Dan 6319

See it if you like original material not usually seen on New York stages. The mixing of immigration with faith healing is very interesting.

Don't see it if You dislike challenging material.

See it if See it for April Mathis, who is a gem among gems.

Don't see it if you are expecting a good yarn about the first female pro baseball player.

Also Ms. Mathis is her usual riveting self. The problem is the endless exposition and Pam Mackinnon's inert staging. Camille A. Brown's choreography doesn't help. Unlike her dynamic choreography in "Choir Boy," her work in Toni Stone feels inorganic. The first act closer was staged like a minstrel show to hammer in the point (in case we missed it) that the players in the Negro League were seen as entertainers more than sports figures. We already got in in the endless exposition that came before. Besides, the word "Clown" is emblazoned on the front of their jerseys.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to support new work by a young playwright

Don't see it if if you want a see a good play.

Also It aims to be an absurdist cautionary tale about people's growing lack of empathy. The play doesn't quite know where to situate itself, constantly undermining its absurdist conceit by "grounding" it in "real" moments. This flattens the action and the play struggles mightily to sell its attempts at literary dysmorphia. The direction doesn't help either, unsure about how to pitch the tenor of the play, vacillating between quotidian scenes and outsized gestures. It sure felt like the idea was built the grand reveal of the last 10 minutes. The cast was fine, but wasted on this exercise.... Read more Read less

See it if you want your theater to transport you to places you've never been, and to make you consider things you've never had to consider before.

Don't see it if You're looking for safe, linear theater.

Also Mind blowing is how to best describe this play, this theatrical meditation from Kristine Lee and her director Aya Ogawa. The cast and designers clearly drank the Cool Aid Ms. Lee and Ms. Ogawa whipped up because the production is firing on all cylinders. Again, I'm just astounded by what the folks at Bushwick Star can cook up in their tiny space. This play should have a much longer life.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like linear story telling: this happens, then that happens, then that happens. A solid yarn.

Don't see it if if you have a short attention span. You have to pay attention to what's happening, and do some thinking.

Also Excellent performances from the whole ensemble -- and it's a big one. There are standout performances, but on the whole, the ensemble work shines as a unit. There are some patches of treacly writing, and a heavy-handed use of a particular metaphor, but these small quibbles aside, it's one of the better shows to catch on Broadway.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like smart, adventurous writing performed by an exquisite cast.

Don't see it if If you're lazy and don't want to engage the playwright's mind.

See it if To support the work of a Native American playwright, who has something to say about uber-liberalism.

Don't see it if You're looking for anything particularly insightful.

Also On the one hand, it's hard not to be excited that Larissa Fasthorse is being produced Off Broadway. On the other hand, she managed to put an all-white cast on the stage of Playwright's Horizons, a theater not especially known for its diversity. So while they get points for producing a woman of color, they also perpetuate their all-white production history. That aside, the play itself treads familiar tropes about white guilt, and manages to skewer hand-wringing liberals about cultural appropriation. It might have been funnier, but it's like shooting a barrel of fish; they're easy targets.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to experience a play that is generous in spirit, featuring a superb craftsman.

Don't see it if If you're a cynic or a purist.

Also Mr. Patoboy is an incredible performer.

See it if You like a watch a con game and real game of snooker played on stage.

Don't see it if If you have no patience for strong accents, and a plodding story.

Also This story spins it wheels trying to set up an elaborate game in Act 1. Your ears need a few minutes to acclimate to the heavy accents. A parade of characters go by, and one is shot dead. That's the end of Act 1. The next act opens and we're at the snooker world championship, which we know to be rigged from all the machinations we saw in Act 1. The problem is, by that point, we don't care what happens. The story ends with boy gets girl scene that is completely flat. To compensate, they fire confetti canons to underscore the joy that we should be feeling at that point, but really, we're already headed to the exit.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want to see Janet McTeer.

Don't see it if If you want to watch a good play.

