Alex T

See it if You're interested in history, you enjoy dialogue heavy plays, you're interested in the experiment. The singing is phenomenal

Don't see it if You don't like historical plays, you need more action in your plays

Also I'm really torn over whether or not having female and queer actors in these roles worked for me. I'll probably mull over it longer, but the final compromise-- removing anti-slavery rhetoric from the Declaration of Independence-- works as a tight rope. Every moment came close to being a deal breaker... Read more Read less

See it if You like farces, you want to laugh, you enjoy satire

Don't see it if If you think this will be horror, if you don't enjoy music, if you have no appetite for the absurd

See it if You want to consider lives around incarceration.

Don't see it if You prefer a less intense theatrical experience or prefer staging

See it if You want to see two powerhouse performances

Don't see it if This is mostly two performers volleying off each other- if you prefer your plays with more action, this will likely not grab you

See it if You enjoy modernized Shakespeare, horror tinged shows, stories about the ruthlessness of overachieving students

Don't see it if The show makes ramblers of all its cast, and thus makes some moments more grating than they should be. The end of the show feels rushed.

Also There is a scene included where one of the characters has a severe allergic reaction. Its very well acted, but I include this here in case it may be triggering to some. Other incidents are more suggested rather than rendered.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see stories involving disabled characters (played by disabled actors). All four actors are brilliant in this piece.

Don't see it if In some ways, it feels as if the show is more about how disabled characters can change the lives of the able bodied characters

Also I honestly think its a hard line to walk, and I do think Cost of Living does fairly well. But the show is bookended by the able bodied characters. The emotional climax is between the able bodied characters. Its hard not to feel like the disabled characters get slightly short changed in terms of story arc.

What does it mean for Ani to have to rely on a husband that cheated on her? What does it mean for John to be hit on by someone he relies on for day to day matters? I'm not as sure about those answers as I am about what it means to Eddie to be there for Ani or what Jess' job with John and John himself mean to her.... Read more Read less

See it if You like feel good stories or fabulous dance numbers and costumes

Don't see it if The romance aspect is half baked. The queer politics are very entry level; this is still a story that centers a straight man

See it if You enjoyed the book. There is quite lovely music throughout. You're looking for a good cry. You like introspection/narration

Don't see it if If you're looking for setting. Much of the work is done via sound and small visual cues. If you find yourself bored with soliloquy

Also The choice to have lead Amir played by the same man as a child and as an adult (with no costume change) threw me at first, but I liked it as a commentary on memory as it went by. Combined with the younger looking Hassan, I think it really drove home the tragedy. The constant switches to Amir's thoughts worked similarly for me: we are not experiencing the worst and best moments of his life as they happened, but as the memories of one haunted man... Read more Read less

See it if You would like to see a show with a complex premise. The acting was great, and the story was interesting.

Don't see it if The music isn't memorable and its hard to keep track of which "What if" the lead is in. The nature of the structure lead to some repetition

See it if You like situations without easy answers or baseball. If you want to laugh

Don't see it if The shades of gray approach doesn't work for you in a play largely about identity or if you dislike humor in dark situations

See it if You want to see poetry and dance on stage. The dancing in particular was beautiful

Don't see it if This is not a typical broadway show; if you go expecting dialogue or sets, you may be disappointed.

See it if If you enjoy dark comedy. If you're interested in examining the validity of executions

Don't see it if If you find it hard to ring comedy from execution and serial killers, this might be an uncomfortable watch

See it if You love acting. This rendition of Cyrano gives precedence to the words being spoken, and the leads are fantastic

Don't see it if You like the other portions of acting: staging, costumes, etc. It can be confusing because the only thing drawing a picture is their words

Also Jamie Lloyd's name is a bit of a litmus test here: if you want more than just speeches, you have to go for another director.

Also I understand not wanting to distract the audience from what's being said, but having internet heartthrob James McAvoy talk about how ugly he is and and how big his nose is IS distracting, no matter how well McAvoy performs the material. When Cyrano's looks are not the focus of the scene, the play is much more engrossing.... Read more Read less

See it if Its fantastic to see a ghost story played out on stage. The effects were pretty strong at creating a eerie atmosphere.

