Bruce 6

See it if patients face horror of disfiguring disease, abandonment by family; interactions sharply etched by fine cast; black humor leavens mood

Don't see it if some may find this to be melodramatic; some characters, scenes don't work esp ending scene between doctors

Also The title "I'm Revolting" has at least three meanings. First, it refers to the physical disfigurement that skin cancer can wreak on patients' faces. As such, they fear they will be marked as "revolting". Second, it deals with the doctor-patient power dynamic that is insightfully displayed in the play. The head doctor, with smarmy charm, insists that her patients engage in treatments to save their lives that themselves will often disfigure them. One patient pushes back, she "revolts". So too do family members who shockingly abandon the patients in their time of need, "revolting" against their expected roles. The play thus richly shows the many dimensions - disease vs. patient, doctor vs. patient and family member vs. patient - of the crisis facing a cancer patient.... Read more Read less

See it if superb job of universalizing story w simple set & soulful music & animating family dysfunctionality; Clarke's Tony-worthy as Loman's wife

Don't see it if Wendell Pierce, tho skilled, is not memorable as Willie Loman; unraveling due to Willie's discovered [spoiler] infidelity is weak

Also A. This is one of the best plays in the American canon. Miller shows how the Dale Carnegie mantra that the way to realize the American dream is to win friends and influence people is empty; and how ruthless our capitalist society can be, in discarding those who after long and noble service can no longer be productive. It also dramatizes the universal tragedy of fathers and sons, where fathers try to live their lives through their sons & end in conflict w their sons when they don't measure up. B. Pierce does a fine job of showing the bluff optimism of Willie Loman. However, his performance fails to dramatize the depth of his fall by failing to make us feel his devastation as his self image is shattered. Note: London critics generally loved his performance.... Read more Read less

See it if energetic; a few resonant numbers & well-constructed scenes; strong choreography; clever meta opening

Don't see it if even as gndr bndr remains traditional old show w/o many memorable tunes, lyrics or book; groan-worthy humor; no Tony-worthy performances

Also I saw the 1997 revival w Gregg Edelman in an electrifying performance as South Carolina representative Edward Rutledge that laid bare the hypocrisy of the New England reps on slavery. That is not replicated in this revival. Two things have changed since 1997. Political: We now see the flaws in the original designs of the country & the consequences of failing to deal w slavery. Theatrical: innovations in theater, most prominently Hamilton, show how one can breath new life into American revolutionary history. Even w all female casting & other woke changes, this production does not challenge essential celebratory nature of 1776 or change the fact that it is a middling, old fashioned musical.... Read more Read less

See it if brilliantly animates teeming lives of families of assimilated Viennese Jews, tragically exterminated in holocaust

Don't see it if no Stoppardian pyrotechnics; but w this vital multi-gen story, Stoppard tries to keep those who were wiped away from being forgotten

See it if the subject matter, lyrics (esp.), music, acting and stagecraft are top-notch; tighter/funnier production than Encores original

Don't see it if minimal set & costumes require that actors bring this alive/they do! Patina Miller as witch weaker than Heather Headley/Encores

Also Sondheim does what he does in all of his best musicals- he makes us look anew at something fundamental. In this case, it’s fairy tales. He takes the stock characters of well known fairy tales - Cinderella, the Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, etc. and imbues them w modern concerns - employing razor sharp, witty lyrics, he displays their ambivalence, gives them psychological depth. For them, going Into the Woods thus becomes a self-revealing, transformative journey. In their journey, we see our own. Because the action is played as farce, the proceedings are also enormously entertaining particularly insofar as the characters are played by actors w terrific comic chops. In this production, bringing Jack's "milky white" cow alive thru expert puppetry is inspired and hilarious.... Read more Read less

See it if romp w large cast including community actors in beautiful outdoor setting; a few clever songs; hilarious satire of boy bands

Don't see it if does not capture play's sharp satire of conventions of love; eclectic music/lyrics not brilliant; gender bending doesn't illuminate much

See it if charming cast, some off-the-wall humor, chilling portrayal of terrified father after stroke & picking out his bones post-cremation

Don't see it if slight & banal, essentially a dramatized essay; audience participation lame; by end few insights into uncommunicative father

