Dr Paul

See it if you want to see a unique performance, technically incredibly staged and acted, about the environment

Don't see it if you aren’t wowed by the show’s palindrome technique, or prefer musicals, comedies, or complex stories

Also Don’t sit in the front if you have neck problems or want to see the whole stage - action takes place all over and then again even closer. If, like me, you do decide to sit in the 1st row you will literally become part of the production. One sour note, the very real onstage tree murder is weird and ironic given the plot. The magic of the end is only an illusion, you can’t suspend that disbelief. Sacrifice for art? On the other hand, I get a Christmas tree every year…... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a revered actor take on King Lear, or are a Game of Thrones fan and want to see Pedro Pascal, or just like Shakespeare

Don't see it if you’re a Shakespeare purist and don’t want to see a woman Lear, or are a Shakespeare expert who picks apart shows. I thought it was fine

See it if you want to see a well acted off-the-wall play that packs a lot into an hour, mashing up Das Kapital with READ MORE FOR SPOILER

Don't see it if you are a member of the ruling elite, prefer musicals, or dislike bizarre storylines. The exploitation element actually sounded plausible

Also which makes the Invasion of the Body Snatchers element seem… no, that’s nuts. In any case it’s refreshing to see a Fringe show with an actual plot, no matter how loony. Plot twists are well done and the playwright is onstage... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a quintessential New York show before it leaves forever. You have 3 more days before you’ll have to catch a traveling troupe

Don't see it if you prefer dramas, need a storyline, or don’t like loud street drumming or energetic dance

See it if you’d like to see an experimental one man show about a show, including King Lear, the audience, house staff, and for some reason, stand-up

Don't see it if you want to see a remotely traditional show. The stand-up included a British version of the Aristocrats, which definitely isn’t for everyone

See it if you want to see a talented actress and singer take on several wildly different personas in a very meandering show/series of vignettes

Don't see it if you want to see typical theater with straightforward structure, this felt like performance schizophrenia. Extra Fringy Fringe

Also Very interactive, if you sit in the front you will be kissed and possibly have your head devoured. You may also wrestle with a growly cat character... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a smart, funny, short show / long stand up routine about one man’s journey to improve his habits/health, performed very well

Don't see it if you want a substantial show, this is essentially an extended routine that made it to Broadway - it could have played at any comedy club

Also There are many good jokes and Mike Birbiglia’s delivery and timing are impeccable, but when it was over I was left thinking is that all? At least he could have projected his hopefully improved spirometer test to sum up his message... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see some great acting and writing in a longish but fast moving painful and realistic play about pedophiles and their victims

Don't see it if you want to see something more cheerful. This felt like watching baby seals being clubbed. Intermission was filled with somber silence.

Also Well deserved standing ovation for the actors, but I think this play would have greater relevance if it was about drug related rather than sexual predator related crimes. It would also feel less queasy to feel sympathy for that kind of criminal... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see 3 very talented modern dancers tell a fairly complicated longish love story through beautiful movements and pantomime

Don't see it if you want to see a play with dialogue or a musical with songs - this is purely a dance performance by an Austrian dance company.

Also The story has twists and turns and goes on for a while. There is no program so what’s happening on stage is open to interpretation. Music is good and composed by the brother of one of the dancers. Choreography is by the troupe.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a David Lynch like 2-hander. 2 FBI agents loop in time, becoming each other and the stakeout subjects, with snappy dialogue

Don't see it if you want a straight forward play, prefer musicals, or like big productions - the set is 2 chairs and the prop is 2 cans and a string

Also Circular plot is about a father leaving his son. Really good acting. 70 minutes no intermission... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a funny, sad, and interesting play about one year in a hormonal Christian youth group, performed by 5 very talented actors

Don't see it if you’re tired of stories about teenage angst, religious angst, or church scandals, prefer comedies or musicals or big productions

Also To clarify, there is no pedophilia in this play despite what others have stated! The character involved is 18 years old. The staging is great and the actors can all act and sing as well as dance a little. Two play the flute. The story is believable with some weird touches. See this show! 90 minutes no intermission... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see some good writing and acting mostly about race relations and a woman’s slow journey out of depression to self discovery

