The New York Times - Highly Recommended
"...Bordelon's staging for Roundabout Theater Company balances the play's humor with its sobering central conceit. The slickly appointed interior, designed by Reid Thompson and covered with art that Bartholomew describes as Afrocentric, demonstrates Maxwell's faith in the protective powers of material wealth. But money is no defense from human frailty."
New York Theater - Somewhat Recommended
"...In Mansa Ra's new play, three generations of Black gay men live under the same roof - grandfather, father and son. If it's hardly unusual of late to see Black queer male characters on stage, the unlikely situation of three generations of them in a single family promises a fresh context. It is certainly refreshing to witness their expressions of familial affection, and the appealing cast provides some engaging moments of humor and pathos. But "...what the end will be" ultimately doesn't deliver on its implicit promise to create more rounded characters."
TheaterMania - Highly Recommended
"...In a play with straight white characters, this set-up (ailing grandparent, old-school dad, rebellious teen wanting to live their best life) would feel at least a little familiar. But Ra puts these tropes in different cultural waters, and the result is fresh and engaging. Brooks delivers a sterling performance as a man caught between his generation's passe edict to hide one's gayness and the social pressures of living under the gaze of white colleagues (and husbands). We see Brooks bring out those contradictions with a smile that quickly turns into a snarl as Maxwell renders judgment on Antoine for dressing and acting too "feminine" (Swain's fabulous attire is by Emilio Sosa, with make-up by J. Jared Janas). Ra turns this standoff between generations into 90 minutes of provocative (and hilarious) theater."
TheaterScene.net - Recommended
"...With his melodious voice, priceless facial expressions and stage presence, veteran actor Keith Randolph Smith grounds the production with his towering performance as Bartholomew. As Maxwell, the fiery Emerson Brooks supremely conveys the character's bottled-up emotions, offering a moving psychological portrait. The personable Gerald Caesar's Tony is a vivid take on adolescent struggle."
NY Theatre Guide - Recommended
"...In ...what the end will be, an always earnest but seldom subtle play about three generations of gay, Black men living together in Atlanta, a recurring image nods to the power of scent to trigger memories."
Theater Pizzazz - Recommended
"...What does it mean to be a gay black male in America today? It's a question that's been pondered on many New York stages this past season, in shows ranging from A Strange Loop to Thoughts of a Colored Man to A Case for the Existence of God. Now, playwright Mansa Ra is adding his perspective to the issue in ...what the end will be, which is receiving a well-acted production under Margot Bordelon's direction at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"......what the end will be by Mansa Ra structurally looks back to a time when plays were not trying to make a point but just tell a story. Though set in present day, the experience is like watching one of those revived, mainstream productions from the Golden Age of Broadway. Were it not for the race and sexuality of the characters, it could very well be an enjoyable, commercial play from that era. But it is 2022 and, while a bit retro, this play does not view Black, gay men as revolutionary. It sees us simply as human beings. Which may be the most up-to-date, revolutionary view of all."
New York Stage Review - Recommended
"...As calculatedly happens throughout ...what the end will be, there are discussions of many potential ends - including one quite significant, quite literal end. But the play itself suggests there is no end in sight for the societal changes that have occurred over the last several decades and will surely uncork surprises for decades to come."