Also Ooof. The play's a mess. It feels like stunt-casting, find a really good actor and then throw the kitchen sink at her and see what happens. Ms. McTeer is very good, as are most of the cast, but the play tries very hard to sound smart and woke, and only manages to highlight its deficiencies in its flailing attempts.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like navel-gazing plays that examine a life lived, and lessons learned.

Don't see it if You have no patience for theatrical devices like multiple actors playing the same role over time.

Also This was a bit too gimmicky for me. While the actors employed to tell the story of one woman's life are all very capable, I could never shake the feeling that I was watching and listening to the playwright's voice and his machinations.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want your assumptions about theater narratives to be shaken.

Don't see it if If you don't like circular storytelling and are put off by confrontational theater.

Also The playwright is playing with conventions here, at first letting the audience relax its guard by presenting an innocuous living room drama about a black family. Then she starts yanking the rug from other you. Something's amiss, but you don't quite know what. Eventually, it becomes very apparent that you are part of a grand experiment about racial attitudes. Some audiences were clearly uncomfortable -- but maybe that is what theater needs more of today. Sarah Benson is in top form, so is Ms. Boateng.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like new works that play with conventions, and want to learn about a side of China you not familiar with.

Don't see it if If you don't like characters who are mouthpieces for a playwright.

Also This is a good effort from Lauren Yee. I got to see King of the Yees in Chicago, but she juggles too many balls here. BD Wong is in top form.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like to see movie and tv stars on Broadway.

Don't see it if If you don't like self-loathing bitchiness play out out for two hours.

Also I am a HUGE fan of Joe Mantello's work. I think he is one of the very best in navigating thorny emotional territory with clarity and precision. He tries to apply those skills to Boys in the Band, but the material works against all his efforts. It's a dated play, full of vitriol masking itself as bitchy gay humor. This play was for its time, and even then, it did nothing to make people understand the predicament of gay men in NYC. Instead, it confirmed stereotypes and the self-loathing preoccupation of closeted white men.

It is worth a revisit, even as a museum piece? No. At a time when this country finds itself once again entertaining thoughts homophobia and misogyny, theater has a responsibility to do better.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like dioramas and miniatures.

Don't see it if If you want a more nuanced story about migration.

Also Not exactly what I expected -- but I was game. It's a solitary experience. You're in a private viewing stall with headset, and a miniaturized diorama scrolls through your viewing window. Some clever model-making, and a well-meaning storyline about migrants crossing Europe to get to London. But it doesn't coalesce into a cohesive 45 minutes, much less evoke any real emotions.... Read more Read less

See it if You like scatological operettas.

Don't see it if If you're looking for a story.

Also The opening number is hilarious.

And then there's the rest of it.

You probably shouldn't come with a lot of expectations. After all, it's Jerry Springer. But it's not asking a lot to a semblance of a story structure on which to hang all the mayhem the creators have assembled. Like the TV show it riff on, it has no where to go after introducing a motley lineup of guests and encouraging them to fight. I suppose there is hell. And yes, it goes there. The opera is as vapid as its source material. In that respect, it succeeds.

The cast works so hard to put all of this across, and they are all fun to watch. Some deliver show-stopping arias.

Sadly, the weight of the libretto is far too heavy to enjoy even the fluff it serves.... Read more Read less

See it if you like a good contemporary British play.

Don't see it if you don't to watch navel gazing.

Also I enjoyed this play, especially Ms. Gough's marvelous performance. I didn't like the insistent "look at me," direction, which reveled a bit too much on gimmicky staging. There are moments when these tricks work, but for the most part, they're just annoying distractions. When the stage isn't bathed in all kinds of color and graphics, I'm able to engage with what's happening to the characters. This is the same quibble I had with "1984," which featured the same creative team, and which utilized technical wizardry far more than necessary.

The last 20 minutes of the play is fantastic. It's enough to redeem the excesses that preceded it.... Read more Read less

See it if you like your classics dusted off and given a new spit shine. Chay Yew's directing complements Luis Alfaro's pungent take on Oedipus.

Don't see it if you like your classics straight up.

