The Monsters tickets
About The Monsters
See this intimate story of epic proportions, The Monsters plays at New York City Center as part of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2025/26 season, in a world premiere co-production with Two River Theater in New Jersey.
Ngozi Anyanwu writes and directs The Monsters in New York. BIG is a celebrated fighter in the local mixed martial arts scene, but his star is fading as he gets older. His younger and less-famous sister, LIL, has been training from afar... until she shows up on his doorstep, ready for a fair fight of her own — with her brother. See how it all unfolds in The Monsters off Broadway as Anyanwu unlocks the tension, ferocity, and love that have defined a brother and a sister for their entire lives.
Run time
1hr 30min. No intermission.
Venue
Categories
Age
Ages 13+.
Start date
January 23rd, 2026
End date
March 22nd, 2026
“Siblings fight their way to healing and love”
Siblings Finding Love Through the Fight
The Monsters delivers an emotionally gripping exploration of sibling connection set in the world of mixed martial arts. Audiences overwhelmingly praise the extraordinary physicality and choreography, ...
What It Feels Like
- Intensely physical
- Emotionally raw
- Deeply tender
You’ll Love This If…
- You appreciate powerful two-person performances
- You enjoy stories about family trauma and reconciliation
- You want theater that combines physicality with emotional depth
A story of a different nature, that deserves to be told, but needs the tender hand guiding the writing of this story that was GREATLY MISSING!
An emotionally impactful story about how one mistake can ripple through a life.
This play was thoughtful and layered.
Stars on stage
Okieriete Onaodowan
The Monsters cast and creative team
By: Ngozi Anyanwu
Director: Ngozi Anyanwu
Choreography: Rickey Tripp
Producer: Manhattan Theatre Club and Two River Theater
Cast list: Aigner Mizzelle (as LIL) and Okieriete Onaodowan (as BIG)
Sets: Andrew Boyce
Costumes: Mika Eubanks
Lighting: Cha See
Sound: Mikaal Sulaiman
Other info: Original music by Mikaal Sulaiman, fight direction by Gerry Rodriguez, MMA consultation by Sijara Eubanks
Venue
Accessibility
Wheelchair access, assistive listening devices
More information about The Monsters
Ngozi Anyanwu is the author of several plays, including Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters, and, most recently at Steppenwolf in Chicago, Leroy and Lucy. She now returns to New York with a jolting world premiere: a unique story about the bond, and rivalry, between siblings. It's about reunions, resentment, reconnection — and how we're never quite done wrestling with our demons.
A fiery play with a premise like no other, The Monsters pits older brother against younger sister in a singular, refreshing format. Sometimes, the ones we fight with the most are those we also love the most. And after spending time away from your sibling, do old wounds heal, or do they fester?
Discover the unparalleled theatricality, smarts, and fight of this new play at Manhattan Theatre Club, a Pulitzer Prize-winning theatre known for originating many modern-day classics like Proof, Doubt: A Parable, and others.
What to watch for
- Ngozi Anyanwu is a multihyphenate storyteller and a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award winner.
- Anyanwu also has been commissioned by NYU, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, The Atlantic Theater, and Steppenwolf.
- We Had a World, with Tony winner Joanna Gleason, is a recent hit at Manhattan Theatre Club.
- MTC productions have earned seven Pulitzer Prizes, 30 Tony Awards, 51 Drama Desk Awards, and 49 Obie Awards, amongst many other honors.
Tickets
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer available.
Get the latest updates on The Monsters
Sign up to our mailing list to receive exclusive offers, new show ticket alerts and seasonal promotions. You can unsubscribe at any time.