In 1974, the play was presented at Riverside Church in Manhattan. Theater impresario Joseph Papp saw the play and was so impressed that he moved the production to Broadway. The play was nominated for six Tony Awards. It won the New York Critics Circle Award and an Obie Award for the "best play of the year". The play was also a success in Europe, and catapulted Piñero to literary fame. Short Eyes was revived to acclaim by The Zoo Theatre Company, at The American Theater for Actors in 1988. It was Directed by Dusko Petkovich. Short Eyes was published in book form by the editorial house Hill & Yang.
Walter Kerr of The New York Times said the play was "promising" but "not yet freed from its initial debt to life."[2]
