Bruce 6

See it if inventive set, some powerful acting, interesting feminist exploration of women's sex & relationship-based problems

Don't see it if cliche-ridden, 30 mins too long; rarely transcends level of frenetic group therapy session; too many strident declarations

See it if hilarious portrayal toxic masculinity/sibling rivalry; satirizes Hollywood favoring movies about renegades; Ethan Hawke strong as sociopath

Don't see it if what play driving at is unclear; unoriginal commentary on West; brothers' role reversal in Act 1 vs. 2 is too pat; wasted scene w mother

See it if dramatizes issue how 2 tell diff btwn deeply-held conviction & hurtful prejudice; finely evokes strictures early 1900s British patriarchy

Don't see it if dated, "Footloose" where religious fanatic wins; more "short story" than fully realized work, fails 2 explore conseqs of fanaticism

See it if unsparing view of co-dependent marriage from hell as type of purgatory; sharp new translation by C McPherson underlines dark absurdist humor

Don't see it if in early preview, action lurches from scene-to-scene, lacks coherent way to present how characters deal w mortality (death dances)

See it if magic; persuasive acting, fine set/lighting/sound effects bring 2 life book’s anguished love story & ribald satire where Am dream goes awry

Don't see it if you are not prepared for a two part marathon that lasts over 6 hours; but if you hang in, you’ll be taken on almost a spiritual journey

Also I have seen the 2 most recent Gatsby films but think Gatz much better displays the fullness of the novel, which uniquely combines poetry, love & detective stories & deconstructs Am mythology. One reviewer even opined that viewing this production is BETTER than reading the book. I wouldn't quibble. How does Gatz bring about this alchemy? I think it does so by providing a "reading plus" experience. Reading forces the reader to use her imagination. This production by presenting the entire text does the same while setting the production in a faceless office operates in effect like a blank page. The "plus" is provided by the scenes that are acted out. This I think enhances, in some way "colorizes," the act of imagination. It's simply astonishing to see acted-out scenes rise like mirages and then disappear as the sharply-observed, often hilarious, commentary by the narrator takes over. My only quibble: the production would be even better w stronger actors in roles other than the narrator... Read more Read less

See it if sociologically precise depiction of dynamics in school; extraordinary a cappella singing & rhythmic dancing; strong affecting cast

Don't see it if no special insight into issues w gay behavior w/i black culture; cliche ridden; by end play just peters out

See it if amusing as Trillin plays batty "Allen" to Alice's straight man "Burns;" good portrayal strength/integrity of Alice in dealing w cancer etc.

Don't see it if Trillin's laugh-out-loud writings are funnier; this is a hagiography of Alice, w/o drama, bite, surprise needed 4 memorable theater

See it if unique format: 2-character script projected on screen w 1 part read by actor, other part (Nassim’s) being unspoken shows power of words

Don't see it if gimmicky/simplistic; teaching audience story in Farsi, actor telephoning story 2 N's mother in Iran is not a blow vs. Iranian censorship

Also Compare the score in this review given to "Nassim" (61) about an Iranian immigrant w the score accorded the complex, evocative "Noura" (80), focusing on an Iraqi immigrant, the play I last saw before "Nassim". If your aesthetic is similar to mine, you'll know which Arab immigrant-centered play to seek out. At “Nassim” actors who serve as counterparts to Nassim change - so check who will be featured if you attend. Lisa Emery was charming and down to earth.... Read more Read less

See it if Act 1 is sweet & funny; Act 2 features a fraught battle between gay partner vs. parent; persuasive acting

Don't see it if cliche-ish; fails to deal seriously w critique of gay marriage; Act 1 too jokey; shift of Act 1 to 2 too contrived; Act 2 too melodramatic

See it if 2 hear Aaron Sorkin's soaring & humor-filled script, uniformly fine acting from big cast, Sher's skilled direction driving play 2 climax

Don't see it if beginning of play slow, laden w narrative; fear not, soon pulls you into vital action where forces of tolerance/intolerance do battle

