Reviews
As Big As A Mountain Once More
Dale Wasserman’s Retelling of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Features a Female McMurphy and a Fresh Take on the Struggle Against the System. The performance space at Studio 17 has been transformed into a soul-stifling psych ward for a remarkable adaptation of Ken Kesey’s pivotal 1962 novel. The production has an immersive feel, as the patients work their way around the audience, and the voice of the dreaded Nurse Ratched (played with both menace and nuance by Jacqueline Knapp) booms from the staff station behind us. The doomed protagonist is now Randle McMurphy (an astonishing Sayra Player), a woman who arrives fresh from a workfarm, fired up to disrupt the status quo. McMurphy challenges the supposed authority of patient spokesman Dale Harding (played with presence and dignity by J. Madison Johnston). The lobotomized Ruckly (Myla Pitt) stands against the wall with arms out as if crucified, a warning against challenging Ratched’s rule, and a chilling foreshadowing of the fate of our hero. And the deflated Chief Bromden (Salvatore Inzerillo) sits quietly, not speaking—but unbeknownst to the others, hearing everything—and dreaming of becoming as big as a mountain again.
Posted on May 12, 2026 by Jim Catapano Lead reviewer at Five Star Arts Journals.
A pretty meaningful way to close the run: a sold-out house
A pretty meaningful way to close the run: a sold-out house, and this generous response from Peter Filichia on BroadwayRadio’s This Week on Broadway.
Peter came to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and called the production “an astonishing production.”
For someone who has seen more than 13,000 shows to respond this strongly, and to urge us to bring the show back in a bigger space, meant a lot.
Deeply grateful to @peterfilichia , @broadwayradio , @barefoot_theatre_company , @franciscosolorzano , @sayraplayer, @pontifexproduction, @theplaygroundnyla and this entire wild, generous, fearless ensemble.
What a gift to be part of this one.
#oneflewoverthecuckoosnest
#peterfilichia
#broadwayradio
#nyctheater
#offbroadway
From Peter Filichia on BroadwayRadio’s This Week on Broadway.