Claude 7183

See it if you are interested in what contemporary playwrights are doing.

Don't see it if you do not like pretentious riffs on classic plays.

Also I just did not find anything funny in this production. Clearly it is my sense of humor.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the history of silent films and broadway musicals.

Don't see it if do not like the Encore format of semi staged performances.

Also I knew very little about silent movies or Mack Sennett or Mabel Normand or this musical before I saw it. While the play has some excellent songs and is enthusiastically acted and sung, it fails to come together. But it was fascinating.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Laura Linney and/or Elizabeth Strout.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy one actor shows with little plot.

Also Even just 90 minutes seemed a bit long.

See it if you like the original with lots of implied violence. And if like Bobby Carnnavale and Rose Byrne.

Don't see it if you do not like intense theater with a lot of senseless killings - like the original.

See it if you enjoy contemporary theater that is intelligent and beautifully acted.

Don't see it if you are not interested in two quirkly characters interacting on stage for 90 minutes without a lot of plot.

Also Mary-Louise Parker was brilliant. This was the best written new play that I have seen recently.... Read more Read less

See it if You would like a traditional rendition of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol with excellent cast and staging.

Don't see it if You just couldn’t bear to see this again.

See it if You would enjoy an intellectual discussion of the intersection of class, gender and sexual identity.

Don't see it if You do not enjoy contemporary theater that has a lot of clever tricks.

Also Smart and very French. Even though it is a British production.

See it if you would enjoy an intelligent production of one of Shakespeare's historical plays with excellent acting.

Don't see it if you are not interested in seeing another play by Shakespeare with an odd set and costumes.

Also The setting seems to be in a meat locker and I am not completely sure why. The costumes were mostly traditional but somewhat tacky. The acting, expecially by Aaron Monaghan, was excellent.... Read more Read less

See it if You like incredible music performed by some of the best musicians in the world.

Don't see it if You are expecting a Broadway musical or juke box production.

Also Seems like some people have been a little critical - although still positive - because this was not a Broadway “show”. Well if every Broadway show was as intelligent and well performed as this, I would be in heaven. There is a common thread throughout all the songs: humanity, becoming better as a person and as a community. And the music is just not to be believed. I have seen the Talking Heads and Davis Byrne in most of its/his manifestations. He keeps getting better. This performance gave me hope. Which we all need in these dismal times.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in an amazing New York female politician and how truly screwed up our political system has been for a long time.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a lot of anecdotes about Bella Abzug.

Also The premise for the piece - Bella Abzug waiting for her US Senate election results in her hotel bathroom - just doesn't work. Also, while there are lots of interesting anecdotes about Abzug, they do not really make a play. And I am not sure why Harvey Fierstein is doing it.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in a crazy take on politics and international relations between the USA and China.

Don't see it if you would not enjoy a somewhat confusing musical that intertwines David Henry Hwang's personal life and politics.

Also After the first act, I thought it was just a huge mess although of the songs were extremely pretty. The second act brought me around but it is still confusing and probably needs some serious work to get it right.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy the hip hop riffs that are the foundation of Hamilton.

Don't see it if You would not enjoy a bunch of young people showing off improv hip hop skills.

Also The show was totally improvisation which I did not know when I purchased tickets. The cast was incredibly enthusiastic and talented. Was fun in unexpected ways. Plus Lin Manuel Miranda was the guest performer for the evening. It was interesting to see that he is essentially a superstar for a large group of young people.... Read more Read less

See it if you would enjoy a play about the stuggles of young people to find their place in the world.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a bunch of pretty self absorbed young people.

Also I was not bored at all during this production and thought that some of the acting was superior. Ultimately, I just wasn't that interested in the playwright's take on the subject matter.... Read more Read less

See it if you can tolerate half the play being performed by children since the second half is performed by an excellent cast.

Don't see it if you do not like child actors having significant roles. (I found their performances incredibly annoying).

See it if you enjoy one person monologues that are well crafted and well acted.

Don't see it if you are not interested in men discussing their emotional responses to tragedies in their lives.

See it if you are interested in an exploration of issues regarding illegal immigration as a Greek tragedy.

Don't see it if you are non interested in an exploration of contemporary political issues.