See it if good satire of Christmas specials & religion; songs w clever lyrics; amusing over-the-top performances

Don't see it if has stereotypical cartoon characters; voices generally substandard; features un-melodic patter songs; saccharine ending: love conquers all

See it if you want a good facsimile of the movie including replicating most scenes & using dialog directly from the movie; strong singing by leads

Don't see it if w/o memorable music or lyrics and w/ good but not incandescent performances, this musical rarely has the magic of the fairy-tale movie

See it if 4 zany sequence of scenes showing black woman as fish out of water returning home after fall from heights in white world

Don't see it if 1st act fall more manic than funny; 2nd act returning home culminates in cliche: love/authenticity eclipses trappings of success

Also Playwright Nottage poses a question rife w theatrical possibilities: What would happen if a high-achieving black women is forced to return to her more modest roots?

The play becomes a cautionary tale as the protagonist, who jettisons her earlier identity, is cut off from the white world she has embraced while feeling out of place in the black one to which she returns. This is reinforced by an epic poem in the play suggesting that in black folk tales the trickster Br'er rabbit (stand-in for slaves outwitting white masters by "acting white") faces this very problem, caught between white and black worlds.... Read more Read less

See it if extraordinary choreography, well danced; audience roared at iconic moments esp "one step" dance ensemble b4 mirrors at begin/end

Don't see it if 1975 dancers’ stories of abuse/alienation not as affecting today; still best evocation of heartbreak/thrill of Bdway dance audition

Also The NYTs reviews show as “dated.” I think otherwise as show’s signature conflict between individual aspiration & group subordination remains vital today. Another reason to applaud: Tony Yazbeck’s Zach is masterful as a kind of "dance God" to his auditioning children. Finally, in addition to being the supreme celebration of the power of dance, this production reminds us how effective Hamlisch's music is in serving the dramatic needs of the show: here the musical phrase "BA-da-DA-da-DA-da-DA-da" is repeated endlessly but expressed differently each time to reflect the emotional journey of the dancers. For all these reasons and more, the audience gave this show a sustained standing ovation, an ovation that would still be going on had the curtain not been brought down.... Read more Read less

See it if every pose of rectitude exploded w comedic ripostes; lesbian 1st love tender/sexy; strong performances by all leads; fine direct'n

Don't see it if play bites off too much: can't figure out if comedy that features intergenerat'l conflicts, or broad history of abuse of queer black women

See it if Esparza dramatizes, hilariously & chillingly, the steps in the development of a monstrous autocrat

Don't see it if you're not a fan of declamatory, heavily didactic Brechtian allegory/rise of Chicago mob = Nazis

Also It is key that the title to the play given by Brecht suggests that the rise to power of the main character from modest beginnings was "Resistible". Thus, the play shows the many instances in which the citizenry could have halted that rise. Taking a page from Marx, the play underscores how the rise of Ui/Hitler was facilitated by the business class/ cauliflower cartel, allegorically the Junkers in Germany. You may not buy this, but if you're a Trump critic, you may find disturbing parallels in how today’s establishment classes have tolerated/facilitated Trump's political ascendance.... Read more Read less

See it if 4 good portrait Niger-Am family full of warmth/humor; winning cheeky performance by Ngozi Anyanwa growing up in PA; rich musical backdrop

Don't see it if pointless: tho see Ngozi's devastatn @ loss of friend, see no implications 4 her personal development, family dynamics, etc.

Also At the end of Good Grief, Ngozi's friend's death is portrayed in grand, mythological terms as being similar to the death of the great hunter Orion captured in the Orion constellation of stars. Tho this actualizes the friend's fanciful dream to be a king who is remembered forever, it's an empty theatrical gesture since we never really learn why Grief at her friend's death is Good for Ngozi or anyone else. Too bad since this ostensibly autobiographical story has the raw material for a meaningful play that could have been developed out of the differing world views of Ngozi as first gen American and her immigrant parents.... Read more Read less

See it if in 1st part 2 fine female actors tell searing/sometimes hilarious individual stories about finding their sexual identities

