Elizabeth 6054

See it if cast whose talent & chemistry mostly succeed in making production moving & entertaining; themes of repairing relationships/building bridges

Don't see it if you want a well-honed production; it can drag; writing goes from inspired & free to deflated, but there is an uplifting energy.

Also I first saw NEC productions in the early 80's. They were strong, inspiring, groundbreaking. It heartens me to see that they have survived through grit and talent. It pains me to know that they are, apparently, cash-starved. Until not so long ago, they seem to have had major-league arts funding. I wondered if this play had been bulked up to 90-minutes to make it more "marketable".... Read more Read less

See it if Billie P fascinating; she carries it with good cast chemistry; interesting staging

Don't see it if to me, doesn't work as a "radically reimagined" parable of modern life; to the contrary, updated setting made me ask: where have they been?

See it if great actresses' choreography of the emotions & developing awareness of a woman at 3 life stages:the good, the bad, the humor, the absurdity

Don't see it if As others have said, being past 'young' may add to enjoyment

See it if seeking, as some have observed: "ordinary beauty"; for lovely simple moments of intimacy, music, stage-craft that most could relate to.

Don't see it if you want to be entertained or surprised; felt like a sweet-dreams bedtime story meant to soothe anguished adults.

See it if Journey: good performances, appealing actresses, interesting evocation of displacement, being the "stranger"

Don't see it if Love and Soccer: no drama, no chemistry, just 2 guys monologuing

Also Difficult to score. Journey was much better than L&S.

See it if CS"Sugar", fan, enjoy collective self-help experience, reframes of human pain. Audience seemed ready for healing session (sniffles&applause)

Don't see it if To me "Dear Sugar" monologues were tedious; actors trapped in mechanics (stand, sit, lock-eyes, roam stage). Unsatisfying as theater.

See it if to experience NS playing w expert comic timing empathy & intelligence a pregnant woman, a heifer, a boyfriend & his mother. On a farm.

Don't see it if while I reveled in NS’s serving up a dark- funny dish of human jealousy, loneliness, longing, theater-friend found the fantasies upsetting.

See it if 2(adults) + 2(teens): adults (didn't grab us but P Soo nice voice); teens: LOVED it: Thank you for taking us! Philippa Soo!!

Don't see it if didn't find it to be "light-hearted" (rather, compensatory tralala). Our teens connected to theme of emotional struggle to keep the faith.

See it if AB fan,artist,writer; to discover a unique voice that's unsentimental but with empathy for all, from the quirky to the clueless narcissist

Don't see it if want action, exposition: to enjoy, best to let your social antennae hum: pauses, body-language, speech rhythms will ping the back-story

See it if to support the theater or to signal interest in Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

Don't see it if seeking insights; it's a recitation of facts, no character development or dramatic detail to deepen connection the man or his significance.

See it if promising set-up: heartless tyrannical character rules home, employees, neighborhood thru fear & division after mysterious social upheaval

Don't see it if you'd rather snooze elsewhere; there are a few minor-character chuckles, but no chemistry between actors, plodding dialogue, aimless....

See it if Gabriels channel collective anxieties in a way that creates space for thoughts & feelings of empathy to bubble up; no political hectoring.

Don't see it if don't want to experience the sorrows of the moment &of the people; but play magically weaves threads of re-connection to carry you home.

See it if for beautiful production of a classic that feels terribly and perfectly relevant today

Don't see it if to avoid feeling the pain of racial/relationship schisms (but the wonders of friendship & trying to be our better selves are very present).

See it if experience MLP & DAs deep dive into characters, to resurface buoyant, reassured that we know how to engage w/others even if not neat&pretty

Don't see it if you need to make complete sense of emotional alchemy; it's so right but inexplicable, at first....

See it if for fine cast, especially Harriet Harris & fascinating Hallie Foote whose character may keep you company well after the performance ends

Don't see it if you want action &resolutions; you may find yourself unexpectedly haunted by heartbreak, dislocation, disorientation lurking beneath chatter

See it if to spend more time with Gabriels & to appreciate R Nelson’s genius in making us believe that we've been dropped into real family gathering

Don't see it if you'd hate to feel that a decent thoughtful family has lost their mojo. Much dialogue seems tangential. Enticing themes introduced&dropped.

