SMALL Off-Broadway Reviews

But the show’s greatest resource is Montano, who exploits his physicality to great effect — whether straining to drop pounds, crossing himself as his devout mother in prayer, or hunched over a thoroughbred visibly struggling to maintain control. ...

But the show’s greatest resource is Montano, who exploits his physicality to great effect — whether straining to drop pounds, crossing himself as his devout mother in prayer, or hunched over a thoroughbred visibly struggling to maintain control. Small lifts you into the saddle and challenges you to hang on for a bumpy but exhilarating ride.

Beyond the overwrought, performative opening stretch of the work directed by Jessi D. Hill, Montano deserves credit for his messy-but-real coming-of-age tale set in the ’70s. Over 100 minutes, he shares how his pint-sized stature as a kid got him b...

Beyond the overwrought, performative opening stretch of the work directed by Jessi D. Hill, Montano deserves credit for his messy-but-real coming-of-age tale set in the ’70s. Over 100 minutes, he shares how his pint-sized stature as a kid got him bullied and benched his West Side Story-inspired dreams of being a dancer. Once his mother took him to the Belmont Park racetrack, he was bent on a career of a different color. He’d determined he was born to be a jockey.

It’s a late-story turn with approximately 20 minutes of showtime to go, a swerve that wasn’t set up in the early sections of the play, making it feel tagged on. Suddenly a play about a dream to become a horse jockey transitions to one about hapha...

It’s a late-story turn with approximately 20 minutes of showtime to go, a swerve that wasn’t set up in the early sections of the play, making it feel tagged on. Suddenly a play about a dream to become a horse jockey transitions to one about haphazardly becoming a dancer, and finding success in that arena. As a human, you’re happy he found his place and true calling, but as an audience member, you wish the show’s dramaturgy were stronger.