7 / 10
Playwright Ngozi Anyanwu is very precise with information. Her play The Monsters, which she also directs for Manhattan Theatre Club, carefully controls the flow of backstory, releasing trickles of context here and there as her characters decide whether to trust each other.
8 / 10
Playwright Anyanwu (who also directs here) is no stranger to the New York stage, with Last of the Love Letters (2021), Good Grief (2018), and The Homecoming Queen (2018) among her credits. And Leroy and Lucy, about legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson, had its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2024. Her writing is sparse and clean, and she understands the art of inflicting tiny cuts with a scalpel, as opposed to hacking away with a kitchen knife. These two disparate half-siblings who once shared a drunk, abusive and now deceased father, have lost touch for reasons that are only hinted at. That can sometimes feel selfish, leaving an audience to want more of the story, but what Anyanwu is going after is something different. It’s not the specifics that matter, only the pain and hurt of abandonment.
Manhattan Theatre Club extends The Monsters Off-Broadway through March 22, adding an extra week. The play by Ngozi Anyanwu stars Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete 'Oak' Onaodowan.
Read reviews for Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broadway premiere of The Monsters, written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu. The Monsters is about two siblings, LIL and BIG, who reunite after a long time apart and must wrestle with their pasts.
Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broadway premiere of The Monsters, written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu, will begin performances. Get a first look at photos!
MTC will present the Off-Broadway premiere of The Monsters, written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu, in a world premiere co-production with Two River Theater. See photos of the cast meeting the press here!
Two River Theater has revealed ticket sale dates for the world premiere of The Monsters, a sibling love story, written and directed by Ngozi Anyanwu. Learn more!
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Fight Choreography | Gerry Rodriguez |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Aigner Mizzelle |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY | The Monsters |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Rickey Tripp |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Ngozi Anyanwu |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Aigner Mizzelle |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play | The Monsters |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Choreographer | Rickey Tripp |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play | Aigner Mizzelle |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play | Okieriete Onaodowan |
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