See it if to see excellent cast portray non-1% family becoming untethered as financial & other tribulations abound Limits of family rituals are tested

Don't see it if if you want resolution or to leave your blues behind. There is banter and laughter but play is drenched in angst from beginning to end

See it if for moving evocation of 2 heroines of gospel at a pivotal moment: music history, intimately detailed professional chemistry, swinging gospel

Don't see it if no interest in Sister Rosetta, or 1940's cauldron of gospel, swing, rock

See it if Drags, doesn't capture tragic & comic aspects of play, performances uneven, semi-modern details add little to original

Don't see it if /unless you've read or seen a good production that you can reminisce about during the 3-hour performance

See it if Affectionate & mordant. Mormon proselytizing provides a hilarious vehicle for considering human need to ‘believe’, to do good, stereotyping

Don't see it if Raunchiness will bother you. It’s not gratuitous, but it is a feature.

See it if /for 4 actors' beautiful use of their brains imaginations & craft to create characters embodying observations about brains & identity.

Don't see it if you want to leave with new ideas or insight; structure of play allows flashes of empathy/recognition but not much emotional connection.

See it if enjoy richly-drawn characters who evolve & engage, banter & challenge each other in ways profound & entertaining. Great choreography/set.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy slice-of-life drama; it's serious business but leavened by humor and warmth

See it if smart, funny, ensemble work: a thought-bridge for thinking about the perniciousness (plusses?) of gossip-machines from the 18th c to today

Don't see it if um... you can't sit through 2h 20 minutes of silly-smart theater

See it if like the actors; 2 characters locked in a room try to integrate roiling emotions, dissociating thoughts, fractured identities.

Don't see it if you hate feeling queasy. JD revved-up but nuanced, felt "true"(a lifeline under the circumstances). MW so trembly, it was worrisome.

See it if for mini-history of playwright who interviewed an intriguing Nazi-era transvestite/ theme of human need to construct narrative of goodness

Don't see it if left saying: “Brandon W is probably a good actor”. Characters mostly change-of-accent caricatures. BW's sniffling&brow-wiping so distracting

See it if Great acting, writing. Hope this show will live on with future iterations.

Don't see it if you hate small stages? (Unless a show is terrible, I can never think of something to say under this category).

See it if W/out asking for anything as performer, Steven Prescod gives/ made me care. Big raw talent on display. Great sound design! projections ++

Don't see it if Nothing is fully-formed. Writing feels bulked-up to fill the time. Everything is full of promise.

See it if moving, urgent exploration of our paranoia-fueled minds struggling with our better angels.

Don't see it if you just need peace, without reminders of gun-violence

See it if to laugh, cringe, let-go of the solitude of guilt and sadness, loss of certainties; reflected through prisms of new media, old habits.

Don't see it if some find staging, structure cryptic: to me, both support theme of construction/ de-construction of our minds today. Where (and who)are we?

See it if to discover & support Iris Bahr (writing, acting). Engaging talent, but it felt like an audition piece.

Don't see it if Her story of love & loss is intimate but her voice is not specific/strong enough to break through in the context of today's atrocities.

See it if to explore synesthesia, Van Gogh's, via letters/gorgeous projections/music; love between brothers; society v emotionally 'different' artist

Don't see it if prefer linear drama, not interested in VG or theme of artists in society

See it if 2 great actresses, wonderful ensemble, tightly-constructed classic, depicting family seduced by greed while others resist or stand by.

Don't see it if like only modern, but maybe worth trying: there were audience gasps of recognition as we saw our connection to early robber baron families.

See it if 6 well-drawn characters grapple with race, identity & money. Surprising & bracingly honest. Held our attention throughout.

Don't see it if you're in the mood for warm & fuzzy. It's intense but refreshing.