Don't see it if 2nd part where the characters, one trans, the other confused, try to navigate their relationship is, well, confused; no new LGBTQ insights

See it if 4 Michael C Hall's skilled standup performance, but less assured actor would better serve play

Don't see it if sure, life is arbitrary/hard to fathom but play that presents this thru purposeful lack of narrative loses much of audience

Also This is one of those odd plays that reads better than it performs. The witty, self-conscious language, brilliant on the page, is more elusive when heard in the theater. Consisting of shards of stories w/o resolution and attempts to connect w the audience which are dropped, the play in effect is a satire of the way performers try to ingratiate themselves to audiences/people try to communicate w each other. Still, absent a narrative framework, it's easy to just turn off the performance.... Read more Read less

See it if old pros B Leavel & B Ashmanskas show their comedic chops, muscular choreography/young ensemble dances up a storm, audience whoops it up

Don't see it if cartoonish; music mostly wooden anthems, plot completely predictable, little wit/subtlety; Head Over Heels much better

See it if Channing dominates stage w monstrous self-absorption; witness devastating neglect faced by her children but also price she pd 4 her career

Don't see it if flabby 1st Act; irrelevant characters; failure 2 provide effective foil 2 Channing's raging humanism thru religious character missed oppty

See it if the samosas the cast distributes to the audience are the high pt, beer would have been better to make you forget this fatuous vehicle

Don't see it if gives Pirates a bad name by making kitschy use of them; make the playwright walk the plank, me mateys?

See it if 4 awesome depiction of Kong as force of nature/sensitive creature; dynamic dancing; Christiana Pitts superb as feisty beauty 2 Kong's beast

Don't see it if mostly a spectacle; tho musical most of the songs are uninspired; confused, the larger message within the Kong story is as murky as mud

See it if to see Falco's fierce/hilarious/poignant performance, as force in bygone world of Tammany politics; shows steep price pd by women

Don't see it if other characters pale beside Falco's profane, wisecracking cyclone; play needed but did not provide a dramatic foil for Falco; gaps in plot

See it if features 1 riveting or hilarious scene after another w fine ensemble, thrum of menace roars to devastating end

Don't see it if Irish accents at times make brilliant dialogue hard 2 decipher; symbolism 2 obvious; young girl/baby scenes cute but could have been pruned

Also Play is not only endlessly fascinating with scenes effortlessly moving from high drama to high-spirited dancing, mixed w bracingly frank Irish humor, but a cornucopia of apt allusions from Greek mythology to Steinbeck’s "Of Mice & Men" with its Lenny-like English character. Largely set at harvest time in a farm with large multigenerational cast, play gives impression that, like a Thomas Hardy novel, this is a story that has roots in England's mythic agricultural past. Central drama arising out of internecine IRA battle presents a primal choice btwn honor and safety: should brother/father besmirch his fallen brother or protect his family? Since this is a play about storytelling, the urgent question becomes which narrative about the fallen brother will prevail, the family's or the IRA's? By the end you realize you’ve had a profound theatrical experience, seeing characters straining to break free from their past but doomed by forces beyond their control to repeat it.... Read more Read less

See it if charming Irving Berlin score w several classic tunes; normal Encores superb dancing and orchestra

Don't see it if thin silly plot; big hole in cast: Carmen Cusack tho engaging as lead does not have the voice or the “brass” to carry the show

See it if 1 of season's funniest social comedies, 4 women/Bacchae give side-splitting perfs, eloquently explains how modern civ wrecks environment

Don't see it if shift of tone/apocalyptic ending in final 15 mins misses the mark; actor playing Diane not commanding/irresistible enough

See it if sharp script/acting captures brutal, sex-laden confrontation of white Boer daughter & black menial servant trapped in racially-defined roles

Don't see it if takes 2 long to get going; demonstrating how present haunted by ghost of apartheid past 2 obvious; tragedy 2 obviously foreshadowed

