Ellen O 7024

See it if u like writers who try too hard to be hip, avant garde funny. want 2 c a wonderful cast burdened by repetitious material

Don't see it if you love Checkov

See it if U WANT 2 C A PLAY 2 DIFFICULT 2 ASSESS WITHOUT SOUNDING RACIST/ A QUOTE FROM PLAY "IS BLACK AS F---K" THAT IS WHAT IT WAS/TALENTED WRITER

Don't see it if U R WITHOUT AN OPEN MIND, R 2 OLD,WHITE @ TIRED/ WANT TO C A STRING OF SCENES BRILLIANTLY PERFORMED WITH A MESSAGE BUT WITHOUT PLOT

See it if U WANT 2 C GLENDA JACKSON, PHILIP GLASS’S MUSIC, RUTH WILSON, ACTORS WHO SIGN AS WELL AS ACT AND THE GLORIOUS WORDS OF SHAKESPEARE

Don't see it if IF YOU EXPECT DIRECTOR SAM GOLD HAS TURNED HIS COPIOUS IDEAS INTO MORE THAN A MESS EVEN THOUGH AT TIMES THAT MESS IS BEAUTIFUL

Also THIS LEAR ...WHICH GOES IN TOO MANY DIRECTIONS AND CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW AT TIMES IS DEFINITELY WORTH SEEING.... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2c a fantastic performance by austin pendleton/ therapy from stage/some big laughs/like being part of the show/

Don't see it if if you are a Checkov purist/do not like experimental theater or long shows

Also this play is bitter sweet ... funny but also very sad may bring to places you do not want to visit... Read more Read less

See it if u like Strindberg, good direction, want to c a precursor to Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe/an interesting adaptation by Conor McPherson

Don't see it if if are in an impossible marriage u will never leave/ do not feel like being depressed

Also i felt lead actress was miscast.

See it if u can deal with the horror of apartheid that sadly lives on... like magnificent acting, writing and direction

Don't see it if u want 2 miss a tour de force performance by zainab jah

See it if u want 2 c what a perfect marriage is all about... absolutely beautiful writing performed exquisitely

Don't see it if u do not want to experience what true love is all about… and cannot not bear to tear.

See it if U LIKE FARCE GREAT FUN & UNBELIEVABLY WELLTIMED SUPER SLAPSTICK

Don't see it if U DO NOT LIKE FARCE & EXCELLENTLY TIMED FEVERISH SLAPSTICK

Also ALL ACTORS TALENTED BUT ELLEN HARVEY MICHAEL CRANE AND JASON O'CONNELL REALLY SPECIAL... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 understand “everywoman” of all ages brilliantly captured. Whole cast wonderful and Adina Verison a MUST NOT MISS.

Don't see it if the above is unacceptable to you

Also I am 80 years old and had a preconceived notion this play would be too feminist and sexual for me... so much for that.. it was wonderful... there was not a thought or word in it that i have not experienced.. thank you thank you jen silverman... Read more Read less

See it if u have an interest in mystics! u should, they have a message for " now"...want 2 c a fantastic acting ensemble, especially jason o'connell

Don't see it if u want 2 c tried & true.. director austin & his cast r truly unique

See it if If u want 2 c a rarely done William’s play acted to perfection. Lead actress fantastic

Don't see it if Do not c if you do not appreciate excellence

Also I have questions in regard to spare set and lack of props .. YES… it made me pay more attention to superb words and acting but mime of what was happening could be improved… despite this thought do not miss what is a wonderful performance... Read more Read less

See it if u want long repetitive, depressing and painful

Don't see it if u read above reasons + poor staging and not knowing how to transfer a story that is truth to a staged drama

Also Lois Smith wonderful so is Johanna Day

See it if U A WANT 2 C A PLAY THAT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DIED LONG AGO BROUGHT TO A GLORIOUS LIFE AND TRIUMPH UNDER A GENIUS WORDSMITH

Don't see it if IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE YOUR MIND ON PURE JOY

See it if u want 2 c a play about the hopeless situation of living in or trying 2 leave the ghetto & how even if you succeed, it never leaves u

Don't see it if u expect an answer 2 the dilemma/if you r not satisfied with some unrealistic happenings

See it if u can’t get enough of Lear, want to see the The Royal Shakespeare Company giving a solid performance.

