gloria 6311

See it if you think that everything Tony Kushner writes is gold --but this is glitter, at best

Don't see it if you actually want a play to mean something. The thinnest plot, some good singing, excruciatingly boring.

See it if you want to see an intelligent rewrite of a classic, with a superb Jeff Daniels

Don't see it if you don't like literary adaptations.

See it if you like plays about racial issues that have not (sadly) been resolved yet and if you are a fan of In the Heat of the Night-type scenarios

Don't see it if you are a bigot or a racist

Also great ensemble. David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood are perfect in these roles... Read more Read less

See it if you like to think when you go to the theatre. Supertitles make it easy if you're not fluent in Spanish

Don't see it if you have trouble understanding that animal characters may talk... seriously, I have met people who object to it!

Also the four dog characters are excellently done. The human is a bit stiff, but it's her part, as the dispenser of the twisted ethics of these times.
The play doesn't feel dated, even though it was more urgently relevant after the bombings in Madrid.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy amateur productions of famous plays

Don't see it if you are upset by pseudo-British agents, uneven acting (to be kind), and gestures that make no sense (like the inability of ironing)

Also seriously, I missed the first 15 minutes of the play, distracted by the utter inability of the actress to iron clothes (and the iron itself was either put to rest on its side or away from the dominant hand, on the left) that she then kept throwing in a basket (thus making the idea of ironing useless). While commendable that no one smokes, no one was able to even pretend they were. Forks were held like spades... it was all very distracting.
A lot of lines were squealed, as if intensity is measured only by raised voices, and one actress in particular kept opening her eyes wide, as if in a silent movie.
I could not believe any one of the actors... not their rage, their impotence, their feeling of purposelessness... it felt like a high school production.... Read more Read less

See it if you like quirky, well-written, smart, possibly end-of-the-world, absurdist plays

Don't see it if you don't like all of the above. But, really... this is so smart!

See it if you like overacting, screaming, and badly mispronounced words in Italian uttered with the most stereotypical fake "dago" accent.

Don't see it if you respect Tennessee Williams and do not think that this play should be a clownish farce, but rather a raw, sensual display of emotions

See it if you like Pinter, you don't mind non-linear storytelling, you want to see three excellent actors take you for a journey throug their lives

Don't see it if you can't follow a story told in reverse order

Also the final image is simply beautiful. Best wedding-cake topper ever

See it if you like original plays with provocative takes on race and interpersonal relations

Don't see it if you're easily scandalized by nudity or if you can't conceive of interracial relationships

See it if you like really well-written, acted, thought-out plays with real character development

Don't see it if you only like fluff

See it if you need a compact history lesson and you love testosterone-filled (good) ensembles

Don't see it if you actually like plays.

Also this is the fourth show I see at Vivian Beaumont Theatre that has the exact same apparently-fast-but-actually-prolongued pace, almost all-men ensemble (women are accessories), pseudo-history-lesson format. I always leave thinking that these are three hours I will never get back.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see great acting

Don't see it if you're easily confused by non-linear storytelling

Also There is something remarkably sweet and touching about the way mortality and human interactions are portrayed in this play. Will it change my life? Will I think differently about these issue? Unlikely, but it is a pièce worth seeing... Read more Read less

See it if you are such a fan of Mary-Louise Parker (who is usually fabulous on stage) that you are willing to watch her in a boring, untheatrical play

Don't see it if you think that there should be an added value being in a theatre watching actors interpret a part, rather than receiving descriptions

Also The writing is just bad, so bad that no actor, no matter how good, could save it. While staging a creative writing teacher and sharing the tips that may create good characters/plot developments, Mr Rapp proves that no amount of classes can make up for lack of awareness of what makes theatre worthwhile or of what a good story with compelling characters is. Oh, the irony...... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see monologues written for and about women, done in an inventive ensemble way with really good actresses

Don't see it if you know the original performances by Rame and cannot get over exaggerated, over-the-top acting (Franca Rame wouldn't have)

Also the spirit of these monologues is respected. Sadly, they are still contemporary after 50 years. Yelling and screaming is unnecessary: in fact, at times the production loses value because of the excessive interpretation. Humour and irony are better understood without yelling. Rame did not co-write these skits as an Italian sit-com/Lucille Ball type of actress... she did it to draw attention to serious problems of women in a male world (exploitation, expectations of being perfect lovers/mothers/housekeepers/workers AND be left/beaten/kept prisoner anyway, rape, etc.). The final rape monologue is well done, with the caveat that the music at the beginning is distracting, unnecessary, and seriously dissonant... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see amazing actresses in men's roles. Glenda Jackson and Jayne Houdyshell are impressive. Goneril and Kent perf are fabulous too

Don't see it if you dislike uneven productions with odd or dissonant casting choices (so much unnecessary screaming...)