Also Luis Alfaro rejiggers Sophocles' play into a critique of our criminal justice system, taking us into a prison yard peopled by Latinos. We see the vicious cycles that keep communities marginalized, and generations of Latino men incarcerated. Chay Yew's direction is spot on.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want a unique theater experience, with AMAZING singing and dancing.

Don't see it if You don't like immersive theater.

Also I know Ars Nova's work (Great Comet, for one). I also know Woodshed Collective (specializing in immersive, site-specific theater). I know May-i Theater's work with Asian American actors.

I would never have thought to put all three of them together, nor imagined that the result could be so crazy good. The music by Max Vernon and Helen Shaw is simply phenomenal, matched by the singing and dancing talents of the cast. Jason Tam, Ashley Park, Vanessa Kai, James Saito, and Julie Abueva are standouts, but every performer is great. The fully staged concert at the end is mind-blowing.

I'm so glad I got a ticket. I think it's all sold out.... Read more Read less

See it if you're a fan of the book, and you have a high tolerance for violence.

Don't see it if you're easily put off by violence, and you're looking for a linear plot.

Also It's a good show. Mr. Sturridge and Mr. Birney are in fine form. All in all, the message comes through clearly, but the staging is sometimes heavy handed and filled with unnecessary tricks and gimmickry. Blinding lights and loud sounds are employed frequently, and after a while, you just want them to get on with it.... Read more Read less

See it if You like you like your theater edgy, well-thought out, and provocative.

Don't see it if You like realism.

Also Great music playing by a very talented cast. The adaptation by Ms. Baral doesn't just drop Peer Gynt into the 21st century, she calls out the play's inherent attitude towards women. There's a unique perspective running through the book. Not really what I expected, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done!... Read more Read less

See it if you like a show that works too hard to push your emotional buttons,

Don't see it if you don't like faux-edgy shows trying to hide its formulaic bones underneath a veneer of social commentary.

Also A lot of audiences will like this show. Michael Grief works miracles with a thoroughly inane story to give it some theatrical bona fides, but even he can't avoid the banal, teenage angst-driven hollowness of the story.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a quiet, quirky play about a family in transition, and the careful re-calibration of relationships.

Don't see it if If you're looking for an explosive play about gender identity.

Also MJ Kaufman's play is a lyrical attempt at mapping how a family navigates transition, in gender, love, and when death comes knocking. Her writing is fractured, purposely so, shifting from one location to another. She also mixes in a bit of magic realism, and a bunraku-like puppet who becomes the object of affection for a lonely, hard-of-hearing grandmother. All these elements combine for a meditative time in the theater.

Ken Rus Schmoll's direction embraces the play's quiet lyricism -- to a fault. His deliberately slow pacing, while seemingly justified, robs the play of any propulsion. Each scene resets the play, and there is little accrual of narrative. The ramp staging also makes it feel like you're watching a tennis match, in slow motion. It's a near-fatal miscalculation by the director.

Thankfully, there are the outstanding performances from Mia Katigbak, and Virginia Wing. They carry the heart of this play.... Read more Read less

See it if You like schmaltzy musicals, awkward kids and baseball, overly anxious parents, and tearjerkers.

Don't see it if If you want a fresher take on gay relationships, and parenting.

See it if You like to support the work of Latinx artists.

Don't see it if If you want the work of Latinx artists to be given a better production.

Also So many missteps in this production, not the least of which is directing. Mr. Yew struggles to make the story coherent, and compelling. So many scenes are set-up as portentous events only to fail flat. Any kind of propulsive movement is manufactured. Really disappointing.... Read more Read less

See it if you're curious about Marc Blitzstein's seminal work.

Don't see it if you're looking for a coherent rendering of Cradle Will Rock

Also Like the original, a single piano is used with no amplification of voices. That in itself is very laudable. However, much of the staging is flat and never builds to its final moment of defiance. This is mean to be agitprop, a call to action to unionize, but despite cajoling the audience and sometimes sitting among them, the heart of the story never beats. It's a good cast, and Tony Yazbeck shines among them.... Read more Read less

See it if you're a sci-fi fan and want to support new work by one of the city's most creative theaters (Play Co.)