See it if humanizes characters/family dynamics; new script brilliantly explores new issues/feminism, what is real/true; A Hille superb Klytemnestra

Don't see it if misses elemental horror of the original story, purists may find changes inconsistent w "Greek tragedy"

Also This play is a tour de force. 1. The new dramatic framing is compelling. Rather than placing trial scene at the end as does the original, play is organized around testimony/narrative Orestes/O provides to prosecutor serving as type of therapist w flash backs fleshing out the action. Also we see the agony Agamemnon goes thru in sacrifice of his child. The new version thus has psychological depth not found in the original. 2. Director Icke presents the action as a type of TV "Law and Order." The death of each of the main characters is marked by a display of the precise time of death during the evening. Then at the end, the trial of O is staged as a dramatic contest w O's mother acting as prosecutor, his father as defense atty. This provides urgency & a path to resolution. Even so this version underscores that incidents like this rooted in revenge are never truly resolved. In time, I think this version will be seen as a new classic.
.... Read more Read less

See it if interesting tale of flawed individual/everyman, solidly acted; clever use of kites and kite-evoking sets

Don't see it if without magic of book; characters cartoonish, nemesis has no bite, dramatic turns telegraphed, 2nd Act drags

Also The Kite Runner, on which this play is based, was a very popular book w a relatable plot. [Spoiler alert] Amir/A, a favored Pashtun, in Afghanistan becomes best friends w Hassan/H, a member of the oppressed Hazara group, who is the son of his father's servant. Seeing H, a Christ-like figure, violated, to avoid facing his guilt in failing to intercede, A schemes for H to be removed from A's home. Many years later, after A is compelled to move to America, finding H, now dead, is his half brother, A w his wife decide to adopt H’s son. The novel has the feel of a fairy tale shot thru w threads of disturbing reality. By the end you appreciate the cathartic redemption of Amir. The play comes across as a thin, uninspired version of the book. Compare this to “Into the Woods,” a subtle exploration of the significance of fairy tales as an expression of common aspirations and fears. Woods is deep, Kite Runner as a play is shallow.... Read more Read less

See it if brings out gorgeous, profound language in H's speeches, amorous relationship mother/uncle; fine cast w most fully realized Polonius/P. Wight

Don't see it if much of director Icke’s stagecraft enhances but some misfires

Also Director Robert Icke’s influence is evident thru-out this production. Much works but not everything. This starts w setting the action in modern times. Thus, the ghost of H’s father is 1st seen as a flickering figure on a security camera screen. Eerie but not terrifying. This extends 2 use of Bob Dylan’s introspective songs 2 comment on H’s dilemma. Problem: these country & western songs don’t mesh w this sophisticated production. Showing H in foreground w mother & uncle amorously cavorting in background graphically shows reason 4 H’s disgust. Icke even controls the pace of the production which starts off w abstracted voices that echo thru the sound system and then progressively gets more personal & urgent. But then the ending where all the major (dead) figures ascend into the firmament robs the ending of its power as a scene of mass destruction. A. Lawther’s sensitive, melancholic even romantic portrayal of H will be favored by some/NY Times. I prefer a portrayal that is more incisive.... Read more Read less

See it if brilliant, moving & revelatory script; develops new vocabulary 4 people who view world in non-materialistic terms; fine cast esp D O’Connell

Don't see it if you want a play w a concrete linear plot; Ginny's brother's story doesn't fit w stories of profound disconnectedness of other characters

Also Playwright Will Arbery invents two unique characters, suggestively named Lot and Justice, played well by Harold Surratt and brilliantly by Deirdre O'Connell, respectively. Lot is an easily-wounded, agoraphobic artist who expresses himself by creating things with his hands and fashioning new tunes. Justice is even more complicated: a nurturer, people connector, dreamer, intellectual, anarchist. She is both commanding & hyper-sensitive to everything/everyone around her. O'Connell captures this complexity in a naturalist performance that will be long-remembered. Director, Sam Gold, w his scenic designers have developed a thought-provoking set where the characters physically move around the walls and ceiling as if to suggest that they are creating their own reality in space.... Read more Read less

See it if tale of underestimated ambition is cautionary tale/Trump; visually vivid; cast led by Danai Gurira/Richard humanize characters

