andyboy

See it if Sexy, atmospheric, stylish -- as if you've stumbled into an intimate European burlesque. Smart, erotic, beautifully done.

Don't see it if you're bothered by partial nudity, sexual situations, only a conceptual plot.

See it if You like old fashioned dramas that present heart wrenching quandaries and then don’t resolve them. Beautiful production of middling writing.

Don't see it if You have little patience for a drama that takes its time getting started and then abruptly ends without a resolution and without warning.

See it if you're a fan of the classic show & are interested in seeing some of the genders swapped for this production. Most of it works.

Don't see it if you like a more traditional book musical; the structure here has more in common with a revue -- but with character arches.

See it if you can handle being uncomfortable as an audience member. This is tough territory & is well done, but won't be for everyone.

Don't see it if stories of sexual abuse are triggering or you're looking for something that is STRICTLY entertaining / light / fun.

See it if you like quirkiness, comedy, deeply felt drama, and the little moments that make up a full life. This is a beautiful & moving play.

Don't see it if gosh, I have no idea who wouldn't fall for this lovely show. I went twice.

See it if you like intimate dramas with finely drawn characters & organic plotting. The writing, acting, direction are beautifully human throughout

Don't see it if you want something light & comedic with opulence. This is a pared down drama that is deeply felt.

See it if you like a family drama with political and social ramifications. The plotting is smart and the characters are well drawn.

Don't see it if you want simple fluff. This show has some heft.

See it if you love Christmas spectacle, dance, dazzling opulence. This is a splashy holiday perennial filled with fun.

Don't see it if you're not into holiday-themed spectaculars, prefer intimate shows with substance, don't care for family fair

See it if you want an entertaining spectacle loaded with opulence, style, pop music references, & volume. It's not deep, but it's impressive.

Don't see it if you hate jukebox musicals that switch songs as quickly as a radio dial, or if you're looking for substance.

See it if you're into 1-person autobiographical shows about overcoming personal struggles that are ultimately uplifting

Don't see it if you don't like 1-person shows or are offended by rough language

See it if you want to see a somewhat experimental high-tech overhaul of this dated show. New distracting elements rarely deepen the script/score.

Don't see it if you want a traditional staging of this musical.

See it if you want to see a reductive adaptation of a classic (2 actors, bare set) with much of its narrative traded for philosophical musings.

Don't see it if you have a low tolerance for ponderings about identity / creation. Unfocused writing & confusing role-playing make these 80 minutes drag.

See it if you like military dramas, whodunnits, plays about race issues, like to see great actors doing great work. Well done for what it is.

Don't see it if you don't care about military murder mysteries or dramas about race. I found this slow & curiously uninvolving.

See it if a tight drama about the aftermath of a school shooting with themes of judgement & forgiveness seems like your thing. Excellent production.

Don't see it if you want something light and less intense or prefer pure entertainment that doesn't challenge you

See it if you want to see a throwback to the 1960s Neil Simon style of comedy. Broad, yet somehow also mild, and rather unsurprising. Great cast!

Don't see it if you want a challenging work. This is a safe, sitcom-ish, totally conventional comedy one might find in regional theatre. Competent, though.

See it if you're into every hot button issue of the day being dealt with shallowly over several characters through Alanis Morisette songs.

Don't see it if you value original musicals with individual characters who express themselves through songs written specifically for them -- not jukebox!

See it if you're into high-concept, low-narrative shows. What was intriguing to me may wear thin & annoy those seeking more traditional fare.

Don't see it if you're easily confused. It can be hard to keep track of who's who as characters get shuffled among actors of varying genders/races/ages.

See it if you're up for another rehashing of the familiar tale. This one takes considerable liberties with the original, but to little added interest.

Don't see it if you've seen hundreds of adaptations of this tale already & don't have any interest in seeing another that adds no special approach.

See it if you like pretty, but unchallenging modern dance. The choreography lacks any special voice. The "story" is thin & lacks subtlety or depth.

Don't see it if you don't like modern dance. This felt long & padded at a single hour. A too-obvious comment on climate change.

See it if 2 interrelated one-act solo musical dramas with racial/social issues appeals. Rich score & gorgeous orchestrations deserve a better story.

Don't see it if you don't like slow solo-moving musicals that are somewhat dramatically inert. Go for the gorgeous score & performances, though!

See it if you're interested in gay stories, soap operas, and want an emotional experience. At times too sentimental, but all 7 hours are riveting.

Don't see it if you don't care about gay history or characters, don't want to spend 2 nights & 7 hours on an emotional drama. Minimal design/maximum punch.

See it if you're a Pinter fan, like psychological thrillers, are a fan of stylish staging, spare design, & great acting. Fantastic production!

Don't see it if you want fluff, an outright comedy (though there's lots of humor), or a show that moves quickly.

See it if you like Tennessee Williams, Marisa Tomei, dramas with a fair amount of comedy, can handle a slow-moving plot that's somewhat unfocused.

Don't see it if you hate long old-fashioned style plays that lack focus at times. This is part tedium, but also part joy & rewards those with patience.

See it if you like an intimate, funny, but also dark & very human drama that is constantly surprising, moving, beautifully written, acted, & staged.

Don't see it if talky, dark plays aren't your thing. Only 2 actors, sometimes uncomfortable themes, a lot of quiet moments, this is not flashy or light.

See it if you're a fan of musical theatre-ish pop music, don't mind plot logic issues or shallow characterizations, don't mind wild tonal shifts.

Don't see it if you're bothered by blood, insufficiently motivated characters, bald plot contrivances, & being asked to care about cartoonish characters.

See it if you want to see an excellent & versatile actor inhabit the stories of Edgar Allan Poe in an extremely intimate setting. Very special.

