Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...Some of “Public Obscenities” is remarkable under Chowdhury’s, well, painstaking direction. Still, in training a patient, observational eye on daily life, a method often better suited to documentary films, Chowdhury slows the dramatic tempo to a crawl. It’s never particularly helpful to lose your audience in hyper-realistic detail, no matter how well composed: Do we need, for instance, several extended scenes of a sexually repressed older man at a computer, playing a suggestive online game with a woman in Minnesota?"
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...Delivered in near real-time and running close to three hours, Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s Public Obscenities, which he also directs, may have its flaws but it is nevertheless filled with beguiling charm."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...The overall effect is mesmerizing as one piece of the past builds on another. While Haque and Powell are the anchors of the production, the entire cast works together elegantly as a seamless unit."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"...While everything in Public Obscenities has the capacity to intrigue and educate, the sum of its parts is frequently out of focus. The play’s nearly three-hour run time, inclusive of intermission, points to the many subjects Chowdhury explores with true insight, if not expediency: the politics of queer identity in a conservative society, interracial relationships amid implicit anti-Blackness, complex affections toward one’s “home” country, and India’s enduring caste system, etc."
DC Theater Arts - Somewhat Recommended
"...As both director and playwright, Chowdhury is strongest in these moments of cultural tension and reflection, of which there are many. But too much of a good thing, in this case, makes for a protracted experience. Clocking in at a whopping three hours and 15 minutes, Public Obscenities is marked by drawn-out transitions and exceedingly pregnant dramatic pauses. With one or two exceptions, the play is consistently well-written, but ultimately feels overstuffed, particularly in the second act, where slow, albeit compelling, sequences move the action forward by inches."
MD Theatre Guide - Recommended
"...Coming in at just under three hours, the play reveals itself through pleasantly eye-opening and deeply nuanced episodes that leave you wanting more—yes, even after that long of a show. After seeing this play, I have to concur that Chowdhury is a true theatrical talent who is going to have a significant impact on what theatre should look like today."