Don't see it if you want a believable plot, the whole running for office premise was forced and very easily thrown away. Payoff was small for a lengthy play

See it if you want to see a small and brief but still entertaining show with acrobats, contortionist, juggling, flying apparatus, jump rope, etc…

Don't see it if you want a bigger or longer than 1 hour circus with clowns or animals, given the Olympic theme, this is more of an athletic experience

See it if you’re interested in the life of a protean gay pioneer presented through screen, dialogue, dance, song, and lots of real & simulated f*cking

Don't see it if you’re under 18, not interested in gay history, prefer comedies or musicals, are prudish, or don’t want to see naked men and gay sex

Also Just to clarify, the real leaving nothing to the imagination sex is onscreen, and the simulated (probably) sex is onstage... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a well acted 1 man play about an apparently reprobate George IV that leads into a very well acted 1 woman play about a whore

Don't see it if you aren’t interested in British royal history or prefer big production or comedies or musicals. This is part 1 of 3 plays, see part 2

Also I don’t know much about British history, I think you will get more from this play if you have some familiarity or passing knowledge of the persons and events depicted. It’s still entertaining enough but part 2 is more of a stand alone story. The connection between parts 1 and 2 is tenuous and part 3 is not being performed here, so we’ll never know the ending.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to experience some genial family friendly traditional Japanese humor as performed by a genial family friendly Canadian Sinophile

Don't see it if you want to see a substantial performance - this is a man telling funny stories with some cultural asides and a fan and hand towel for props

See it if you want to see 2 very talented triple threats parody 6+ chick flicks which all happen to be written by white men, with a side of wokeness

Don't see it if you prefer serious plays or big productions, are anti-woke (asleep?), or are a cis-male and don’t feel like being bashed just a little

See it if you like westerns with cowboys, Indians, slavery, marshalls, and a soap opera twist, full of gunplay & speeches, all while a tornado looms

Don't see it if you think having so many plot lines would make a play lose focus from time to time, or prefer less serious topics, or hate hearing gunshots

See it if you have children or are extremely child-like. Characters and storyline are toddler level, the dialogue early teens, the music young adult

Don't see it if you want quality, solid entertainment. Every character was off-putting before being redeemed by the heroine. High school quality production

Also Good enough show for baby sitting, I asked one of the children in attendance if she liked it and she said she did. Some decent acting and singing, mostly from the lead (who takes forever to appear). I went because the initial reviews were high and I saw an excellent children’s play here earlier this season... Read more Read less

See it if you like short intense very well acted one woman plays about pre-Victorian era prostitution. Not a happy show from any normal perspective

Don't see it if you prefer lighter subjects or large productions, or if you need to know how a story ends (or begins) as this play is part 2 of 3

Also You can see part 1 now but part 3 did not make it over the pond. Sit in the front row of chairs if you can, you will be part of the show and views are easily blocked further back... Read more Read less

See it if you think you’d enjoy the titular mashup of Dickens and Doyle, want to know what happened to Tiny Tim, or enjoy Christmas or mysteries

Don't see it if you are a Dickens or Doyle purist, prefer serious dramas, or don’t have any holiday spirit. But see this anyway, bah humbug!

See it if you want to see a well delivered powerful one woman monologue that takes time to deliver its single punch, but lands when it finally does

Don't see it if you don’t want to see another play about white male privilege, or a me too adjacent play, or prefer comedies or musicals

Also I didn’t read up in this play before I saw it, and I think it’s better to go in blind. I think knowing who “Jack” is from the beginning would lessen the impact. The people who should really see this play likely never will... Read more Read less

See it if you want to know more about Warhol and Basquiat in the 80’s, or want to see 2 very good actors at work, or want to see Vision in a wig

Don't see it if historical art world dramas aren’t your thing, you prefer comedies or musicals, or you don’t know or care about the Marvel universe

See it if you want to see a magnificent new opera with ravishing music and ravishing singing, terrific staging, and an engrossing story. A rare event!