Don't see it if confusing; tough to understand motivations of characters, including Richard;* woke use of sign language distracting; some actors miscast

Also *A good Richard III needs to demonstrate a clear motivation for R's murderous acts. For example, as played by L Olivier, R portrays himself as crippled and unlovable, but compensating for this - even exulting - in (metaphorically) dancing circles around/manipulating those who underestimate him. This production doesn't have that clarity.... Read more Read less

See it if hilariously meta/moving; U's anxieties brilliantly personified by various actors; sharp satire religious homophobia; brilliant Ensemble&Lead

Don't see it if few memorable tunes or lyrics; some may be turned off by subject matter

Also I saw this when it was off-Bdway. The production and ensemble are now much tighter. In fact, almost every scene works in portraying the turbulent inner life of the protagonist. It's amazing that a musical that deals so unstintingly w this tough subject matter succeeds as well as it does on a Bdway stage.

The title "A Strange Loop" works on many levels. First, it deals w the self-referential plot of the musical. Second, as articulated in the musical, it deals w a psychological theory that self-examination never allows one to discover oneself. Also it deals with the loop between U and the actors personifying his anxieties as they feed off each other. Finally, it deals w the strange connection between play and audience, where the subjective tale of a marginalized queer black man becomes a universal story of yearning to be heard and understood.... Read more Read less

See it if offbeat; full of ideas centered on need for connection & meaning; see 4 Marylouise Burke's weirdly hilarious performance

Don't see it if flawed: takes too long for plot to develop; big reveal introduced 2 late; little payoff from Gothic setting; irrelevant characters

Also In an odd way, this play captures the Zeitgeist of our Covid/Trump era. Like the characters in this play, we are all waiting for someone like the character "Gabriel" in the play who is supposed to save us but never appears (reference to revelatory Angel Gabriel?) or yearning for a revelation/epiphany that will help us see through the miasma of these days. A riff on Joyce: the frame tale, including the names of some of the characters, and focus on death are similar to Joyce's story "The Dead."... Read more Read less

See it if gets the medicine right; competently acted; big manipulative tear jerker speech evokes tears

Don't see it if not smart, flabby, without direction, no foundation for ending; how many ways can I say meh?

See it if dramatizes important political issue; features witty "translator"; good send up of self-absorbed tech guru

Don't see it if lacks focus & much 2 long; to work either needs dramatic courtroom battle or interpersonal conflict, but lacks both

Also This play ambitiously tries to be many things: On one level, a courtroom thriller focusing on how big tech and government collaborate to snuff out dissent. It also tries to show how two sisters raised together can have such different life experiences and perspectives. Finally, it tries to make a broader philosophical point -- that it's difficult to communicate between people, families, legal systems and cultures because of differing perspectives/contexts of the communicators. Though this play tries to be many things, unfortunately it does few of them well.... Read more Read less

See it if unique use of technology combines images & actors; bold futuristic vision; Baryshnikov memorably plays old servant as Chaplinesque figure

Don't see it if you are a Chekhovian purist, you may find that the stagecraft is self-indulgent & detracts from the play (NY Times review)

Also I’ve been waiting for decades 2 see a production that uses technology 2 fundamentally enhance the traditional theatrical experience. Here director Igor Golyak w his Arlekin Theatre turns the stage into a portal on which images of the actors, landscape and cosmos skitter across a scrim that frames the stage. This evokes a dream state that is evanescent & lacks stability, paralleling the atmosphere of Chekhov's (C's) play. Also, the post-apocalyptic setting is consonant with the import of C's play, where the life of a class of people is devastatingly coming to an end. In all, the experience for an audience is even richer than seeing a movie because the presentation provides an amalgam of images, action on stage by actors and words from C's incantatory script that reinforce each other. Though not everything works in this experiment, I think that, in the fullness of time, this production and others by the Arlekin Theatre will be seen as the start of a new era in techno-theater.... Read more Read less

See it if full bag of tricks to make funny; creatively explores family conflicts inherent in Hamlet; super glam gay ending

Don't see it if some humor sitcomish & some acting way over the top; clever/won Pulitzer but nobody will mistake this for Hamlet