Don't see it if you expect “glorious”… want to see staging that tends to upstage the actors

See it if u like experimental theater, appreciate a talented ensemble which includes tech crew, want 2view show comfortably where u would never expect

Don't see it if if you do not like experimental theater, are not willing to open your mind to tales u may not be familiar with told in a very different way

Also Target Margin Theater is worth supporting no matter what they present or what the critics say... what they attempt is always a surprising learning experience and worthwhile.... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 c fantastic ensemble acting/ a meticulous evaluation of mental health in USA/Rabe magically show what patients & therapists endure

Don't see it if u don’t want 2 b depressed about the pain everyone feels/ can't understand music as pain relief/can not envision dealing with mental anguish

Also excellent direction/ Ed Harris is perfect as a therapist tormented by his own demons & frustrated by the system but who still wants to and continues to work and help the patients he loves/ putting members of the audience on stage a genius move/ if you get a chance to be on stage do so/ you feel the pain and joy of each character and perhaps quietly share your own with the audience... Read more Read less

See it if CRASS SATIRE IS YOUR THING/ U LIKE ROCKOPERA BY A TALENTED CAST / WANT 2 DROWN IN THE SINK HOLE THAT JERRY SPRINGER REPRESENTS..

Don't see it if U BELIEVE IN INTEGRITY/DON"T LIKE SATIRE GLORIFYING WHAT SOCIETY HAS FALLEN 2 /OR PAYING 2 B CALLED SCUM WHILE ASSES & PROFANITY ASSAULT U

See it if u want 2 c McNally’s take on Diaghilev & Nijinskay/Hodge Great,Glover's nuanced acting spectacular /watch him on a train &@the dance bar.

Don't see it if you want 2 c a better than a good play or you to expect to see dance in a play about dancers...

See it if u want 2 c a solo/writer/performer par excellence brilliantly relate the story of racism without judgment, u love poetry

Don't see it if u don't want to hear more than one side of a sad reality, r afraid to think outside the box or don't want 2 c what u never thought of before

Also this is a story of hope and hopelessness until the flood

See it if ONLY if you want to see josh pais perform a very short but a tour de force performance

Don't see it if you don’t like long winded, repetitive, dysfunctional family dramas on a set that does NOT allow audience to see or hear actors

See it if You are a fan of intense theater like long monologues and good acting

Don't see it if you are not in the mood to be deeply depressed

See it if If you want a clear non judgmental understanding of LGBTQIA community... OUTSTANDING 4 straight viewers who don't have a clue.

Don't see it if if you DONT want to be enlightened in the smartest most literate way by an outstanding writer, director and cast

See it if u can go last minute, it's everything u heard and more, even without original cast

Don't see it if only if you don't have the time, otherwise a must not miss.

See it if you want to see a sam shepherd classic poorly directed, poorly cast and poorly staged

Don't see it if you don't want to be disappointed

See it if U WANT 2 C A DEPRESSING PLAY ABOUT ADDICTED TECHIES UNABLE TO COPE WITH LIFE WHO MEET 2 HELP EACH OTHER (WITHOUT SUCCESS) ALL IN SONG

Don't see it if U R NOT FAMILIAR WITH TECHIE TERMS NOR WANT TO LISTEN TO MUSIC WHERE ALL SONGS SOUND THE SAME ALBEIT SUNG BY WONDERFUL VOICES

See it if u would like 2c a 1937 play with history worthy of its own play /a Brechtian type agitprop musical in a bare bones set

Don't see it if if you do not like political plays with many scenes, lots of message, but little plot/good ensemble acting, movement & great voices

See it if U want A straightforward version of play with an ensemble of actors who perform with a visceral energy that is RARE. They r a MUST SEE.