Don't see it if you don't like one-person events, don't like Poe, & want spectacle. This is stripped down & intimate, but very rewarding.

See it if you're interested in a deeply human approach to questions of anger, forgiveness & our navigation of these impulses in society. Recommended!

Don't see it if solo shows turn you off or you want something superficial. This has LOTS of humor, is very accessible, but it does go deep -- in a good way

See it if you like challenging work about race & sexual politics. I found some interesting ideas were undercut by cartoonish characterizations.

Don't see it if nudity, race issues & simulated sex are turn-offs. If in-your-face arguments about sex & race aren't your thing, this isn't for you.

See it if you're up for a sentimental, overlong, dramatically inert history lesson about St. Vincent's hospital. Tedious, but Chalfant is luminous.

Don't see it if you have little patience for touchy-feely audience participation, lack of narrative, or the AIDS era being given a romanticized once-over.

See it if you're up for a play dealing with issues of anorexia & dysfunctional family dynamics. After a slow start, it finds its way & really delivers

Don't see it if you don't want to deal with family dysfunction & anorexia -- though this play is so much smarter than that sentence would have you think!

See it if you like shorts of varying quality. 1st is tedious, 2nd somewhat disappointing, 3rd very odd but absorbing & disturbing. A mixed bag.

Don't see it if you prefer a full-length play or aren't interested in challenging or potentially disturbing material.

See it if you enjoy slightly challenging material that is still funny and accessible. Not as profound as I imagine the author intended, but worth it.

Don't see it if you don't like child actors; 3 of them carry the bulk of the play (very well). It's a bit unconventional, structurally, if that's a concern

See it if you like short one-acts of varying quality. 1st play is a slog, but the 2nd & 3rd are comedies with thematic focus + good writing & acting.

Don't see it if you prefer full-length plays and not a mixed bag of shorts. The last play takes on issues of race, so if that's not your bag, so be it.

See it if you want to be CHALLENGED -- theatrically, intellectually, politically. You need to be up for a very non-traditional experience about race.

Don't see it if you want traditional storytelling with characters you can emotionally engage in / you want fluff / you don't want to think about race issues

See it if you care about politics, human rights, women's issues, and might be up for emotionally-charged intellectual discourse on these subjects.

Don't see it if you want a traditional play with characters and plot. This is basically a very riveting speech with some theatrical panache thrown in.

See it if you care about gay rights issues in foreign countries, find issues of religion and its political ramifications of interest, like good acting

Don't see it if you don't care about gay people in foreign countries, don't care for traditional (and sometimes slow) storytelling. Solid work all around.

See it if you like hilarious musicals that send up blaxploitation flix. Catchy score, great acting, singing, staging. It's fluff, yes, but pure fun!

Don't see it if you don't like energetic, silly shows that contain theatre insider jokes, with great tunes, actors who sing their faces off, & tons of fun.

See it if you like challenging music, despite banal lyrics, shallow platitudes & unclear storytelling. Visually arresting & well-sung, but surface.

Don't see it if you wouldn't care for an intimate, fairly static musical about medieval composer Hildegard of Bingen told theatrically but confusingly.

See it if you want to see a highly entertaining, theatrical play about the first black woman in pro baseball. Excellent acting & staging, compelling!

Don't see it if you aren't interested in black history or like highly involving and accomplished straight plays that expertly mix humor and drama.

See it if you're a fan of exhausting & tedious dark British farce. Well, it has the pace and feel of farce, but is neither funny or enjoyable.

Don't see it if you have something else you're interested in seeing. You should probably go see that. This is the saddest & most misery-fueled comedy.

See it if you like artful burlesque with nudity, opera, dance, circus, TONS of erotic atmosphere in a really cool venue in Bushwick. Recommended!

Don't see it if you don't like burlesque, nudity, raunch, eroticism. This is all that, but also very artfully conceived and executed.

See it if you like superbly crafted, clever, funny, charming, old fashioned book musicals. Everything about this is a delight -- so much fun!

Don't see it if you want something edgy or challenging. That's not to say this isn't top-notch entertainment, but it is (great!) traditional musical fare.

See it if you want to see Sarandon in a funny & devastating play that, despite not being completely credible, is never less than totally involving.

Don't see it if you don't care to examine the affects of affluent American privilege & prefer something fluffy (although this play is very funny, too).

See it if you desire a classic slow-burning drama with a great performance by Bening (as well as an overwrought one by Walker) in a standard staging.

Don't see it if you don't care for slow, exposition-heavy dramas that are clunky in spots & often overwritten. This play is from another era & it shows.

See it if you're longing for a story involving Japanese Americans that is basically a living room dysfunctional family drama set in the woods.

Don't see it if you hate magical realism, endless exposition, & stories that lack any real events or plot. Some great acting, though!

See it if you'd enjoy a provocative debate about & introduction to BSDM culture that isn't terribly deep, but is interesting and well-structured.

Don't see it if sexually frank talk, gay relationships, BDSM, are all turn-offs. The characters are thin but the narrative holds interest for the most part

See it if you just want a fun musical that isn't believable AT ALL and often defies logic. It IS funny & clever in spots, but also cartoonish & broad

Don't see it if you're a fan of the classic film. This reduces that, delivers less heart, trivializes much of it, & makes it more cartoonish, despite laughs

See it if you're more interested in a celebrity event than an actual play. There's no real story or drama here, though it does hold interest, kinda.

Don't see it if you want a play, with characters, plot, stakes, dialogue, etc. The attempt at theatricality barely masks its slightness.

See it if you're up for an absurdist comedy that becomes increasingly darker & more painful as it goes along. Kinda like Durang, but more emotional.

Don't see it if you don't want a hilarious but very dark comedy that sends up the brutality and pain of misogyny until it hurts. Absurdist & disturbing.