Also 1. Hamletized beginning: Main character Juicy (son)/Hamlet stand-in sees ghost of his dead father. But then in refreshing riffs, this new work goes off in new directions - the play explores:
- The troubled Father/son conflict that is hinted at in the original;
- The son's relationship w his mother/Gertrude figure; and
- Modern existential issues not found in original: whether Juicy should break w the historic cycle of violence in his family, and whether Juicy and his friends should be true to their gay sexual identities.
2. True to this comedy/tragedy hybrid, there are multiple possible meanings of the title "Fat Hamlet." Tragedy - Ham is naturally short for Hamlet, and for Hamlet, the fat is continually in the fire. Comedy - Juicy is corpulent object of fun/fat and the occupation of the family is operating a barbecue restaurant/yes Ham. And a Hammy actor is one who overacts for effect - that happens in profusion in this gut-busting play.... Read more Read less

See it if devastating, you hold your breath as builds to searing climax; brilliant script & Parker/Morse are brilliant match

Don't see it if framing each scene as part of a driving lesson (stuck in neutral, etc.) is a little too cute; scenes not involving Parker/Morse are slight

Also 1. This play has the feel of John Updike's great series of novels about Rabbit Angstrom -- structured resonantly as a memory play, it is a tale of a lost America with open fields where you can drive forever and a self-destructive hunger that cannot be satisfied.
2. The script is delicious, describing the landscape and the car in sensuous terms that provides a backdrop for and mimics the seduction that is taking place on stage.
3. There is no doubt that the older man played by Morse is a depraved, manipulative creature. Still the play describes his coming together w Parker's young girl in more complex, sometimes symbiotic, terms. This is enhanced by the remarkable pairing of Morse and Parker. They present their characters tonally like two contrasting parts of an orchestra, Morse as an unctuous cello, Parker a squeaky/needy saxophone, that wind around each, often clashing, but sometimes in uneasy alliance.... Read more Read less

See it if consistently funny; bawdy & irreverent but moving view of dysfunctional family; many quality tunes; excellent cast led by B Neuwirth

Don't see it if not particularly deep or searching; 2nd act is all over the place; "everyone's weird" Kumbaya ending

See it if intense; places all characters in single cabin like scorpions in bottle; insightfully shows contrast btwn dreams/reality; cathartic ending

Don't see it if many scenes don't work esp violent 1st scene; overly long; characters not always plausible as denizens of mid-19th century

Also One of the more interesting aspects of the play is the treatment of Marxism. The play is set in 1850 which is a time beset by class conflict reflected in the 1848 wave of revolutions in Europe. One of the Belfast girls has a political awakening in reading Marx. The ramifications of that ideology is cleverly woven into the plot when [spoiler alert] the working class girls on the ship (many prostitutes) viciously attack one of the Belfast girls who is from an upper class family. In an arresting scene, we see her, like Christ on the Cross, strung up half-dead after the attack.... Read more Read less

See it if extraordinary ensemble w L Fishburne/majestic, heartbreaking, S Rockwell/hilariously testosterone-driven; brilliant taut production

Don't see it if bric-a-brac laden junk shop set just gets in the way; part of plot unclear; still a master class in classic Mamet

Also "American Buffalo" on one level refers to the Buffalo nickel that is at the center of the plot. But on another level, it refers to the men/grifters who make up the cast. They are modern-day buffalos, that is creatures who like buffalos are purportedly becoming extinct because they are marginalized, super chauvinistic, conspiratorial, nativistic, and quick to anger and resort to violence. In light of the Trump success fueled by men similar to those portrayed in this play, Mamet appears to have been premature in his judgment about the demise of these men.... Read more Read less

See it if great book/lyrics reimagine basic fairy tales as residue of childhood fears; expert puppetry used w comic flair; dream cast

Don't see it if kumbaya ending "you are not alone" is not consistent w unsentimental view of childhood

Also 1. This musical does what only Encores can do: assemble a group of stars for a brief run, that you will never see again. Sara Bareilles (heartwarming), Gavin Creel (hilariously arch), Jason Forbach (clarion clear), Julie Lester (sassy) and Neil Patrick Harris (hilarious in motion) are terrific. Heather Headley as the Witch (towering) and Cole Thompson (sweetly urgent) as Jack are the best I have seen in their roles.
2. "Woods" - with Sondheim's stunningly clever, ironic & insightful lyrics - portrays the woods as a dangerous place where hidden desires & fears are exposed. Laying bare the subconscious of its characters, the show becomes a resonant exploration of the passions and fears that define us as human beings.
3. Director deBessonet brings an intimacy to the show & connects the 1st Act triumph & 2nd Act tragedy in a way I've never seen before as inevitably linked.
4. Though dealing w heavy subject matter, this production merits moving to Bdway.... Read more Read less