Don't see it if You have a short attention span, or like things to move at a fast clip. This is definitely a slow burn.

Also The performance I saw was still finding its footing. I appreciated the allegory that Mr. Cortinas wove, and the discomfiting style and tone of the show. It opens with a long monologue that was meant to setup the play, but it felt overly long and and stuffed.... Read more Read less

See it if You're curious about Jeremy Harris and want to see Alan Cummings. Or you want to see a swimming pool.

Don't see it if If you want an intelligent play about age, class, and power.

Also This is only the second play of Mr. Harris that I've seen, the first being "Slave Play." It's not easy being anointed "the most promising playwright of his generation." I can see how it sets up Mr. Harris for a takedown. I'm not interested in that, but I am interested in good writing and good theater. Daddy feels sophomoric, for all its claim to mining the power dynamics of a gay relationship between and older and younger man, white and black. I gather this is the play that got him into Yale, so its clearly the work of a young playwright. I had trouble with "Slave Play," as well, though that bears a more assured writing hand.... Read more Read less

See it if you want a fun comedy about a topical issue.

Don't see it if if you're looking for deep insights.

Also I think of it a "light woke" play. It doesn't go very deep with "issue" it brings up, and because it's a rather serious issue, the comedy can sometimes be jarring when it rubs against such seriousness. The cast is delightful, and the staging is snappy and fun.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want to see the work of William Kentridge.

Don't see it if If you want more than an accumulation of images and ideas that don’t cohere into any discernible story.

Also I like William Kentridge’s charcoal drawings and animation. The Head and The Load aspires to grand gestures with large scale projections, discordant juxtapositions, and stark images, all to tell the story of the Africans conscripted carriers by the Europeans during WWI. Kentridge goes for the big canvas, but never pays attention to what the whole picture is telling. Some of the vignettes are beautiful, it most are too obtuse and abstracted to help tell the story. I like big ideas and big theater, but I also want to be moved and changed by what I experience. This did not.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a fan of Hansol Jung. This play presents another facet of her amazing writing.

Don't see it if If you have no patience for non-traditional story telling.

Also I am a fan of Ms. Jung's work, after seeing Cardboard Piano at Humana, and then Among the Dead at Mayi. She's a welcome voice in American Theater. I also saw a workshop production of Wild Goose Dreams at the Public last year. I wondered how the play would ultimately be fully realized, given the number of theatrical devices the play requires. I have to say that after seeing the full production in previews, I lost the poignant story of isolation and loneliness. Clint Ramos set almost steals the show, but it doesn't help the story telling. More is not always more, and this is one of those cases.... Read more Read less

See it if You like entering worlds different from yours.

Don't see it if If you want you don’t want to think.

Also I found this play a timely reminder of who we are as a country. I read one commenter here who said this play wasn’t needed in NYC, because we’re somehow more politically evolved. It couldn’t be more wrong. This isn’t simply about the history of this country, it’s told from the perspective of a person of color. That matters to me.... Read more Read less

See it if You’re a fan of The Flea.

Don't see it if You don’t like two-dimensional treatment of race relations.

Also I like Mr. Solondz films. This play is not likable. It lacks smarts and nuance. He fails to balance his quirky treatment of the characters with the enormous tragedy he unfolds. The result feels trivial at best, and tragic at its worst. It’s hard to escape the real events this play alludes to. And because he chose to play with race and privilege tropes, the whole thing feels like a cheap exploitation flick.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to support a young playwright, and the work of a good theater company.

Don't see it if you don't like indulgent, insipid execution.

Also There is a good idea here, and a whiff of a story. It is wrapped in the worst possible staging that obfuscates with gimmickry, projections, direct address, and all manners of "Brechtian" devices that neither illuminates nor nudges us to think. For the most part, I kept thinking "what was that for?"... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a rarely performed Shakespeare play -- done well.