Also Warning: the rural Africaan accents, combined w the fact that actors, playing in the round, often speak w their backs to the audience make it unusually difficult to understand the dialogue, particularly at first. Too bad since you'd prefer to not miss a word of this well-rendered script. This production is playing at the same time as CSC's production of Strindberg's Dance of Death. Though the settings of the two plays are quite different, there are interesting parallels between the two, particularly insofar as they show a couple who are trapped by their circumstances: in "Dance" they are a married couple trapped in a wildly self-destructive, co-dependent marriage; in this production, the white daughter/black servant are trapped by the racially and gender-defined roles & history that are imposed on them.... Read more Read less

See it if for great tunes/Old Friends, Not a Day Goes By, etc.; play's concept in moving backward in time 2 show optimistic beginnings still affecting

Don't see it if stripped down version does not enhance production; actors/ragged production at no more than good college level; Roundabout, what happened?

See it if brilliant portrayal how newsman driven 2 stir revolt vs mendacious TV, then exploited by forces he criticizes; amazing stagecraft/Cranston

Don't see it if overkill; attempt 2 show how deceitful '60s/'70s TV led 2 today's evils, infotainment/FoxNews/Trump/global corporate dominance, is too much

Also The set of the newsroom designed by designer extraordinaire, Jan Versweyveld, is an extraordinary feat featuring a news desk that surges onto the stage like a battle ship, huge screens that show the action on and off stage and ubiquitous TV commercials and digital clocks that count down the time before the play begins/each broadcast is launched. The overall effect is a pulsing, larger-than-life, surrealistic view of the news room and the drama therein played out for both the public and the audience in the theater.... Read more Read less

See it if u want to go behind the scenes 4 these rock stars; enthusiastic performances; amusing having roles played by actors of opposite sex

Don't see it if dull; only playing snippets from hits, fails to demonstrate why group was so popular; devoid of irony, humor esp re narcissistic Roth

Also There are two basic ways to make a successful show about a rock and roll group: First, one can do a juke box musical such as Jersey Boys and tell their story while featuring well-known songs. Or one can go the route of a mockumentary such as This is Spinal Tap and satirize the hell out of the group and the rock phenomenon. Eddie and Dave does neither. It is no more than a bland portrayal of a forgettable group. As one of my friends inquired, What motivated you to see a show like this? Good question.... Read more Read less

See it if almost a symphonic experience; makes u hear dialog in new ways & makes you pay attention 2 MINOR CHARACTERS otherwise overlooked

Don't see it if gimmicky; if u don't know play well, u may get lost; fundamental problem: straight play itself w/o deconstruction is more powerful

See it if profound; beautiful, poetic script & striking set/staging show Noura's paradoxical struggle 2 both embrace & break free from Iraqi roots

Don't see it if overstuffed, poorly paced; last 20 minutes so densely packed w revelations of secrets & feminist outpourings, makes your head spin

Also If references to "A Doll's House" aren't obvious enough, Noura is named as the Arab equivalent of Ibsen's proto-feminist character, Nora. This play, in turning its main character into an immigrant, is more complex than Ibsen's classic, which is both "Noura's" strength and its weakness since it sometimes can't find a clear way to dramatize its many facets. "A Doll's House" is more powerful, in part, because of its single-minded focus on the infantilization of Nora and her devastating response thereto.... Read more Read less

See it if effective acting by all principals; explosive climax; shows how 1 manipulative, egocentric individual can destabilize a community

Don't see it if can’t figure out point of play; various acting styles don't mesh including Marin Ireland as amazing, frenetic wrecking ball

See it if ready 4 Broadway NOW - hilarious new lyrics combined w '90s hit songs; uniformly strong cast; inventive, propulsive choreography/dancing

Don't see it if you hate teen HS/stoner movies; you have no affection 4 music of the'90s; like others u find musical 2 be charmless imitation of movie

See it if this is quirky touching/funny story of how two very lonely and awkward people deal w feelings of isolation, insignificance & failure

Don't see it if bolted on to story is simulation of effect of internet culture on story by talented chorus of actors; cute but distracting/irrelevant