See it if brings vaudeville to life; features Brice's charming, wise-cracking neighbors & J Styne's memorable tunes

Don't see it if meh old fashioned musical that does spectacle well, but not plot or message; weak 2nd act

Also I saw the show a 2nd time on August 24 after Beanie's departure, with understudy Ephie Aardema in the role of Fannie Brice. Aardema was wonderful, bringing much more spirit and energy to the role than had Beanie. On a second viewing, however, the flaws with the show remain. After showing Brice's emergence as a comedic star and her unlikely marriage to a charismatic gambler, the plot fizzles in displaying the deterioration of her marriage. Aardema's strong performance couldn't buoy this uninspired vessel. It remains to be seen if Lea Michele w her marvelous singing chops can elevate it.... Read more Read less

See it if using scathing/at times hilarious poetry & kinetic dance, shows struggle/pain in various stages of colored women’s lives

Don't see it if fragmented w 7 actresses, no single character to identify with; lacks narrative drive as each tells her individual story

Also The Bdway version of this "choreopoem" is much better than the predecessor show at The Public: the choreography-dancing and acting are sharper; the material seems fresher, of greater immediacy; and the cast is stronger.... Read more Read less

See it if Mozart at height of his powers, celestial music; sharp satire upper classes sexual mores; solid cast, Ying Fang exceptional Susanna

Don't see it if set & staging pedestrian; tho this is NOT a breakout production, who cares since this is a jewel among operas?

See it if provocative;* charming beginning/1967, moving Act 2/1982 (alt 1), colorful Act 3/2003 (alt 2); strong cast

Don't see it if preachy esp Act 3; script meanders, overlong @ 3.5 hours; 2 alt outcomes of life approach fails to deliver big theatrical payoff

Also *Some provocative ideas in play: 1. Shows how Palestinians face impossible dilemma: If they leave the Middle East/ME to make it in the West, they are exoticized for having a different perspective but not taken seriously (alternative 1); if they remain in ME, they are relegated to a life of despair under Israeli rule (alternative 2; this is NOT an apolitical play). 2. Play also presents this paradox: ME scholar is faulted by UK colleagues for not utilizing his "otherness" to bring a different perspective to his work; but once he uses his otherness/ME perspective to express a heterodoxical view on the UK/Irish political situation, he gets in trouble.... Read more Read less

See it if hilarious, profound & deeply moving in exploring cosmological ? why should humans try again after so many reversals; arresting production

Don't see it if not comfortable w play that's super meta/repeatedly breaks 4th wall; acting is mannered; tonal problems since both jokey & serious

Also This ambitious play by Thornton Wilder is a bookend to his Our Town, a meta but accessible poetic rumination on the beauty of being alive. Skin, a 3 Act allegory, built around a typical Am nuclear family/stand-ins 4 Adam, Eve, Cain, etc., is tougher 2 parse as it deals w family's reaction to 3 cataclysmic events: Ice Age/Act 1, Great Flood/Act 2 & destructive war/ Act 3. At the end, after these reversals the playwright asks: what's the point of human beings going on? Like Town, Skin ends w an optimistic message: we go on because our civilization has created a culture that’s worth preserving. Still Wilder concedes evil inherent in man will remain. Some will find this hard 2 watch or 2 campy as it is a surrealistic play w/i a play mixing the present & past, combining offbeat humor w prophetic pronouncements, & long @ 3 hrs. But if you're willing 2 go w the flow, you'll appreciate Wilder's audacity, his willingness to "go big" & LB Cruz's bold direction.... Read more Read less

See it if mixes humor/pain; wonderful perfs K. Beltran/W. Brill; keen insights why today's men feel emasculated; existential Qs brilliantly explored*

Don't see it if play drags @ only 90 mins, pacing at times flaccid & some scenes don't work; background story unsatisfying

