David 57

See it if you like political theater and are prepared for some intensity amid the laughter.

Don't see it if you need a traditional narrative or have room in your heart for right-wing bigotry.

See it if if you love language, Shakespeare and Stoppard

Don't see it if you know nothing of Hamlet and Macbeth. The plays rely on minimal literacy with the two plays.

See it if Seeing a young singer/actor/ dancer with lots of energy getting started interests you

Don't see it if you are looking for depth or meaning

See it if you appreciate a deep dive into race and sexuality with humor and music, very well-performed and staged.

Don't see it if you are looking for traditional themes or need a traditional narrative.

See it if you are twelve years old and dying of boredom

Don't see it if can't see why anyone would want to see this, but there was laughter in the audience though applause was brief.

See it if great singing and meaningful theater are your thing

Don't see it if you are looking for traditional linear narrative or light entertainment

See it if you enjoy seriously funny, deep and dark theater

Don't see it if you are looking for light entertainment

Also Shepard was a genius taken from us too soon. This is a tribute to his art.... Read more Read less

See it if you care about the corruptions bred by American race politics in the entertainment industry,

Don't see it if you will be bothered by some gimmicky satire of academia that is unnecessary

See it if A racialized drama interests you, very well acted and directed.

Don't see it if you are looking for light entertainment.

See it if great performances outweigh substance. If all things Vanya interest you. If mocking Russian angst amuses you.

Don't see it if You've had enough Vanya lately or you find Russian angst more tedious than funny or touching

See it if If you are interested in problems of race, sex and politics and are aware of therapeutic lingo enough to find it funny when satirized.

Don't see it if you are looking for light entertainment and/or have never been in therapy

See it if you like serious political theater that is raw and unflinching.

Don't see it if You are ambivalent about homosexuality or homophobic.

See it if Great acting and theater of the absurd grab you.

Don't see it if You are looking for linear narrative. It is the opposite.

See it if The wonderful performances of Dylan's songs are reason enough to see this, but the subtle deployment of a historical narrative to comment on

Don't see it if (cont') American life make this a wonderful evening in the theater. There are flaws, but the whole is so good they needn't be mentioned.

See it if you like Vanya or Russian theater and appreciate great acting.

Don't see it if you are looking to be entertained.

Also Richard Nelson works his everyday magic. Immensely rewarding.

See it if you want serious drama about difference

Don't see it if you are not up for painful developments. Some editing for continuity needed, but generally worked very well.

See it if you know what a great and literate voice Gurney was and you appreciate great acting.

Don't see it if you are expecting all three to be up to Gurney's highest standards.

Also The last of the three was for me the strongest, but was so good that it makes you re-consider the first two which were a bit weaker and less engaging. That doesn't mean they were bad -- just not great.... Read more Read less

See it if you want serious drama about a contemporary issue.

Don't see it if you want something light.

Also I don't agree with those who found the ending problematic. It was disturbing, but entirely possible and the logical outcome of what came before. The violence of some who call themselves "Christians" can be shocking, but history tells us it is real.... Read more Read less

See it if sex, gender and laughing is what you are looking for.

Don't see it if you have a narrow view of married life.

See it if you like satire exquisitely executed. They take aim at some current cultural tropes that are ripe for ridicule and they do it with skill.

Don't see it if you are a bit of a sourpuss.

See it if you want a play that deals with a big issue:morality in war, with great acting.

Don't see it if a bit soporific in the first half, but picks up steam in the second.

See it if you appreciate the insidious building of intensity through pitch-perfect colloquial dialogue impeccably acted.

Don't see it if A Welsh accent is a problem for you or you require spectacle to be engaged. The set is minimal, which adds to its brilliance.

See it if you enjoy painful, funny, not terribly linear, bittersweet, well-done

Don't see it if you want conventional story-telling

See it if you like politically themed well-acted theater

Don't see it if you are bothered if the politics are not clearly delineated, the representations a bit over-broad. J. Castano great, but a bit caricatured

See it if you like a historical drama about an important subject and can tolerate some (not all) sub-par acting and somewhat sluggish directing.

Don't see it if you want things polished and perfect.

See it if you enjoy politicized tragedy.

Don't see it if you want something fun or light.

See it if satirizing Chekhov is your thing. The actors do their best with very thin material.