Also The second half of the play which I think was supposed to integrate Greek tragedy was just too over the top.... Read more Read less

See it if you would enjoy a one person show by a very talented one person who has a hell of a story to tell.

Don't see it if do would not enjoy a one person show with some not so great songs.

See it if you enjoy old fashioned musicals with a contemporary twist: girl gets girl.

Don't see it if you are looking for something edgy or innovative.

Also I enjoyed this much than I expected. It is not great but sincere and entertaining. And wittier that most musicals that I have seen on Broadway this season. I am looking forward to the movie already. I just think they should cast some of the actors from the play.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy contemporary playwrights confronting major societal issues.

Don't see it if you do not like extemely polemical theater which beats you over the head.

Also I thought Marys Seacole by the same playwright was brilliant but just did not like this earlier play.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a contemporary playwright exploring difficult social issues.

Don't see it if are not interested in a particularly bleak play.

Also The cast tries as hard as it can but I am not sure where this play was supposed to be headed.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in a riff on a play by Shakespeare with a great cast and which explores current political themes.

Don't see it if you do not like raunchy and frequently silly plays.

Also I thought that this was a big mess - which is what I expected by Taylor Mac. However, so much of the writing was truly incredible. And the cast was amazing. I was glad that I saw this play and would love to see another production. Maybe not so big... Read more Read less

See it if you like classic Irish theater presented in a traditional production.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a play about Ireland during the troubles.

See it if you like small productions of old fashioned musicals performed by a professional cast.

Don't see it if you do not like a lot of slap stick type humor.

Also The entire cast was excellent and gave completely entertaining performances. In particular, Chris Dwan was captivating as the lead character. He deserves more work!... Read more Read less

See it if you want to relive the early 1960's and think it was an interesting time culturally.

Don't see it if you were hoping for an interesting production of a very very dated play.

Also I was really looking forward to seeing this play. I still remember enoying Please Don't Eat the Daisies when I was a child. However, the play is shockingly dated and needed a different production if it were to succeed. I don't think that I laughed once during the entire play. Obviously, I was very disappointed.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in a provocative take on the current state of the media especially newspapers.

Don't see it if you do not like very loud busy productions

Also I thought that I would like this more than I did. One of my guilty pleasures is Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary and I think he is brilliant in it. That coupled with the reviews and awards given to the British production, probably unfairly raised my expectations. However, I just did not think that the writing was so clever and the production - while it certainly kept me awake - ultimately got on my nerves. But did not give me a headache... Read more Read less

See it if you would be interested in a very slow moving play about a recent coal mining disaster in West Virginia with slightly evocative songs.

Don't see it if you are looking for some explanation of how a union state like West Virginia became completely right wing in the most extreme sense.

See it if you would enjoy a few good performances that are pretty much lost in a confusing production.

Don't see it if you would enjoy a muddled play about suicide which offers almost no insight whatsoever.

See it if you would enjoy retro pop music composed by Ducan Sheik sung by Suzanne Vega and some very talented cast members.

Don't see it if you would not enjoy an exploration of 1960s sexual behavior along with some soft core porn scenes.

Also I really enjoyed the songs. I thought Duncan Sheik and his collaborators did a great job of capturing 1960's pop music. Suzanne Vega was fantastic and as were some of of the other cast members. Another musical - especially ones by Sheik - which need work to turn them into a truly effective musical plays.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in how white elite Europeans view the problems of racism, classism and police brutality in the United States.

Don't see it if You would not enjoy the deconstruction of a classic American musical into a gritty hectoring production.

See it if you would enjoy a show with a large ensemble cast addressing difficult societal urban issues.

Don't see it if you are not interested a loud gritty play about characters who are not particularly sympathetic.

Also I thought the play should have been significantly edited. Almost all the cast was excellent but some of the scenes seemed repetitive.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in an amazing discussion of current race relations and the NYC Police Department through the lens of events from 1991.

Don't see it if you are not concerned about our failure to progress in regards to many social issues in NYC since 1991.

Also I never saw this performed previously and would love to see Anna Deavere Smith perform it. However, Michael Benjamin Washington was incredible. The entire production was beautifully presented.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Evita and the few show stopping songs.