Also *1. Story focuses on 2 small town men in Idaho w fragile existences revolving around their children, 1 who's getting divorced & fighting for custody, the other who's fighting to adopt a foster child. 2. The title "A Case for the Existence of God" is ironic. If anything the awful plight of these 2 men suggests the opposite. Also, the single unchanging set - a drab office akin to the bare set in Waiting for Godot - denotes a type of purgatory bereft of God. Still 1 character insists that the fact that we beleaguered human beings persist gen after gen proves the existence of God. 3. Spoiler alert: at the end, in a beautiful, surprising scene, the daughters of the two men meet after they have grown up & discuss the wonderful relationship that has grown up btw their fathers. Perhaps this graceful ending can itself be seen as a sign of a God who works in strange ways.... Read more Read less

See it if audience is convulsed w laughter; hilariously foul-mouthed farce; all-star cast, w brilliant unhinged performance by R Dratch

Don't see it if the opposite of subtle, employs in your face insult humor; characters stereotypes; tells us little new about politics

Also 1. This is a fantasy where the women who support the men in power are morally superior: they have more reasonable views and understand the flaws and BS of these men. In fact, as we've learned from the Trump White House the women behind the scenes are often true believers, enablers who facilitate the worst instincts of the men they serve. 2. What makes this work interesting is that even after the women (spoiler alert) fortuitously come to power, they continue to define themselves as agents for men. However, it's disappointing when the play reverts to formula in the second Act as women in conflict (wife vs. mistress; press vs. press secretary, ne'er do well sister of Pres. v. Pres staff, etc.) put aside their differences to save the Presidency. It would have been more interesting had they not wholly cooperated and the earlier fissures and divisions informed the plot.... Read more Read less

See it if initial pre-revolutionary wedding scene crackles w bawdy humor like a scene from Bridesmaids; so the play starts w great expectations.

Don't see it if But then scenes showing dreams of undifferentiated characters dashed by revolution are unfocused & tedious-you wish you were NOT there!

See it if stimulating; sparks fly 4 prof trying to navigate college scene where everyone is offended by something; dynamic cast; powerful ending

Don't see it if fine ideas but not realized theatrically; 2 plot lines past & present don't mesh until end; a lot of speechifying rather than dialog

Also The title of the play Confederates has multiple meanings: It naturally stands for soldiers fighting for the South. More importantly, it consists of the very complex social & sexual relationships among people acting as confederates: men, women, masters, slaves, middle and working classes, etc. The play does a brilliant job illustrating how difficult it is to navigate this terrain.

The play's major problem: The playwright tries to show female slave and the prof are both subject to forms of oppression. As a metaphor that's fine. But I don't think the play shows how they are close to equivalent. Thus from a dramaturgical perspective, the two plot lines don't convincingly mesh/the slave plot seems extraneous. In my view, this play would have worked better had it focused on the prof alone and portrayed her plight in a world of uber political correctness as farce.... Read more Read less

See it if combines whimsy w heartbreak in presenting vicissitudes of life; fine cast w good comedic performances

Don't see it if pseudo-profound, gimmicky/as Messing ages, each new scene introduced by sound cue; play loses freshness as it repeats itself

See it if subversive; eloquent showing risk/terror in marriage; outstanding Falstaffian lead performance by M Wiseman/MW; strong supporting cast

Don't see it if play structured as destructive 1 on 1 encounters by MW w other characters at wedding: lacks variety, provides no narrative drive/resolution

Also Script tries to anchor its message in classic literature. First this works well. In the initial monologue, MW explains how a wedding is the ecstatic pinnacle of a relationship but when from this high the relationship inevitably crashes, massive pain ensues. Language used is similar to that of Milton in Paradise Lost where the rebel angels, after the ecstasy of Heaven, are cast out into Hell. This is a thrilling analogy and key to the boffo introduction. At the end, leaning on classic lit doesn't work that well. Here one character tries to explain how he has freed himself from dissatisfaction w life/relationships by express reference to the albatross in Coleridge's The Ancient Mariner, in effect by getting the albatross off his back. This analogy is labored and unpersuasive. The result? One out of two is terrific in baseball, not so good in playwriting.... Read more Read less