Don't see it if you don’t like modern opera, although this is mostly in a late romantic style, tonal with lush harmonies. Following 3 stories can be tricky

Also Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato and Kelli O'Hara are powerhouses all worth the price of admission. When DiDonato sang it was like she was hitting you in the face, in a good way. The supporting cast was excellent, especially the child singers, and a special shoutout to Denyce Graves - I was in the chorus for a Carmen she did at Tanglewood and it was nice to see her in good voice after all these years! GO TO THIS SHOW IF YOU CAN! I don’t remember seeing the Met so full, it looked sold out, for sure in the orchestra section. Looks like another Pulitzer for Puts and probably a Grammy as well.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a great classic opera monumentally staged, or haven’t seen this production which is retiring this season after 34 years

Don't see it if you have seen this in the past, don’t like tragic grand opera, or prefer plays or comedies. If you haven’t been to an opera this one is fun

Also I’ve seen this production at least 4 times, including back when it had an elephant (it now has horses) and with Pavarotti. I’ve sung the Triumphal March with the Met Opera Orchestra once or twice. I may go see it again for old time’s sake. Or I may not. The Times review was not encouraging, but the critic also panned Phantom, which I saw again recently and was fine, so I don’t know how much credence to give him... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a Christmas story about a town of anthropomorphic Christmas trees who love Christmas but don’t quite know their roles in it

Don't see it if you don’t care about the annual mass murder of Christmas trees, or you don’t like props/set that appear to have come from the dollar store

Also See this if you think a musical with decent original songs reasonably well sung, continual puns, hit or miss jokes, lots of fake blood (I guess sap would be difficult to pull off), and hyper-sexual trees sounds like your cup of egg nog... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see some great acting by Stephen Henderson or some good acting by Common in a well staged revival of a Pulitzer winning play

Don't see it if you prefer musicals or comedies, or a bigger more dramatic show. There are some universal themes but this ultimately is just Pops’ story

See it if you want to see an entertaining, complicated, absurdist distillation of the Black experience in America, superbly acted and well written

Don't see it if you prefer realistic or straightforward stories, don’t like Black or racial themed plays, or don’t want to deal with slavery issues

Also Jordan Cooper is an amazing actor and playwright! Some scenes dragged a bit, especially the reality show, but see this play! Of the several Black dramas currently running, this is the only one that made me feel like I needed a class in African-American studies to fully appreciate it.... Read more Read less

See it if no surprise, you enjoy cocktails and magic! And of course Company XIV makes it all sexy. Just a fun variety show, drinks included, go enjoy!

Don't see it if you don’t drink (periodic cocktails and food do heighten the experience), don’t like burlesque or seeing beautiful bodies, or prefer dramas

Also This show takes place in Company XIV’s new ancillary space, which is smaller and more intimate, so previous storylines have been replaced with a bar theme. Different but still recommended!... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy 2-handers with good acting and snappy dialogue, have fond memories of Metro-North, or enjoy brief amiable relationship dramas

Don't see it if you need to have ANY kind of action in your plays, have nightmares about Metro-North, don’t like 12-step type stories, or prefer musicals

Also This show felt like an interlude where 2 characters who share a past have one last scene to patch things up before returning to their respective stories. But nothing much really happens... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see some decent acting, garage doors opening and closing, and have absolutely nothing better to do for 95 minutes + travel time

Don't see it if you don’t like abstract, surreal, nihilistic, and slow plays, with characters you don’t care about, possibly warning against global warming?

Also Do I regret seeing this? I do! Trust Show-score!

See it if you want to see a 1 woman mystery well written and acted that draws you in and keeps you there until the end. On stage mysteries are rare!