Don't see it if If you don't enjoy slow burn horror or hauntings, if you're the kind of person who can't suspend disbelief for haunted houses

See it if You enjoy silly people acting silly, your kind of comedy is in absurdity, and you don't care too much about story

Don't see it if Honestly, if slapstick isn't for you, all the jokes will fall flat.

See it if The courtroom staging makes this rendition a necessity in my opinion. If you love a thriller, this is for you.

Don't see it if Parts can feel borderline procedural; if you aren't drawn to those, the show may lose you

See it if You love mysteries. The play may not be as novel as it once was, but there's still a lot of fun to be had.

Don't see it if Parts of the play, due to the nature of Whodunnits, can be slow. If you need constant excitement or laughs, this isn't the show for you

Also I went twice on two separate trips (once jetlagged) and had a lot of fun both times... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see organized religion and Mormons satirized and almost redeemed

Don't see it if Your reaction to an episode of South Park may tell you if this show is for you or not. If you want insights into life in Uganda

Also The writing on the Mormon missionaries is much more polished and nuanced than the writing for the Ugandans. While the very act of mission work provides fertile ground for a bit of ribbing, the act of merely existing in Uganda doesn't... Read more Read less

See it if The live concert aspect of MJ is a lot of fun

Don't see it if The story of the musical felt like a TV biopic.

See it if This is honestly what Broadway is at its best. If you like musicals, and can take a tragic ending, you should go.

Don't see it if You don't like musicals or Greek myths

See it if You love production values, slapstick, strong and complex relationships between women, remixed fairy tales

Don't see it if You dislike the need to sanitize a villain

Also These were the most comfortable and spacious seats I've ever experienced on broadway... Read more Read less

See it if You're interested in stories about human triumph

Don't see it if Come From Away had every actor playing tons of characters, and sometimes, it was hard to keep track of who was who.

Also Come From Away does a hard tightrope walk with some of the more brutal aspects of 9/11 aftermath, and largely succeeds, but the Muslim man's treatment feels hard to reconcile with the tone at times, particularly when a character who crassly stereotypes him will moments later be part of a triumphant musical number.... Read more Read less

See it if You like camp and comedy in a great atmosphere.

Don't see it if You want mystery. There's no room for sleuthing, the musical doesn't really keep up the intrigue. The audience participation is unnecessary

See it if You want to see something different. The horror elements are interesting

Don't see it if It starts slow and has a flimsy story. It's hard to get into

See it if This is a gorgeously put on burlesque show. The atmosphere is fantastic, the singing fun, the acts incredible.

Don't see it if You're looking for a more conventional version of a play.

See it if You want to see a work that explores gender dynamics in a shallow way. It's ambitious in its reach.

Don't see it if The women feel like they belong in different shows. The approaches don't mesh. Deeper bits would be derailed by screwball comedy

See it if You want to see some fine performances.

Don't see it if The dialogue is clunky. The structure doesn't allow for surprises: every conflict has its solution revealed beforehand.

Also The straightforward story is needlessly complicated by the backwards plot structure.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a fan of the book and would like to see it performed in a different way. You want to laugh.

Don't see it if If you're not a fan. The stage cannot bring to life everything this tries to do. Fitting songs into the narrative felt awkward.

See it if You like horror, and Edgar Allan Poe, in that order. You're willing to ferret out pieces of the story by yourself

Don't see it if The relationships between the characters didn't seem to really matter. We are basically asked to bear witness to mass possession.

Also I can't say I didn't enjoy myself but I do think anyone looking for the basic parts of a story will find themselves disappointed.... Read more Read less

See it if I loved the idea of a house where time works differently. The intermingling of the generations was well done

Don't see it if If you don't like moving or want answers. We were split up, and my companion thought he got less of the story than I did upon reflection

Also The call to arms about water felt half baked next to what was essentially a ghost story... Read more Read less

See it if A Strange Loop ripped me open in a way I was unprepared for. A gorgeous, self aware exploration of creativity, otherness, and the self

Don't see it if You want to see something more story driven

Also I hope the people who most need a play like this have a way to see it. There was something uncomfortable about audience reactions to certain parts, though this of course cannot be held against the play. The laughter at certain parts felt almost cruel in the face of what we saw unfurl... Read more Read less

See it if You want great performances. You want to see something different. This is a meditation on life and grief