See it if inspiring; major work of multi-talented S Taub; terrific perfs by all-women cast including Philippa Soo; strong score, lyrics

Don't see it if not enuf razzle/dazzle, humor; focus on intra-women disputes vitiates power; need stronger antagonist than Pres Wilson who's weak comic foil

Also Is Suffs (S) in same league as iconic Hamilton (H), another recent historically-based musical? Here goes: (1) Unlike S, H finds new way of telling its story by having the characters use a modern genre - rap - to communicate the spirit of its revolutionary principals; (2) Individual songs w lyrics in H including the opening number are memorable. S has fine numbers/some may find life outside the show, but none I think will become iconic in the way H's have become; (3) H has a great comic foil in King George who brings down the house w his song "You'll Be Back." S turns Pres Wilson into a feckless, upper class, tap dancing comic foil who is simply not as funny (or scary) as the King G character; (4) There is much more theatrical variety in H than in S in terms of songs, dance, movement, etc. (5) H doesn't try to be politically correct; S's "wokeness" intrudes. With that said, S is a fine musical that has a lot going for it (as described above). It's just not Hamilton. But what is?... Read more Read less

See it if love story 2 old B-Belt comedy; Crystal's fine practitioner; persuasive story how self-absorbed star blots out all about him; winning cast

Don't see it if music/lyrics not memorable; Crystal/other comic actors meh voices; unlike L Olivier, Crystal doesn't show his inner life thru his perfs

Also (1) At end Crystal's character's epiphany of how much of a burden he has been on his wife/kid/brother feels unearned; also (spoiler alert), Crystal's willingness at end to take on big part In movie is illogical "happy" ending. (2) Comment by reviewer about Crystal in predecessor movie - that he is gifted comedian who builds his role starting w comic instincts and not a gifted actor who starts w his interior life - applies here. (3) S. Sondheim has commented that musical numbers in great musical feel organic and inevitable from characters. This show could just as well have been a play without music. (4) Director decided to cast fine comedic stars (Crystal, D. Paymer) who don't have Bdway voices, dance moves in main roles. Pays off in comedic terms (Paymer's also fine actor) but sacrifices musical spark.... Read more Read less

See it if fully realized Bdway musical w 1st class production values; shows how conflict btw Irish immigrants & Blacks orchestrated by monied class

Don't see it if lacks narrative focus; superficial picture gritty NYC in 1860s; characters & stories stereotypes; little bravura dancing; cartoon villain

Also (1) Compare this to Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" 2002 film centered on Five Points neighborhood that teems w life and danger. This toothless musical has little of that texture. (2) Main character is bar owner, but prime stories don’t center on her. This is fundamental script problem. (3) Show is organized reductively as series of confrontations btwn new Irish immigrants and Blacks (free and slave). Culmination is a cliched contest btwn Irish step dancing & Black African roots dancing. All very corny, predictable. (4) The ending - (spoiler alert) in which the Paradise Sq. Bar is burned down in the draft riot - is romanticized as a model for interracial harmony that was ahead of its time. More realistic is this: what happened w Paradise Sq. was a forerunner of racial divides that still persist in this country. Musical thus glides over darkest sides of slavery & murderous competition between groups at the bottom.... Read more Read less

See it if engaging stories, kinetic dance illustrate drama of "the life"; profusion of songs, some w moving lyrics; great band; standing Os 4 Ledisi

Don't see it if book is mess, some perfs cartoonishly awful; Porter's attempts 2 update - w new gender & political issues - totally misfires

See it if in Pirandello-esque classroom explores fascinating stories of 5 characters & dramatizes classroom conflicts; full pathos & humor

Don't see it if young playwright errors: after compelling first half, loses steam; revelations feel artificial; motivation of certain characters unclear

See it if shattering ending; poetic script dramatizes how larger-than-life Irish bar owner/former Brit army major destroyed by class pretensions

Don't see it if play should be moving, this production is sometimes cartoonish; solid cast but some actors completely miss poetry in script

See it if Brilliant script on exoticizing while discriminating vs Chinese Americans; clever jewel-box like set; humorous interchanges

Don't see it if static and repetitive at times

See it if L Suh's brilliant script imagines what it's like to be objectified as curiosity; juxtaposes romanticism & wry humor in 2 characters