See it if you appreciate intelligent rewrites of classics and powerful acting. Amazing job, truly

Don't see it if you think that classics should not be touched

See it if you don't mind overly long plays where O'Neill meets Of Mice and Men, The Wild Duck, and McDonagh (but with no irony)

Don't see it if you would like a more profound political play

Also the first act could easily be half an hour shorter with no detriment to the rest of the play; references to the Tollund Man and sectarian violence (via Heaney's "Kinship") are lost on American audiences; plot twists are seen coming from mile away... it's still an enjoyable night at the theatre, but it doesn't add much to any discourse... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see truly great acting

Don't see it if you want meaning and not just entertainment

See it if you love Tim and Tyne Daly: they are fabulous! Truly great actors. John Procaccino does a goood job too in an un-nuanced part

Don't see it if you are bored by plays that would like to be Pinter-esque (or Shepard-esque) but miss the mark by a mile

See it if you like Lillian Hellman's writing.

Don't see it if you are bored by socially relevant plays

Also It is clearly a prelude to Little Foxes. Ambitious and courageous for 1936. The acting is uneven (some actors are good, some can't project beyond the 2nd row of a very small theatre)... Read more Read less

See it if you don't know both original plays and believe that a fuzzy rewrite will improve something that doesn't need improvement

Don't see it if you like plays that make sense

Also there is nothing wrong with experimenting, but this re-write makes little sense. The actors are truly great, though... Read more Read less

See it if you like new, intelligently written comedies that also comment on the socio-political reality of being women in the Western World

Don't see it if you are easily upset by words.

Also i.e., don't see it if you are a man who has no problem with expletives about male genitalia and the way to use them, but are offended by the word 'pussy'
(yup, it is uttered and there were shocked older men in the audience...)... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy seriously great acting that appears totally natural, gets you interested in the dialogue, and makes time fly. Amazing.

Don't see it if you can't concentrate on anything that is longer than a twitter text...

Also the architectural "glasshouse" set is fabulous and so appropriate for the fragile balance of this family... Read more Read less

See it if you like the play and you want to see an intelligent, albeit classical, staging of it

Don't see it if you can't sit 3 and a half hours in a theatre and have trouble understanding English accents/Shakespeare's language

See it if you like O'Neill and want to see yet another production of this play. It's still great writing. Really good acting --overacting at times

Don't see it if you understand theatre and believe that it is incongruous to have a black protagonist that everyone looks up to in 1912 blue-collar America

Also "Blind casting" particularly doesn't work in this play, even though Denzel Washington is an excellent actor.
I have seen this in previews, so I truly hope that the company will have the time to adjust the acting and work better as an ensemble. As I saw it, the acting was uneven, full of unjustified screaming bouts, mumbled scenes, shrill over-the-top moments, and apparent non-sequiturs.
The ending is unclear and tired, while it should (literally) be a bang... Read more Read less

See it if you are curious about how to stage a tragicomedy today and forget the tragic bits. With the exception of King Leontes, the acting is good

Don't see it if you get annoyed by excessive attempts at extracting a laugh when the play would be funny by itself. The bear is over the top.

Also The actor playing Leontes should consider changing career. Not believable in any emotion he should display and unable to recite lines following natural speech patterns. Excruciatingly bad.... Read more Read less

See it if you like adaptations of classic plays that bear little resemblance to the original. Great acting. The mother especially

Don't see it if you are a purist

See it if you like one-man plays, well acted and entertaining. Billy Crudup is quite fabulous

Don't see it if if you are easily distracted by all the echoes of films (there is quite a bit of The Talented Mr Ripley and of Pasolini's Teorema in this)

See it if you are a fan of the play and you want to see how it holds up almost 30 years later

Don't see it if you think that 7:30 hours in the theatre will kill you. Perestroika is too long and over-indulgent

See it if you like musicals with catchy songs and good choreography

Don't see it if you want a musical with elaborate choreography and costumes. More razzle dazzle...