Don't see it if u do not like Shakespeare...BUT before u decide read "more to say below"

Also Even if you don’t like Shakespeare... choreography, fight sequences, costumes, masks, cross gender casting and acting..EVERY THING is DONE WITH ATHLETIC PROWESS which is startling, extraordinary and so alive...Remember this cast and say you saw them when...They are our future's stars... Catch my favorites Mark Bedard, Liam Craig and Merritt Janson... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 c a psychedelic, metaphysical interpretation of Alice, an extremely talented cast, great choreography, songs dance & staging.

Don't see it if u don't want to c another version of Alice and musicals

Also *jabberwocky song" and *"what would I do without you" are worth seeing even if you do not like show. though whole show was beautifully performed many lyrics hard to discern.
* not sure what real names of these songs are but you will recognize when u see them.... Read more Read less

See it if u want see all that Lynn Nottage writes. Excellent sets & inventive scene changes. A play filled caricatures not real people.

Don't see it if u do not want to see an attempted satire on racial prejudice in film (and life) that doesn’t work.

Also i think this play has a wonderful writer who has a good idea about an important subject.. but this play needs more work. Movie scenes were poor and so was interrupted interview. First act had a story...Second act wandered in too many directions and tried to cover too much causing confusion and loss of message as well as story.... Read more Read less

See it if u like plays with a message, great acting, great directing

Don't see it if u don’t want to see a promising new playwright's heartfelt thoughts, feelings and hopes about women brought to light

See it if u like stream of consciousness poetry telling 2 families' stories touching on theater, food, deaths & life profoundly in 45minutes/genius

Don't see it if u don't appreciate david greenspan, a story that does not follow a linear path or experimental theater

Also Despite the reasons not to see... still very worth while seeing

See it if u feel everything Tucker does is worth seeing.Like experimental theater & r willing to put up with a creative mess with moments of genius

Don't see it if u r not famiiar with Vanya or Romeo & Juliet. Do not like experimental theater. Long for these plays beautiful words untouched.

Also I truly believe EVERYTHING done by eric is worth seeing. This first preview as explained prior to show was rough and for me did not succeed in achieving goal of placing plays side by to show their common themes. It also could not decide whether it wanted to be a spoof or serious. Concept holds great promise but needs further work i look forward to seeing it again later in the run... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 c what amounts to a full blown broadway production set on the smallest of stages. It's absolutely magical

Don't see it if u don’t appreciate Hammerstein's genius, John Doyle's outstanding direction, ideal performances & a thoroughly enjoyable night

See it if u want to c a beautiful but inappropriate set, hard to hear, not good production

Don't see it if Do not c if u have never seen the play. It would be a poor introduction to this classic

Also Irons a wonderful screen actor just is NOT the Tyrone that ONeill wrote, Mary, one note, rest of cast barely adequate, sitting in second row very hard to hear and understand what anyone was saying. So sad... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 feel as u r a "fly on the walls" of 121st street, watching people face heartbreak with understanding and humor

Don't see it if Do not want 2 c how people survive, lost in a world they will never escape, even if they do leave. Want the traditional format of a play

Also Very interesting use of The Lord’s Prayer…I wonder how many of us said it to our selves during the show.. and if the author’s intent was to include the audience as part of the play and in community through this prayer. i think one could spend a lot of time analyzing the symbolism in this play... Read more Read less

See it if U WANT 2 C CHURCHILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH ACTORS/IF U LIKE POLITICAL PLAYS THAT DEMAND U RESEARCH & LEARN HOW A NATION IS FORMED

Don't see it if U ARE EXPECTING MS. CHURCHILL’S USUAL UNEXPECTED WORK/THIS IS LONG DIFFERENT& DIFFICULT/IF U BELIEVE EVERYTHING SHE WRITES IS WORTH SEEING

Also I FOUND THE NEON SIGN DISPLAYING ALL WORDS SPOKEN PULL ME AWAY FROM PAYING ATTENTION TO ACTORS. ALSO FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO DISCERN ALL THE CHARACTERS PLAYED BY SAME ACTORS WITHOUT HAVING THEM NOTED IN PLAYBILL.... Read more Read less

See it if u are interested in seeing Ms. Morisseau’s writing. I had the treat of her act a lead role.