Don't see it if framing of story often repetitive as staged; at end review of sad history of Chinese Americans rushed and seems bolted on

Also 1. Play operates on a philosophical level: comparing the relationship between the Chinese Lady as object and her gawking observers w the essential relationship between actors and their audience. In the process, it asks deep questions about the purpose of theater including does seeing a play change an audience, solve any problems; and how should actors view their audience? 2. The cast is strong, with brassy actress playing Chinese lady, and droll actor playing her servant. 3. The set is very clever, initially a slot on a cargo ship, then the room where the Chinese Lady is displayed to paying customers using cliched golden landscape Chinese paintings as walls. This functions as a framing device: a jewel box for displaying the Chinese Lady as an object that appeals to the preconceptions of customers while providing context for a modern audience.... Read more Read less

See it if shows DH Lawrence as playwright in 1st ranks; intense ending; mother as grotesque "Mamma Rose" figure, infantilizing sons; fine cast

Don't see it if slow beginning, local accents hard 2 understand; melodramatic; dominated by Lawrence's psychological obsessions

Also The ending of the show is one of the strongest I've seen in a while. The air crackles w rancor as the dominant mother has it out w the new wife of her son as to who will have stronger claim on the son. Lawrence works out an interesting compromise between the two. The show is dominated by Lawrence's Freudian-based obsession that a son can never escape his mother's influence, infantilizing her son in the process.... Read more Read less

See it if gifted actors, some fairly compelling scripts set amid Covid w common themes: sense of loss, disconnectedness, unfinished business

Don't see it if no connection among monologues; perf is overlong; few stories show what is unique about growing old in Asian cultures

See it if rich lyrics/story by L Nottage show racism, victimization women seeking love; creative ragtime inflected score; strong singing/perfs

Don't see it if this is not "Carmen" w tuneful arias; man does me wrong plot w racial angle unoriginal

See it if celebration tap dancing; tuneful though forgettable songs; Henry is huge talent, his "11 o'clock number" stops the show

Don't see it if Blk upward mobility/conflict w creativity plot predictable; most singers don't project/poor sound system; missing jaw dropping tap dancing

See it if moving & provocative; maddeningly disputatious family exchange thunder bolts of arguments 2 determine if should leave France; strong cast

Don't see it if portion of play re family dealing w Nazism in France not that compelling; dialogue at times turns to speechifying

See it if good depiction of how COVID affected everyday life for Americans; master actors Maryann Plunkett & Jay O Sanders shine

Don't see it if no compelling reason to relocate family to France; missing grace notes & quiet drama of earlier plays; cycle ends w a whimper

See it if gripping & unrelenting; explosive ending; shows compromises & duplicity req’d for survival; good ensemble esp Marjan Neshat as heroic sister

Don't see it if ending stuffs way too much into it; melodramatic & at times strains credulity; script functional not elevating

Also The title of the play - Selling Kabul (the capital of Afghanistan) - has several possible meanings that capture the moral dilemmas of the characters: (i) the brother-in-law of an Afghani translator for the Americans is a tailor who sews and sells uniforms to the Taliban, in effect selling out his people; (ii) the translator sells out his family by working for the Americans, placing them in danger; (iii) the tailor and his wife, the translator's sister, sell out their neighbors by lying about secretly harboring the translator in their apartment; and (iv) the Americans sell out the Afghani people by abandoning them to the Taliban.... Read more Read less

See it if nails the dark comedic possibilities of each scene/thin line between comedy and delusion; uniformly fine cast

Don't see it if stripped down production & several directorial decisions diminish show's power (see below)

Also These Doyle decisions were, to my thinking, inadvisable: (i) not employing a full orchestra/having actors play their own instruments - typical of a Doyle production - deprives certain scenes of their musical grandeur esp the Ballad of Booth and the JKF assassination; and (ii) turning the singing narrator/the balladeer- usually at the center of each scene - into one of the ensemble blunts his effect. Front and center the balladeer unifies the show as one that tells a series of colorful, old yarns. Missed opportunity: The portrayal of the group of assassins as representative of the disaffected, who seek a voice through their guns, would have been more resonant had Doyle made an explicit connection to the Trumpian mob. Indeed, they both hear "Another National Anthem" that rationalizes violence.... Read more Read less