Don't see it if you prefer big productions, musicals, comedies, more than 1 actor or 1 chair on stage, or a bigger payoff to a long sustained tense buildup

Also Marjan Neshat is terrific as Sandra and the various characters she meets. I wish the ending had a stronger connection to the beginning, and that Ethan’s disappearance was more than a plot contrivance.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy the music of Hoagy Carmichael (I love the Nearness of You) enthusiastically sung and danced to by young talented performers

Don't see it if you need a plot or even any dialogue, this was basically a song review dressed up with a vague minimal story & set/props that added nothing

Also The men gave off a very gay vibe that mostly didn’t match the song lyrics or settings. It worked ok for Heart and Soul but not much else. Given the nature of the show/review, the only acting opportunities were during the songs, so that was a misstep. As I said there was no dialogue and only a few musical interludes for costume changes, so songs essentially followed one after another, which became tiring. Still, excellent singing and dancing!... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in another immigration/institutional racism drama, this time about Asians, sad but informative and compelling, well acted

Don't see it if you prefer musicals/comedies, don’t care about past/current racism/immigration issues, or don’t like abrupt endings. It felt a scene short.

Also Really, the lights went down and there was no applause until the actors came out for bows. The show felt unbalanced, the white actors from the beginning could have come out at the end for a book-end closure scene, or maybe a penultimate scene, which also would have created the possibility of more lines for an excellent Shannon Tyo, who was barely there and felt underutilized. Maybe her experience on Angel Island? The opening scene felt comedic until I realized the translator was actually supposed to be translating, not just parroting, I’m not sure why he wasn’t speaking Chinese. Overall very good acting and it was nice to see people who look like me on stage, although I am fortunate my parents did not suffer the same travails and indignities portrayed here and which are still being inflicted on immigrants/refugees of color today.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a charming little period show featuring Sheldon doing community theater with a wandering Irish accent. It works quite well

Don't see it if you want to see a big production, have no interest in Jim Parsons or the Big Bang Theory, prefer dramas, or don’t like uncloseting stories

Also I’m going to miss John Doyle and his onstage musicians!

See it if you want to hear a prima donna at the height of her powers. Nadine Sierra is a vocal wonder and great actress, she makes this worth seeing

Don't see it if you want a set that makes any sense or a strong supporting cast. Other than Sierra and the orchestra this production is just serviceable

Also I really hated the set and staging. Nothing ever changed - the background set, the furniture, and the Pantheon-like hole in the ceiling all stayed fixed between Violetta’s home, the ballroom, the country villa, and back again. The ball entertainers were played by the same dancers although they are supposed to be clearly different people. Alfredo’s acting was terrible but at least he was vocally capable. I’ve seen Traviata at least 10 times, and this was the worst one. But hearing Nadine Sierra was worth it. And I’ll suffer through it again for Angel Blue in the spring.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a fresh interpretation of a classic musical. Yiddish adds a millennium of cultural authenticity to an already wonderful show

Don't see it if you prefer plays, don’t like reading super titles, or are anti-Semitic. If you enjoy musical theater see this production!

Also Acting and singing are excellent all around, especially Skybell (Boola Boola!) and the other leads. Dancing is also top notch. Staging is very good. Theater is small and intimate, no bad seats (but seeing the action and supertitles at the same time may be challenging from the sides or close up, I was middle middle). I don’t recall a show coming to life more than this Fiddler. I loved the klezmer musicians on stage (titular fiddle and some cymbals and clarinet)... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy ravishing Britten music well sung by all, especially Clayton as Grimes and Car as Ellen Orford, with dark but dynamic staging

Don't see it if you don’t care for opera, or would prefer something less bleak. This opera is gloomy with just a trace of hope before the inevitable tragedy

Also This is my second show in a row centered around the death of children. I need a comedy, but looking at my schedule there isn’t one for a while. Producers, more comedies please! Thank goodness for concerts... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see Audra McDonald in a bleak powerhouse role, essentially an extended monologue with supported interludes, very well written

Don't see it if you don’t like relentless humorless dark dramas, prefer musicals or comedies, or are tired of racist or misogynistic stories

Also Audra McDonald Is terrific but I kept wanting to hear her sing, especially since there is some music in the show. It is 75 minutes, no intermission, but does not feel short or long, it’s just right. This play appears to be autobiographical in nature, I would be surprised if some of it was untrue, and horrified if some of it was true... Read more Read less

See it if you want to get into the holiday spirit with a one-man Christmas Carol, well acted and staged

Don't see it if you want more delineated characters or more actors, or have small children who may be frightened or have difficulty following the story

