We Are Gathered Reviews

Washington Post- Recommended

"...McCraney is exceptional at crafting vivid interior lives set against social contexts that press back on their desires, including in his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Moonlight" and in the vibrant coming-of-age drama "Choir Boy," which played at Studio Theatre a decade ago and on Broadway in 2019. "We Are Gathered" was written to coincide with WorldPride, which is underway in D.C. In a mild spoiler that has been publicly advertised, real-life couples get hitched as part of the show's happy ending."

DC Theater Arts- Highly Recommended

"...We Are Gathered, the new play by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Academy Award winner for the Moonlight screenplay), is a love story that takes the spiritual lives of the people we call queer and the people we call Black seriously. As such, the play is not “merely” entertainment. It is a celebration and affirmation of the right to exist. It is an immersion in rituals of healing. In addition to that, the play is an awful lot of fun to watch."

MetroWeekly- Highly Recommended

"...Not every couple has a fairy-tale beginning, or meet-cute origin story to share in “Awww”-inducing social media posts. Romance, for some, blossoms under less decorous circumstances. That’s the case for W. Tre and Free, the Black queer couple at a crossroads in Tarell Alvin McCraney‘s brilliantly observed, and deliciously frank and funny love story We Are Gathered."

Talkin Broadway- Recommended

"...Another unique element is the way the playwright makes the audience part of the action. The characters accept the presence of strangers watching them and learning their stories. In fact, a "wedding reception" (cookies and sparkling wine) in the theater lobby follows the curtain call, and couples attending the play are invited to share their own marriage vows onstage during select performances."

Washington City Paper- Somewhat Recommended

"...Just because McCraney and the company succeed in making me like their characters and care what happens doesn't mean we want to watch their relationship progress at what feels like the confounding speed of real life: always far too slow except for the times when it's far too fast. This is the whole point of turning to the compressed simulation of drama to try to make sense of it all, till death do us part."

Washington Blade- Recommended

"...In addition to being a talented playwright, McCraney is the Academy Award-winning Black and queer screenwriter of "Moonlight," the 2016 film. He's happy to be a part of WorldPride 2025, and grateful to Arena for making space for his play on its stage. McCraney says he wrote "We Are Gathered" as a contemplation of queer marriage and the right for same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples, to marry anywhere in the United States."

Stage and Cinema- Somewhat Recommended

"...We Are Gathered is a political and artistic testament to that truth, a play that asks: what does it mean to love and be loved in a world that is still catching up? It's messy, it's tedious, it's poetic, and it's deeply human."

MD Theatre Guide- Somewhat Recommended

"...Of course, "We Are Gathered" still has plenty of charming moments. Beltran, in particular, delivers a star-turn as Tre, spitting miles of somersaulting verse at a rapid clip in his empathetic and emotional performance. There are scenes where the play hits its stride, including a hilarious birthday meal with Free's grandparents. Although it's a bit of an emotional cheat, only the coldest of hearts won't be touched by the finale when the company invites real queer couples to make or renew their wedding vows on stage under a canopy of light."

BroadwayWorld- Recommended

"...Live theater is one of the oldest and best art forms for exploring inner conflict. When it follows in this tradition, Tarrell Alvin McCraney's newest work, We Are Gathered, is interesting and effective."