Don't see it if The story doesn't really entirely work. There are a couple contrivances and the tension doesn't stay strong throughout

See it if you're looking for a funny high school drama. It takes a pretty well worn idea of popularity but explores it through an interesting lens

Don't see it if The characters are all thinly drawn; some are even grating. I didn't find myself invested in the lead or his dilemma

See it if The set is wonderfully intimate and the lead is a charming, absorbing actor. It is easy to follow him even as he prepares his own downfall

Don't see it if Original Sound concerns musicians, and as such there's a lot of music involved. The story can feel familiar. It lacks real resolution

See it if You want to see a streamlined, more humorous version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The female lead pulls off something spectacular here.

Don't see it if You prefer more something a little less stripped. You get confused easily over character changes

See it if You want to consider gender implications in the bard's work. This score is for the female-Hamlet version, which was riveting.

Don't see it if You expect more than just strong performances. This is a bunch of actors and a stage

Also I saw the female-Hamlet, male-Ophelia version (as well as female Polonius and Rosencratz). There is room for Hamlet to be female, although some of the lines drop strangely (the fishmonger quip is a bit of a dud, but female Hamlet referring to "country matters" while teasing her paramour is a DELIGHT) Male-Ophelia is less of a fit, although it is interesting to see male-Ophelia play with female-Hamlet's affections.... Read more Read less

See it if Funny, with wonderful actresses and some interesting bonds. This play had a lot of potential

Don't see it if The many tones don't always overlap; the ending feels rushed and I'm left unsure why the mystery would implode like that

See it if You're interested in the idea, if you enjoy parodies and improv, you want to laugh

Don't see it if The premise doesn't always work, and sometimes seems like a work still in progress

See it if The first act is a marvel. Wonderful characters with some interesting relationships. Most of the central characters have well defined motive

Don't see it if The second act drags. The way some of the characters interact (or don't) removes suspense and the ability for guesswork for the solution

See it if Gorgeous singing and dancing. Wonderful performers. I was swept away by the artistry, acrobatics, and costuming.

Don't see it if Your reaction to the idea of a burlesque show with two intermissions will largely inform whether you'll like this or not.

See it if You enjoy seeing quirky characters interact. You want to be entertained. The characters are well introduced and the adult characters shine.

Don't see it if The deeper aspects are very lightly explored. The end seems to happen quickly and without much thought.

Also The lead's thinness, when juxtaposed with the character's self consciousness and the pointed comments from the rest of the characters, yanked me out of the show. Watching a small man pull at his shirt in attempts to pretend there's a gut and characters yell about his weight during tense scenes felt like the play wasn't self aware... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see Phantom of the Opera with some modern dancing and music in front of it. You can get a front seat.

Don't see it if The film proved more distracting than enhancing. There are a lot of bad seats in this house; you miss the dancing if you're not in front

Also This absolutely needed a stage of some sort; while some of the action happened on an elevated platform, a lot of it happened on the floor, obscuring what the performers were doing. It seems a shame to have missed their work.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Potter, if you want a peek at the students who don't have enormous destiny. Funny with just enough winks at the source material

Don't see it if It doesn't take itself very seriously and thus the story is kind of threadbare.

See it if The show attempts to look at soldiers and psychological games. It's interesting to see the pieces that do work.

Don't see it if Too short for its ambition, the scenes seem disjointed and to the end unearned. The threat on the outside is never sold properly

See it if This play is a gut punch. The debates and conversations are interesting enough but do nothing to prepare you for the final act.

Don't see it if The most powerful moments of this story all happen off screen, for better or for worse.

Also The set is gorgeous and serves for one of the most unsettling parts. The ending gives a powerful yet almost easy answer to the complicated questions it asks before. There was no way to address all Alexandria asked in the run time but god, it moved me.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a powerful, thoughtful meditation on life and the bonds we make. The characters all have depth, flaws, and likability.

Don't see it if You do not want to grapple with themes of depression and suicide.

See it if Very hard to watch at times but the actors kept a steady grasp on entertaining and dark moments.

Don't see it if They're out to gross you out. If you dislike being touched by actors. If you like the fourth wall where it is.

Also The story is more of a series of somewhat connected glimpses into the life of the charismatic lead and his friends. Especially considering the subject matter, this worked for me.... Read more Read less