See it if you like to think when you go to the theatre

Don't see it if you think that political activism is useless

See it if you are ok with an insipid storyline that could have been really interesting or if you love Tony Shaloub

Don't see it if you believed that this could be an intelligent musical. There is little (although lovely) music played by fab musicians

Also As fantastic an actor as Tony Shaloub is, he ends up being a caricature of himself in this role that just doesn't have enough depth. All characters are just sketched and the story ends up being banal... Read more Read less

See it if you like seeing Shakespeare plays with overall good actors

Don't see it if you expect to see something different from a safe production

See it if you like quirky re-interpretations of Waiting for Godot. The actors are excellent. Good staging!

Don't see it if you're tired of Beckett-esque things...

See it if you like Russian literature and solo shows with good (over)acting

Don't see it if you know how a solo act can become outstanding with good directing. This falls short

See it if you like McDonagh's writing, perfectly written plays, good acting, twists and turns, and fabulous staging

Don't see it if you hate intelligent plays

See it if you are easily bamboozled by movie stars in Broadway shows

Don't see it if you actually like good acting and tight writing. It feels like a missed chance...

See it if you want to see great staging and un-mic-d actors actually project their voices (=real actors) and if you enjoy baroque music

Don't see it if you want plays to mean something

Also fabulous staging and acting, but the purpose of the piece is not clear.
Annoying detail: one of Dante's most famous lines (Paolo and Francesca's episode, "amor ch'a nullo amato amar perdona") is misquoted over and over ("che amor perdona"): why? If checking on the actual book is too much to ask, everyone has access to google... they quote the exact OPPOSITE of what Dante says... Read more Read less

See it if you have time to waste

Don't see it if you actually like plays to say something.

Also The author desperately wants to be Ed Bond or Sarah Kane but, sadly, has nothing to say.
The staging is nice, the actors are good, the director does his best. Not enough to salvage this... Read more Read less

See it if you like to see an actor give a tour-de-force performance in an original edition of a well-known play

Don't see it if you have trouble concentrating on words

See it if You are interested in seeing a beautifully acted 2500-yr-old play still speak to us today. This production is a treasure

Don't see it if You don't like to think

See it if you have always liked the play. DH Wang's writing is still relevant today. Poetic.

Don't see it if you don't like plays where you need to listen to an actor telling you the story or hate oversimplifications of historical facts

See it if you would like to see a theatre version of Wall Street (the movie) on stage. The actors are great, though.

Don't see it if you dislike verbose plays with little theatrical value

See it if you appreciate effortless physical acting and flawless professionalism. Houben and Magni are magnificent.

Don't see it if you have no interest in acting techniques, movement, commedia dell'arte, the relationship of bodies in space.

See it if you are so blinded by film stars that you think a good film actress can sustain a useless revival of a boring play

Don't see it if you actually care for good writing, acting, costumes, consistent accents, etc. Set and lights are the only good thing of the production

See it if you like well-written, intelligent, well-made plays with three characters who can act

Don't see it if you need special effects.

See it if you like rewrites of classics

Don't see it if you actually understood what Ibsen was doing with his Hedda Gabler. She is not a petulant bully... her idealism and pride are lost here

See it if you like Suzan Lori-Parks, quirky writing, unforgiving/unforgivable characters. The show is worth seeing!

Don't see it if you like Brecht and think that derivative plays are a waste of time. This is Mother Courage with a twist

See it if you like to learn about history through plays

Don't see it if you don't care about Irish history

Also The acting is very good, but the play is flawed: dialogues alternate with super-long monologues that explain the characters' story. It's like having a book read to one... Read more Read less

See it if you like intelligent plays that are still relevant today and you're curious about how this classic piece would work with an all-woman cast

Don't see it if you have in mind the great acting from the 1957 Lumet film or another production

Also sadly, the play drags on. This is not a slow play. It needs pauses and bursts of energy... the audience needs to feel the tension building among the characters and the efforts of 12 very different people to maintain a modicum of civility. It needs good actors, who can remember their lines and deliver them convincingly.... Read more Read less