Don't see it if you think comedy should include meaning that is comprehensible.

See it if Walt Whitman matters to you and quirky vitality turns you on

Don't see it if you want normal in any sense

See it if ingenious theatricality, great singing and inventive staging appeal to you

Don't see it if you can't put aside the goofy religiosity of the text

Also This show offers some insight into the power of religious texts in spite of and because of their wild claims.... Read more Read less

See it if you want a well-acted, well directed play about the psychology of guilt, crime and family

Don't see it if you want something light

See it if you like intelligent theater that uses history to make its statement

Don't see it if you are not ready to listen carefully or don't enjoy historical themes

See it if you are up for a painful encounter with the way we humans manage death, acted with consummate skill by two masters

Don't see it if you are not ready to feel the pain

See it if It's great Sondheim -- a musical for adults.

Don't see it if if it will bother you that some original material (eg "hills of tomorrow") has been cut.

See it if thoughtful, well-acted and directed theater with a twist interests you.

Don't see it if you are looking for simple narrative or melodrama.

See it if The performances are outstanding. Labute's ear for contemporary speech and psychology is breathtaking.

Don't see it if you are looking for light fare or melodrama or easy comedy.

See it if Reza has a great ear for contemporary mores and foibles. You see yourself onstage and you laugh.

Don't see it if you are looking for depth. It's not clear what is uncovered by starting the play three times. In the end Reza has little to say.

Also The actors are terrific. The script is witty, but empty.

See it if With great sophistication explores the interplay of world politics, intimate life and the cyber revolution..

Don't see it if you prefer your entertainment without intelligence. But really, ignore my sarcasm: this is a must see.

See it if you like a sly send-up of murder mysteries with a feminist tilt

Don't see it if stage violence bothers you.

See it if Great acting illuminates a dark moment in American history with considerable theatrical flair.

Don't see it if you watch a lot of sit-coms and don't care much about history.

See it if you love Chekhov, Shakespeare and Bedlam and great acting and you are not afraid of innovation. If you love these classics, this is a must

Don't see it if you are looking for tradition or a lazy evening in the theater

Also Eric Tucker is a daring genius and his troop is amazing. This deserves to be seen and appreciated.... Read more Read less

See it if you are dying to see Lea DeLaria in a play, though her acting was truly mediocre.

Don't see it if you are looking for character development or focus.The device of using Midsummer Night's Dream's play within a play had unexplored potential

Also In the very last speech there is some hint of what this play might have been, and very well acted. But all the disconnected antics that preceded it leave you exhausted and sorry you came.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Shakespeare well-done, gripping.

Don't see it if you don't love Shakespeare

Also The adaptation is excellent, the performances excellent. The very first quarter seems a bit stuffy and formal, but things really take off after the first intermission. Do see both halves in the same day, you won't regret it.... Read more Read less

See it if highlights the very important issue of our culture's troubled relationship with disability. Acting and the small dance number are excellent

Don't see it if The development is more sophomoric than sophisticated. If you can ignore that it is playing with something very important ...

See it if the worst of the psychology of racism interests you and you want to see great acting

Don't see it if you don't want your laughter spiked with bile. Great but not amusing.

See it if you want a cleverly staged addressing of the evils of the ivory trade.

Don't see it if you expect a dramatically compelling performance, real characters. Clever stagecraft doesn't make up for lack of plotting.Too declamatory.

See it if you might like a clever idea satirizing the alt-right

Don't see it if If you expect minimally acceptable acting, such as remembering lines.

Also I hesitated to write such a negative review in consideration of the efforts of those involved, but they had to know that they were not ready to present. Whether the material was worth presenting at all was impossible to tell, but seemed doubtful: very cliched black and white politics with barely a hint of a character or of any serious thought. Just angry mockery very poorly presented.... Read more Read less

See it if Only someone painfully young who never has heard these glorious songs might not like this.

Don't see it if Hard to imagine who wouldn't like this.

See it if you like August Wilson's work

Don't see it if you are looking for something new about Black experience in the bad old days.

See it if wit with very little substance, but clever as hell

Don't see it if very little depth here

See it if you want to see a genius actor doing his thing perfectly.

Don't see it if you have a problem with a one-man show.

Also Billy Crudup is so, so, so good.