something to be said for a play that argues for the value of government service, but good theater is not always diplomatic.

Public Charge is a true ensemble piece, cast and tech combined. If the Tony’s had Best Ensemble, this would be my vote. And one last thing, I will have to say, when the culminating video was run of Barack giving a press briefing talking about begin...

Public Charge is a true ensemble piece, cast and tech combined. If the Tony’s had Best Ensemble, this would be my vote. And one last thing, I will have to say, when the culminating video was run of Barack giving a press briefing talking about beginning to normalize relations with Cuba (thanks to Julissa’s work), hearing a POTUS speak in clear sentences, with care and conviction to making the world a better place for all, it brought tears of longing to my eyes.

Public Charge is clearly a well-intentioned piece, one that honors both its subject and the ideals she represents. While the production’s cool, methodical staging keeps the audience at arm’s length, the story it tells—of an immigrant who rises ...

Public Charge is clearly a well-intentioned piece, one that honors both its subject and the ideals she represents. While the production’s cool, methodical staging keeps the audience at arm’s length, the story it tells—of an immigrant who rises to shape global policy—remains a compelling and distinctly American narrative, even when the drama itself struggles to fully ignite. The final note lands with a bittersweet irony, as optimism about leadership collides with the audience’s awareness of how history ultimately unfolded.

The world has changed considerably since the time depicted here (consider, among other things, our current official approach to dealing with Cuba). But, for one brief shining moment, there was a real marriage of politics and humanitarianism for which...

The world has changed considerably since the time depicted here (consider, among other things, our current official approach to dealing with Cuba). But, for one brief shining moment, there was a real marriage of politics and humanitarianism for which many of us can feel proud. That's the story Public Charge serves to remind us of.