Don't see it if you don't want to see a production trying to make sense of what seems to be not so great a musical.

See it if you are interested in an early play by Tony Kushner.

Don't see it if you do not want to spend three hours watching a muddled play without much direction.

Also Has several good actors who are not particularly well used.

See it if you want to see every musical that opens this season.

Don't see it if you do not want to see something that is supposedly based upon Macbeth. But isn't really.

Also Usually, I think problematic productions could improve with additional work and editing and tough love. I am not sure if anything could save this one.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in a large scale production centered upon gay men in NYC but really about universal experiences.

Don't see it if you are offended by the discussion and portrayal of gay male sexual practices or nudity.

Also Matthew Lopez, a new young playwright, should be commended for taking the chance of writing a huge play and incoporating a lot of themes. Some parts of it fail but ulitmately, I thought it was one of the best theatrical experiences of the year.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy new productions of semi classic musicals done is a pretty traditional style.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a traditional production of a musical.

Also The production was great fun and the entire cast was perfect. The production is pretty straight forward which was fine with me.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in an exploration of the effect of slavery on the relationships between races in contemporary America.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy a lot of strong language and nudity.

Also I found this play (at over 2 hours with no intermission) difficult to sit through.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy drama exploring the role of women throughout history.

Don't see it if You are not interested in a rather one note play about the historical devaluation of women.

Also I did really enjoy one of the scenes during which the former wives of Ernest Hemingway get together after the writer’s suicide. Unfortunately, most of the other scenes were not so clever and relied upon slapstick humor.... Read more Read less

See it if you like Cher.

Don't see it if if you do not like Cher or biographical musicals.

See it if you enjoy big, over the top, old fashioned Broadway musicals.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy slap stick humor.

See it if you enjoy loud and vulgar riffs on classic dramas.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy slap stick and juvenile humor.

See it if you enjoy serious drama about complicated cultural and gender issues which are intelligently presented.

Don't see it if you are not interested in being immersed in a different and foreign culture - which actually is not so different or foreign.

See it if you want to see another play about teenage angst with a sci fi plot twist.

Don't see it if you are tired about plays about geeky teenage boys who want to be cool.

Also The cast is energetic and the teenage girls in the audience appear to know the songs and actors. Lots of tween screaming and clapping.... Read more Read less

See it if you like intelligent plays with a great ensemble cast anchored by a remarkable lead actress.

Don't see it if you find baseball statistics annoying.

Also One of the best plays that I have seen this season. Thrilling and uplifting.... Read more Read less

See it if you would like female powered stories told in broad swipes.

Don't see it if you are bothered by melodrama and white violence against African Americans (because it is depressing, not that the truth shouldn't be shown)

Also Clearly the producers want to bring this ambitious play to Broadway but it needs some work.... Read more Read less

See it if you would like a great ensemble cast riffing off a Chekhov masterpiece.

Don't see it if you do not like of a lot of characters talking without much happening.

See it if you like very ambitious - and a little odd - musical theater.

Don't see it if you would not enjoy almost 2 hours of "a cappella" singing.

Also While the play is billed as a cappella singing, I thought that there was a strong church choir aspect to it. The music and singing was complex and beautiful. The conceit for the setting of the play was strange and it took me awhile to get past it but once I did, I was truly in awe. Great theater.... Read more Read less

See it if you like huge Broadway productions that will never be re-created.

Don't see it if you need to avoid strobes, loud noises and a fair amount of vulgarity.

Also I did not intend to see this but was able to obtain an inexpensive ticket and it just received some Tony nominations. So why not. Turned out to be totally entertaining. The production must have cost a fortune. The actors try as hard as they can but the material is pretty weak. Despite all the problems, I enjoyed it more than most theater that I have seen recently.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see Susan Sarandon on stage along with some other good actors trying their best.

Don't see it if you are not interested a play that seems to have ambitions but fails to achive them.

Also I saw this early in previews so it is possible that it could get better. Just hard to imagine how they can pull off that trick.... Read more Read less

See it if you love work by Suzan-Lori Parks and have to see everything she does.

Don't see it if you think that an African American man wanting to be a slave to an annoying white man is an interesting concept.

Also I found this play to be so offensive. I do not even have words for my reaction to it.... Read more Read less