See it if you can enjoy engaging w/ elusive monologue, Eno & Emerson will guide you through a sweet, quirky meditation on gratitude, life and its end

Don't see it if you prefer a play with plot and impermeable fourth wall

See it if you feel like settling into a lucid dream, all alone with Everybody else pondering life's mysteries. Funny, moving, a gift for our times.

Don't see it if It may be taxing for people with attention or hearing problems. There is an unusual soundscape. To say more might spoil secrets.

See it if for B Platt’s really smart, sensitive, physical, emotional, vocal performance. Lovely performances from cohorts/ young actors.

Don't see it if seeking a great musical experience. Most lyrics not memorable; over-amped, loud (FEEL THIS!) vocals; weird disjunctions.. teen-speak?

See it if interested in veterans and loved-ones grappling with the psychological toll of participating in wars

Don't see it if you don't want to feel the grief. Play is long, somewhat didactic, seems to be written as a vehicle for therapeutic discussion.

See it if you've any therapy experience (provider, consumer), I think you'll enjoy the depth, delicacy & humor of the 3 actresses. They're great!

Don't see it if you don't mind reading between the (human-behavior) lines , which doesn't take much effort, you won't be confused or bored.

See it if to enjoy being fooled/dazzled by tricks & illusions. Guimaraes threads the needle: subtly deconstructs the illusion while performing it.

Don't see it if Patter may be distracting 'til it dawns that HG is gifting (or is he?) info about The Art of the Con. Sit in back if don't want to interact

See it if Charming distillation of a classic. Audience chatter: I came to hear 'Little Tin Box'; have they done 'Politics & Poker'? Cheers for BTG.

Don't see it if If you're not interested in this aspect of our NYC, political, musical history.

See it if you'd like to spend an intimate 45 min enjoying a Little-Prince inspired tale acrobatically enacted by tender & talented performers

Don't see it if Some children in audience queried aloud why this?or that? Some say the Little Prince is for adults. Seems like a nice conversation-starter

See it if to laugh and expunge your guilt for worshiping Lin & Ham cast & crew. It’s a Roast of us & them & all things B’way. Excellent cast & lyrics

Don't see it if you haven’t seen Ham & a couple of the big crowd-pleasers; if so, you should enjoy 80 minutes of laughs and fun.

See it if Kudos to cast & crew for re-creating the beating heart of an important play from the 70's.

Don't see it if you're in the mood for something light and distracting; it's not harsh, but it is about painful issues.

See it if 'silent' retreat? No problem. Characters have bodies and faces and they need to communicate. Hilarious, touching & there's a chatty guru.

Don't see it if frequently obscured sight-lines problematic for a play that depends on physical nuance. Neck craning, then worrying about blocking others

See it if you can imagine how much fun it would be if your friends/neighbors/family decided to put on a play by Shakespeare. You might want to do it.

Don't see it if not OK with shoestring budget, playful, cast having a great time. (Sense of community is big part of the pleasure.)

See it if for actors; study of human beings using humor (raunchy, irreverent, aggressive, cathartic, provocative) to cope w/ love, loss & to connect

Don't see it if would be put-off by some slow stretches. A new play & would benefit from some edits. Raunch- factor is not gratuitous, but coping mechanism

See it if you enjoy workplace slice-of-life, fine ensemble, dark humor as characters cope with unemployment fears and try to prevent factory closing.

Don't see it if grinding daily routines play out in real time & Act 1 is slow. Act 2 is better. Arrival of a creepy newcomer brings delight and confusion

See it if A gem! Intimate, beautifully-structured play about self-discovery, coming out, becoming an artist. Funny & wrenching. Great music & lyrics.

Don't see it if you don't like to feel your heart in your throat.

See it if Go! It creaks, moans, is heavy & brilliant. Phylicia R is magnificent. Cast is great, shout-out to Alana A. Set is alive! Directionsogood.

Don't see it if 'uneven' is a dirty word: if you can absorb whisky, God, starlight mints, Shakespeare, cake, friends, doubt without exploding, you're good