Don't see it if You have a limited attention span. This requires you to pay attention -- for six hours.

Also Well done by the National Asian American Theater. Henry VI is terribly unwieldy, with serpentine subplots and a profusion of battles. The director, Mr. Fried, does more than a yeoman's job in keeping the action moving, and making use of very limited space. He also edited the text, cutting out nearly half of the original -- and rightfully so. Standouts are Rajesh Bose, Paul Juhn, Vanessa Kai, Wai Ching Ho, David Hyuhn, and Ms. Katigbak.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like sitcomy plays, with a steady rhythm of set-up / punchline; set-up / punchline.

Don't see it if If you want a nuanced play about gender identities, and the internal hierarchies within the LGBTQI community.

Also I generally like Jordan Harrison's work. Certainly, Pam McKinnon knows her craft. The cast members are all top shelf. But somehow, even with all the right ingredients, this play cannot rise above superficial and petty contrivances. It's hard to see the characters as real people. It's even harder to see them try to make sense of the plot they've been handed.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like quirky, violent theater, peppered with very good performances.

Don't see it if You you like straightforward narratives, and genteel theater.

Also Lots of great performances, and the story takes risks not ordinarily seen on American stages, but it can also be pretty esoteric and at times labors for its "theatricality."... Read more Read less

See it if If you like your theater fare to be equal parts funny, moving, and unexpected.

Don't see it if You don't like plays that make you think as you laugh.

Also The playwright Michael Lew hit this out of the park. Same goes for the director, and the lead actor, Greg Mozgala, who I saw in Cost of Living at MTC. He was good in that; he is amazing in Teenage Dick. A play set in high school usually has me rolling my eyes. This was truly surprising, and tackles issues of disability and bullying with new nuances. Bravo to The Public and May-i for doing this.... Read more Read less

See it if If you are a Harry Potter fan and you like or want to instill an appreciation for live theater in your kids.

Don't see it if If you Harry Potter makes you roll your eyes.

Also At six hours for Parts 1 and 2, it's a significant commitment of time, and money. For the most part, it delivers the goods. The cast is uniformly excellent, and more than makes up for some bloated narrative and draggy set changes. My 13 and 11 year olds were mesmerized. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them sit still for this much time. The look on their faces after makes it almost worth the second mortgage it cost to bring everyone to the show.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy riveting theater. Well-written, beautifully performed and directed.

Don't see it if If you like your plays obvious and predictable.

Also Get a second mortgage or sell your children, but do not miss this tour-de-force display of performing brilliance by Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf. Joe Mantello's direction is as exquisite as the design elements, and equal to the brilliance of Mr. Albee. I saw the original and revivals of this play, and this version is the best.... Read more Read less

See it if You like quirky stories about brief, unrequited romance, and you like 90-minute theater experiences.

Don't see it if You're looking for a pulse-quickening theater experience.

Also Bottomline, this is a well-executed adaptation of the film. Mr. Yazbek's score is not something heard on Broadway often, and it's refreshing. But you know how myth-making happens on Broadway, when what is good is elevated to sublime as more and more drink the critical cool aid? That's the case here.

I've always loved David Cromer's exquisitely calibrated direction. He knows how to avoid the treacly. Not in this case. Mr. Cromer and Mr. Moses squeeze every ounce of schmaltz from an already lugubrious story. They're smart enough leaven it with irony and humor, but the strong whiff of melodrama is always there. Halfway through the play (and I so wanted to love this, btw), I became aware that we're watching the same emotional colorations over and over. If not for a marvelous cast who do their best to bring honesty to their roles and succeeds, this could never have worked.

I liked it. I wanted to love it.... Read more Read less

See it if you like meaningful theater. Guirgis engages your mind, and this play makes you consider the world today. It's funny, and it's riveting.

Don't see it if You want to sit back and escape.

Also For me, this is Mr. Guirgis's best work. I like his other plays, but this one gets me the most. Mark Brokow's unfussy staging hits all the right notes, and the cast is brilliant.... Read more Read less

See it if You haven't seen it before and are curious about the helicopter, or if you want to see another story about how America saved the Vietnamese.