See it if in typical Stoppard fashion sets forth w elegance a major intellectual problem; O'Brien's direction is comparably elegant

Don't see it if Stoppard has NOT found a convincing theatrical vehicle to bring alive this perennial problem; more a forum for vigorous debate

See it if satire of all things politically correct: racial, sexual, educational, theatrical; silly proceedings but deep message; good comedic actors

Don't see it if thin, more skit than well-developed play, at least 30 mins too long; comedy stereotypes grow tiresome

See it if 1st play beautiful rumination about how hard it is 2 return to rural roots, 2nd harrowing study of rural dysfunction; fine acting

Don't see it if you expect 2 see plays focusing on Lewis & Clark & their trip, rather than riffs on the trip; in slim 1st play key problems left unresolved

Also There are certain similarities between the two plays which deal w damaged individuals and fractured families in rural territories that L&C visited. Both set on July 4 touch on L&C's journey, Lewiston through a tape recording, Clarkston in L&C's journals being read out loud. Nonetheless, the contrasting endings of each of the plays are revealing: Lewiston features an Indep. Day fireworks display as an empty and ritualized nod to the past. Clarkston has two damaged boys arrive at a blinding view of the Pacific Ocean, seen by them for the first time. Echoing the awe felt by L&C at their first view of the Pacific, this ending suggests that wonder and hope are possible even today when there are seemingly no new lands to explore.... Read more Read less

See it if inventively/w humor reflects macho aggressiveness in set, characters mimicking animals, songs of the '50s/60s: "you belong to me"

Don't see it if dated satire of Hemingway machismo; frenetic and overacted (other than by fine K McCluggage), more cartoon than sharp social criticism

Also It's hard to act successfully in an absurdist play where characters are often primarily stand-ins for ideas. In this case, the actor (Jason O’Connell) who plays the Hemingway character does so in an unrelentingly exaggerated manner as the personification of toxic aggression. In contrast, Kate McCluggage, playing his wife Penelope (in a conscious nod to Homer's wife who waited for Homer to return after a long absence), shows the many dimensions of her character, at times exasperated, terrorized, zany, empowered. Though O'Connell's scene-chewing acting grabs most of the attention, McCluggage is the one to watch.... Read more Read less

See it if taut well-acted tale filled w laughs, drama & profound observations about teen girl & Africa's 2nd class status; "mean girls" but much more

Don't see it if some of the drama is ginned up; at 70 minutes no time to differentiate all 6 teens

Also Set in Ghana HS for black girls, play starts w standard "mean girls" plot: queen bee (QB) dominates her minions w taunts about body image. Amusing but standard fare. We all know the QB has to get her comeuppance. How that happens reflects an African twist: SPOILER ALERT the QB aspires to win the Miss Ghana beauty pageant but is supplanted by a transfer student who is both more talented and MORE WHITE. That's a searing revelation about racial status in Africa. Then SPOILER 2: the transfer student does not make it into semi-finals of the Miss Universe contest. Revelation 2: not only are the African girls second class citizens, who define themselves in terms of their appearance, Ghana is a second class country. So slight "mean girls" tale becomes something weightier: a rumination on corrosive role of race/skin color and the subordinate status of Africa/Africans. Still set vs. meanness is a ray of hope: the kindnesses many girls show 2 each other. In all a very rich play!... Read more Read less

See it if brutal heavyweight fight where power shifts back & forth btwn rivals; reveals liberal academic blindness, strident student position

Don't see it if at times degenerates into alternating speeches where parties talk past each other; action flags at begin of 2nd Act

Also The play features a real ongoing debate in academia about slavery & the American Revolution. The student contends in a paper that the reason the American Revolution was peaceful is that white leaders, many of whom were slave owners, agreed to sweep the explosive issue of slavery under the rug. The prof challenges this, insisting that the student use traditional historical sources to support her thesis. This is theatrically interesting in contrasting two heartfelt perspectives: (i) the student's personal experience w racism guiding her intuitions about history w (ii) the prof's insistence on use of the standards of her professional calling - objective historical proof (requirement of that type of proof naturally discriminates vs. powerless, non-literate slaves). This conflict underpins the fundamental problem illustrated by the play: the inability/unwillingness of either party 2 see reality from the other's perspective.... Read more Read less