Also Lots of people walked out, some with children early on and mostly adults later. To reiterate, this show is one man playing basically all the parts in the 19th century Dickens classic that can be tricky to follow and has some scary moments... Read more Read less

See it if you want a musical that captures the spirit of the classic movie while doing everything well - great acting, singing, writing, and staging

Don't see it if you prefer dramas, less derivative original music, onstage musicians who actually play their instruments, or a tighter script (it’s long)

Also Just see this show, it’s great fun! The music is mostly terrific, the jokes flow freely, the updates are entirely appropriate, and everyone leaves happy. I really wish they’d cast singer/dancer/musicians, I guess John Doyle and the Met Opera have spoiled me. The actors do their best to simulate playing their instruments but it just doesn’t look right.
One more production note: please please please find a way to incorporate Christian Borle’s gas mask from Little Shop into this show!!! I will then raise my score to 100... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a very long opera at the Met, or want to see everything Verdi ever wrote, or want to see everything the Met performs

Don't see it if you don’t like opera, or don’t like long operas in particular, or only like long operas written by Wagner or Handel

Also I saw this last season in French and don’t remember much about it. I don’t need to see it again, but maybe I will since it’s now in Italian…... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a gem of a play, wonderfully written and acted, with terrific music and singing, that interweaves several universal themes

Don't see it if you prefer tragedies, large productions, want more dialogue and less music, or don’t care for immigrant, father/son, or gay story lines

Also This is a dual monologue play, it is clear the characters are father and son at different times (since the son is picking up his fathers ashes, and the play’s blurb says so). The end is magical, but there is no intermission so pee first.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a remarkable play with remarkable actors dealing with loss and survival and life and hope, well staged. Or you like Dexter

Don't see it if you prefer more straight forward plays, or comedies or musicals. There is minimal backstory and maximum nuance with a hint of supernatural

Also There is one shocking moment. Wait for it! 1 hour 50 minutes, no intermission, flies by but pee first!... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the struggle with faith and loss of faith in those entrusted with guiding others in the religious world

Don't see it if struggling with faith is not particularly important to you, or if you want a story, not case studies presented well but without resolution

Also I am not particularly religious, though religion has given me great gifts in the form of music, so this play may appeal more to those who have stronger feelings on the subject... Read more Read less

See it if you can’t get enough young Nazis in love stories, or want to see a nice set, or enjoy the seating at the Tony Kiser theater

Don't see it if you don’t need to see the softer kinder side of Nazis, or don’t want to be reminded of how ingrained that ideology was/still is in America

See it if you are interested in a gentle portrayal of sickness, loss of faculty, and end of life, with great acting and staging (at least at the end)

Don't see it if you want a clear story with nothing left to the imagination. This play is told from the perspective of someone with progressive dementia

Also Linda Lavin and the rest of the cast are terrific. The structure is complex but very solid. The ending reminded me of Big Fish. It’s too bad I met the playwright before the play, not after, I could have asked him some questions. Lots of details are left out and my interpretation may be wrong, but I get the feeling that I’m pretty close and that many of my fellow reviewers completely missed the mark.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy male and female burlesque with some great singing and acrobatics, or just want to see a raunchy Nutcracker for the holidays

Don't see it if seeing near naked beautiful bodies of varied sexes offends you, or you want an actual story, or you don’t like sweet smoky atmospheres

Also This is a return engagement. I enjoyed Seven Sins more but this is still a strong show. The singers hit some notes you have to hear to believe.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a Gabriel Byrne fan and would like to see him act out selected vignettes from his autobiography with minimal staging and effects

Don't see it if you don’t care for Gabriel Byrne or solo autobiographical shows, or want to see something with more drama (the tone is even throughout)

Also The stories are hit or miss, especially during the slow opening, and although his life is full of triumph and tragedy, Byrne never exults or despairs. The show is enjoyable but I left thinking it could have been much better... Read more Read less

See it if you’d like to see an interwoven Asian/cultural revolution/father-daughter themed drama, well written, acted, and staged, with some twists

Don't see it if you don’t care for cultural revolution or Asian themed dramas, prefer musicals, or like a big production.