Don't see it if You're offended by racial stereotypes.

Also I watched this musical several times during it's initial run on Broadway. I watched this revival production only once.

I won't compare because what's the point? I'll stick to the merits of what I saw in 2017.

The production values are pretty good. The cast is up to par. The Engineer played by Briones is excellent.

But in this version, I was even more aware of how the show portrays Asians as either hookers, faceless Vietcong, and hapless victims. The Vietnamese are the shadowy figures in pointed hats that lurk in corners, or march in unison, their faces barely seen. I was more aware of the two-dimensional portrayal of the Vietnamese. I'm not from Vietnam but I am offended for the Vietnamese people. This musical sells the often told lie that the US saved Vietnam. We are the good guys, and they are bad. Such a silly and utterly laughable conceit that ruins everything else for me. There simply is no excuse for these racial stereotypes today.... Read more Read less

See it if If you're a fan of Sarah Ruhl, and plays that ruminate on life and parenting

Don't see it if You're expecting profound insights or even a fun rethinking of Peter Pan.

Also Sarah Ruhl's play spends a lot of time spinning its wheels on how a family handles the death of a parent -- an event worthy of deep insights. Sadly, nothing new is really revealed; the siblings talk about childhood memories we're all familiar with. Early on, the siblings make a point to avoid talking about anything political, because it always leads to heated arguments. Well, they don't heed their own prescription and a lot of shouting follows. That in itself is fine, if we learn something about why they've taken the positions they have, and how their relationships have been defined by them. Here, Ms. Ruhl chooses to leave the arguments unresolved, and we're soon taken to Neverland, which falls flat because we don't care enough about the siblings, or why growing up is an issue, or what death means.

Ms. Ruhl is a terrific writer. Ms. Chalfant is a national treasure. Les Waters is a genius. This play doesn't show that.... Read more Read less

See it if you like riveting drama. The cast is electric, and August Wilson's play is given a terrific production by director Ruben Santiago Hudson.

Don't see it if you don't think Black Lives Matter.

See it if you like advice columns.

Don't see it if you think a play should have a good, engaging story.

Also Another epistolary play. This one, sadly, doesn't bother to provide a reason for being. The litany of advice Sugar dispenses come so easily, it's like listening to, well, an advice column being read aloud, which is exactly what this play is. The one saving grace to this entire enterprise is the actor Alfredo Narciso. He somehow manages to locate a character arc for himself, and delivers the play's most honest moment.... Read more Read less

See it if you like complex plots, sung-through musicals, and being in the middle of the action because, immersive.

Don't see it if You have a short-attention span and expect buttoned-up show tunes.

Also Dave Malloy does a yeoman's job of putting Leo Tolstoy's words to music. And it's a lot of words, hence, a lot of music. Rachel Chavkin's staging surrounds the audience with action; the theater has been reconfigured to make it look like a decadent Russian parlor. The creative team works very hard to make the experience as engaging as they can, and this helps clarify what is going on in the very labyrinthine story, while masking the many passages of monotonous recitatives.

The entire affair is charming, and succeeds in combining a fun, novelty appeal with its "serious" literary pedigree.... Read more Read less

See it if You like geek theater, fast action, stage combat, and comic books.

Don't see it if You have no tolerance for slapstick and jump cuts.

Also Vietgone takes all the tropes of America's involvement in Vietnam and smashes them into smithereens. What Qui Nguyen experimented with at The Vampire Cowboys Theater is now presented here in full glossy sheen. In some parts, the rough antic quality of the Vampire Cowboys is missed. Still, one can't underestimate the importance of seeing this kind of work on Manhattan Theater Club's stage. Whodathunk?

The cast is uniformly game and able, especially Paco Tolson and Jennifer Ikeda.... Read more Read less

See it if you like plays that are funny and moving at the same time. Great acting and staging.

Don't see it if You want the same old formulaic stuff.