See it if Birbiglia keeps audience laughing thru out show w keen/offbeat observational humor about becoming a new father

Don't see it if nothing groundbreaking about show or observations; about 15 minutes too long

See it if 4 Glenn Close's affecting performance as mother of Joan of Arc, humanizes J by showing her actions/cruel end from her parents' perspective

Don't see it if has sitcom vibe; robs Joan of some of her mystery/gravitas, showing her as modern pain in the a** rebellious teen

Also I. Something unique happened at the performance I attended: after hearing the sounds of construction overhead at the Public, Ms. Close STOPPED THE PERFORMANCE until the sounds ceased, during which time she conversed w & took questions from the audience. Here she used her diva powers to literally stop the show! Once show resumed, she remained the center of attention. That is why she's a star. II. Joan of Arc is a figure of endless fascination to playwrights. Recently, we saw an insightful production about Joan by Shaw starring Condola Rashad that showed her as a pawn caught between political forces. Before that a less than cogent musical at the Public in which Joan was a kind of mystical rock star. This production, I think, was most effective in showing Joan as a headstrong but vulnerable teenage girl as viewed thru the eyes of her parents. What we're looking for is a theatrical production that pulls all these threads together. Tony Kushner: do you have some free time?... Read more Read less

See it if this stripped down version finds in the original its Country and Western, feminist, raw sexual and violent roots; fine gutsy performances

Don't see it if some will feel betrayed by change 2 the ending of original (see below); Laurey's "dream ballet" redone as incomprehensible modern dance

Also Oklahoma is an archetypal celebration of Amer optimism & manifest destiny where marriage of leads Curly & Laurey is inextricably tied to the territory joining the U.S. as a state. Director makes clear he wants 2 challenge this archetype as cowboy boots rain down from the sky. Indeed, he has a darker vision, seeing the expansion of the U.S. as a product of violence. In set bedecked w rifles, Curly is no longer portrayed as a romantic hero, but a manipulative character who grotesquely urges Jud, simpleminded farmhand courting Laurey, to commit suicide and SPOILER ALERT then finishes off the job when Jud hands him a revolver as a wedding present. Another Amer tradit'n: the crime is swept under the rug. [This fundamentally changes original ending where "evil" Jud dies falling on knife trying to kill Curly.] Consistent w new vision, Laurey & Curly have blood splattered all over their wedding clothes & reprise of uplifting Oklahoma anthem is ironically transformed into an angry dirge.... Read more Read less

See it if taut detective-like story with devastating ending; effectively contextualizes cops vs. Black Lives Matter concerns; fine ensemble

Don't see it if characters are stereotypes: behave precisely the way you'd predict based on race/gender/class/position; dialogue veers into cliche

See it if makes important pt how public feeds on scandal, inflamed by media; public eerily represented by offstage voices/then wraith-like figures

Don't see it if heavy handed; after rape/castration/decapitation + escalating demands 4 horrific entertainment, you feel: enough already, we get the pt!

See it if strong acting, set and music evoking the ethos of the '60s

Don't see it if tho 1960s crucible 4 major political/social mvts, by focusing on ineffectual mixed-up youth and silly plot, play trivializes the moment

See it if Michael Urie memorable in exquisite Pagliacci-like performance as drag queen & in brilliant comedic fugue w 4 actors in 1st Act

Don't see it if play falls off in 2nd Act: interaction of hilarious Mercedes Ruhl as classic "Jewish mother" w Urie has the jokiness and rhythm of sitcom

See it if feminist statement on price to pay 4 marriages & by wives of leaders of civil rights mvt, final sermon by Coretta figure powerful/poetic

Don't see it if inside look at personal lives not that compelling or revealing about mvt, tho strong cast 2-hander needs more characters 2 enliven