The reviews are in for The Ask, Matthew Freeman’s two-hander about an ACLU fundraiser sent to win back a lapsed donor, now remounted at Theater 555 with Marilu Henner as Greta and Shannon Purser as Tanner. The play first ran at the Wild Project in 2024, and Jessi D. Hill directs again, with a new cast and a bigger room. Freeman drew on his own years raising money for the ACLU, and the critics take the argument seriously. Most of them admire both performances; where they differ is on whether the debate ever turns into drama.
The verdict: five reviews in so far, and none of the outlets publishes a rating. Four of the five praise the performances, with Talkin’ Broadway calling both actors excellent and TheaterMania calling Henner pitch-perfect, while New York Theatre Guide finds Purser held to a single soft note. They part company on the play itself. Interludes and Talkin’ Broadway find it smart and even-handed, Stage and Cinema thinks it takes half its 75 minutes to get going, and New York Theatre Guide feels the tension is never allowed to escalate. TheaterMania sits between them, still valuing the play but finding it less urgent than in 2024.
What are critics saying about The Ask?
TheaterMania
"Review: In The Ask, a Rich Old Liberal Faces Off with a Woke Young ACLU Rep"
Reviewer: Zachary Stewart
Stewart liked the play at the Wild Project in 2024 and went back to see what a new venue and cast would change. He finds the staging still plainly realistic, and says Shannon Purser conveys a great deal through her eyes, behind a professional smile that finally cracks.
"Henner’s pitch-perfect performance captures the unflappable narcissism of an entire generation."
He still values the play for exposing the rift between young nonprofit staff and the older donors who pay the bills, though he finds it less urgent now than it was.
New York Theatre Guide
"'The Ask' Off-Broadway review — two generations debate a donation"
Reviewer: Kyle Turner
Turner is the coolest of the five. He thinks Marilu Henner does a solid job with Greta’s mix of grievance and power, but finds Purser held to a soft, frictionless tone that leaves little variation, and feels Jessi D. Hill misses the game the two women are playing.
"The play gestures toward compelling conflict, more political than personal, without ever escalating it."
So, he writes, the stakes never feel urgent, even with two people squaring off.
Talkin' Broadway
Reviewer: Michael Dale
Dale, who calls himself an aging left-winger, recognizes both sides of the argument and admires a play that works on two levels: you can take whichever side you like on the issues while seeing that it is not a fair fight, since Tanner must stick to the organization’s approved language.
"Both actors are excellent under Jessi D. Hill's direction."
He likes the way Hill keeps Tanner seated while Greta roams her photo-crammed study, and the unspoken privileges the two characters share.
Stage and Cinema
""The Ask" Off-Broadway Review: Marilu Henner and Shannon Purser"
Reviewer: Gregory Bernard
Bernard found the first half an extended exercise in polite small talk, and only leaned forward when Greta admits she withheld her donation on purpose. From there, he says, both positions get a fair hearing, and Purser handles the fundraiser’s rich subtext with impressive precision.
"Once the central conflict finally emerges, the production becomes considerably more compelling."
His advice to audiences: have patience.
Interludes
"VIEWPOINTS – Timely Off-Broadway remounts worth talking about: Matthew Freeman’s THE ASK and Jenny Lyn Bader’s MRS. STERN"
Reviewer: Adrian Dimanlig
Dimanlig covers two Off-Broadway remounts in one piece and is the warmest here, marking The Ask highly recommended. He admires how evenly matched the two arguments are, leaving the audience to make up its own mind.
"a fascinating lens through which to observe their contrasting political views"
He finds Henner’s Greta light and charismatic over a steely core, and Purser’s quieter Tanner equally accomplished.
For more from the New York critics, read our roundups for Midnight at the Daryl Roth Theatre and A Ghost in Your Ear at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre.
The Ask runs at Theater 555, 555 West 42nd Street, through November 22, 2026. The running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. Production photos by Joan Marcus.
