Theater Thursday - Friends With Amenities

We were given complimentary tickets to Friends With Amenities for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Friends With Amenities 

Where: 595E59 Theatres 

             59 E. 59 St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 15 and Up

When: Through September 30, 2023

This is a beautifully written and beautifully performed play about human connection. It is refreshingly unique because although it is about a man and a woman it is not about sex and/or hooking up but about friendship. Ali and Natalie pair up for trivia at their local bar every week, but other than that, they seem to have little in common except that neither of them is native to the city where they both now live. Natalie is a Southern transplant with a gregarious nature and a penchant for reality shows. Ali is a Pakistani immigrant trying to make it as an actor who has learned to be guarded in a post-9/11 world.  However, this one night in this one apartment these two really connect and talk candidly and get to know each other beyond any misconceptions they may have previously had.

Ashan Ali and Lisa Jill Anderson are excellent in the roles of Ali and Natalie respectively. Even beyond words, these actors so clearly portray the trauma that these characters are dealing with that your heart breaks for them. The show was written by these multitalented performers as well, and they do a nice job of instantly drawing you into the story with the lighter funnier moments before they get to the heavier heart of things. The show is appealingly unpredictable as well, and you never quite know where it is going to go. On the whole, it is quite a compelling evening (or afternoon) of theater.

And that's our view. For more about Friends With Amenities or to purchase tickets, visit 59e59.org/shows/show-detail/friends-with-amenities

Tune in tomorrow for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Friends With Amenities production photos by Hayley Garcia Parnell

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms.
If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.