Don't see it if u expect a play anything close to August Wilson's work or if u sit 1st row; action was mostly stage right & left viewing was difficult.

See it if IF U WANT TO SEE EXCELLENT STAGING & ACTING OF THIS CLASSIC/A MUST SEE PRODUCTION & 2 C A WOMAN DIRECTOR'S "RIGHT ON" POINT OF VIEW

Don't see it if YOU JUST HATE SHAKESPEARE... I CAN THINK OF NO OTHER REASON NOT TO SEE.

See it if u r an O'Neill fan, want 2 c Denzel do a good /different Hickey, u want 2 c some fantastic individual performances especially Bill Irwin's

Don't see it if u want 2 see what should be an ensemble cast act as if they were solo performers giving tour de force performances

Also Very difficult to understand some of the performers who were speaking with accents... Read more Read less

See it if u want 2 c eric tucker breathe new exciting life into Shaw’s classic..full of surprises ... wonderful in every way…

Don't see it if I cant imagine any reason not to see this…

See it if U WANT 2 C OUTSTANDING INTELLIGENT, WRITING ON WHAT IS MOST RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT TODAY BROUGHT TO LIFE BY A FANTASTIC ACTING ENSEMBLE

Don't see it if U MUST MISS LIFE CHANGING THEATER WHICH I HOPE GOES TO BROADWAY OR ATLEAST TO ANOTHER VENUE.. THIS PLAY SHOULD HAVE A FUTURE

See it if u want Albee …. At the beginning and end of his writing career … brilliant and maintaining a unique world view through the years…

Don't see it if would prefer 2 c the 2 plays as separate entities/ personally I think they are stronger individually & take away from each other when paired

See it if U WANT 2 C 1940 BLACK LIFE IN USA/LIKE PLAYS PACKED WITH LITERARY REFERENCE, SYMBOLISM &SOME SONG/BRILLIANT DIRECTION/R THEATER COGNOSCENTI

Don't see it if DONT LIKE: EXPOSITION WITH SOME SONG / DON’T WANT TO C A BRILLIANT OLDER WOMAN’S MIND STILL EXPERIMENTING / DONT LIKE AVANT GARDE THEATER

See it if U want your melancholy transformed into smiles, joy, through Shakespeare’s words, music, dance and the genius of Fiasco Theaters invention

Don't see it if if you hate Shakespeare through new eyes & an absolutely wonderful ensemble cast performing their hearts out...pure joy

See it if you want to see mean school girls from ghana played by good ensemble cast get their comeuppance

Don't see it if you are bored by just ok plays about mean girls in any culture but want a few laughs

See it if u like characters indicting themselves in monologues in a play depicting the horrible conditions in black life; fantastic SayconSengvloh

Don't see it if you can't bear seeing another moment of life without hope or redemption

See it if u follow lori parks. want the treat of seeing christine lahti and a talented cast.

Don't see it if u don't like different, long and slow

See it if U THINK ANYTHING TFANA DOES IS WORTH SEEING. I DO. IF YOU WANT 2 C THIS PROBLEM PLAY DIRECTED SO IT PRODUCES MORE PROBLEMS

Don't see it if U DO NOT LIKE EXTRANEOUS AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION, MIRANDA AS A LOUNGE SINGER, & NOT THE USUAL ENDING.

Also GO! DEFINITELY AVOID THE 1/2 HOUR EARLY CALL 2 CLIMB STAIRS & RAMBLE THRU NARROW HALLS 2 C SEE A MYRIAD OF DILDOS. BE AWARE, A SHOW GOES ON DURING THE INTERMISSION, IN MY OPINION IT HAD LITTLE TO DO WITH THE PLAY, BUT MY DECISION IS BASED ON TAKING A BATHROOM BREAK, I DID NOT C IT IN ITS ENTIRETY.... Read more Read less