Heidi 6281

See it if You want to see very earnest actors do their very best with muddled material

Don't see it if You need clarity; this picked one thread out of the book (which is OK) but then badly frayed its edges

See it if you love the poetry of words. A very sad, very beautiful, very loving elegy for the poet's wife, brought to life in a harrowing way

Don't see it if you hate poetry, prefer conventional theater with a clear plot line, don't like sad pieces

See it if Thoughtful, intelligent, brilliant staging/direction/acting is enough to make up for the fact that this is not a great play

Don't see it if You don't like Shakespeare; you want the classic, poetic, soul-shaking Shakespeare plays

See it if You like a show that seems deceptively simple, and presents complex and resonant ideas without beating you over the head with them

Don't see it if You prefer ideas to be presented in a more in-your-face matter

See it if You are interested in thoughtful explorations of how homelessness arises

Don't see it if You were hoping for a more well-rounded, multi-faceted, nuanced exploration of this issue

See it if you love burlesque, artful acrobatics, and are in the mood for some over-21 fun

Don't see it if the idea of a Sugarplum Fairy striptease offends you

See it if The words are the thing when you see a play; there's not much here besides those amazing words

Don't see it if you like a play with a conventional plot and staging; 2 hours of characters just facing the audience and talking seems boring to you

See it if You are interested in new ways of exploring and deconstructing how women have been presented/stereotyped in the media

Don't see it if You only like theater with a linear plot, feminist issues/perspectives don't interest you

See it if you are interested in the Talmud, kung-fu, and a completely believable idea of how they might converge; you want to be surprised by theater

Don't see it if You prefer a conventional play with a linear plot, you don't like mash-ups of different traditions

See it if You are a fan of how Tom Stoppard plays with language in the most delicious and thought-provoking ways, or slab, plank, cube

Don't see it if You don't like unconventional theater or nontraditional narratives or Shakespeare, or almost Leamington Spa

See it if You're interested in an uber literate play that explores the roles of women in among the 19th century "enlightened" classes

Don't see it if You don't know who Mary Wollstonecraft was, you don't get 19th century literary references, you expect a show about Frankenstein

See it if you are impressed by the bravery of one man revealing his darkest truths in an unusual way

Don't see it if you prefer light theater, ensemble cast, difficult familial subject matter makes you uncomfortable

See it if You are willing to hang in there and let the plot reveal itself and come together over the course of 3 acts.

Don't see it if You need traditional linear storytelling or great acting.

Also This is a really clever, intriguing script that, unfortunately, was presented by young actors who were not up to the task.... Read more Read less

See it if You like burlesque reviews, you have a wicked sense of humor, you appreciate acrobatics and other physical delights

Don't see it if Scantily clad men and women disturb you, you prefer a cohesive plot, you don't like acrobatics, you don't like a seedy nightclub atmosphere

See it if You like fresh takes on The Bard that are still respectful of the material and use their alternate view to delve deeper into universal theme

Don't see it if You like only period performance of Shakespeare, you don't like Shakespeare

See it if you are tickled by science, like to think, like unusual stand-up comedy

Don't see it if you prefer a play with a plot, you were really expecting a rap show, you don't want to be intellectually challenged at the theater

See it if You like to think and be challenged and laugh; this is super smart stand-up in an innovative package

Don't see it if You were hoping for more a traditional rap show, you want to laugh without also having to think

See it if You like confusing, melodramatic pieces about sad people tormented by ugly pasts

Don't see it if You need to really understand and engage with what you are seeing

See it if You love pure theater, a well-told story, exquisite dialogue, absorbing drama, a deep dive into difficult questions

Don't see it if You don't like straight drama, you need the plot to unfold very quickly, you need a happy ending to the story

Also The best new play I have seen in a decade

See it if You love the idea of a sweet middle-age romance, you like an impressionistic two-character play that explores a single idea

Don't see it if You want something big, profound, deep, examining current issues

See it if You want to hear chamber music you likely haven't heard before, exquisitely played; you like an impressionist piece of multimedia theater

Don't see it if You want a linear plot (or any plot), you actually want to learn about Toscanini and what made him great

See it if You like theater that challenges your intellect, that you have to chew on for a few days after

Don't see it if You want to be entertained, you don't want to pay very close attention for 75 minutes, you want the points to be immediately obvious

See it if You like unusual stagings that tell a very basic story in a new way, you are a ballet fan, you like a ghost story

Don't see it if You prefer your theater to settle on just one genre or form of storytelling, you want a story that hasn't been told before

See it if You love music, one person's story well told intrigues you, you like your comedy with a mix of pathos

Don't see it if You don't like one-man shows, you dislike music, you prefer conventional plot and dialogue

See it if Literate, well-told stories appeal. The play is the thing here. Good presentation of an excellent play.

Don't see it if You want something Broadway/glitzy, you don't like plays that are very talky and have little action

See it if You love a good noir detective story; you love a well-written, nuanced drama with a fresh take on family secrets

Don't see it if you like big staging, big casts, music; need a happy ending

See it if You want to see a truthful play about old people that is not about death or dementia, you enjoy seeing two old pros rise above the material

Don't see it if You were really expecting snappy dialogue, or a bold exploration of thoughtful themes

See it if You like to be challenged and want to leave the theater thinking

Don't see it if You prefer all mysteries to be resolved before the play's end

See it if You want something different from the same old thing, love fresh takes on old tales, wonderful music, intimate theater in small spaces

Don't see it if You don't like small-scale intimate theater, folk music, non-linear plots, unconventional storytelling

See it if Impenetrable 20th century experimental period pieces interest you; you're interested in how a large audience can be moved around seamlessly

Don't see it if You need to understand what you are seeing, you want the play to make sense or that you can make sense of the play

See it if You are interested in understanding all sides of the current political and social divide

Don't see it if You don't want to hear people discussing issues from a conservative perspective

See it if You ask existential and social questions about theater, perspective, control, truth

Don't see it if You prefer a linear plot--this is a kind of staged essay about theater; a lot of ideas in one piece seems confusing to you

See it if you are interested in exploring millennial angst

Don't see it if you prefer a play in which the characters present the essentials, rather than a narrator

Also What would have been a good short story is is shoehorned into a play that can't tell its story without long, awkward interjections from a narrator and short, confusing dance breaks... Read more Read less

See it if You like Shakespeare, laughing, eating, wine, theater that happens all around you

Don't see it if You prefer your Shakespeare conventionally staged, you don't like food

See it if You love Fiddler and want to experience it with fresh ears; you never saw it and just love great musicals

Don't see it if you hate musicals; you must have a show with a happy ending

See it if You love quiet musicals, are interested in exploring the personal fallout of the civil rights violence of the 1960s

Don't see it if You prefer big, glitzy, happy musicals

See it if You like a musical that's the anti-Broadway musical, you like to think about questions of race and homosexuality in a broadminded way

Don't see it if You want a more traditional musical, prefer political polemics, R rated material offends you

See it if You love a good drama that examines essential human issues is a way that's not heavy-handed

Don't see it if Nudity/sex onstage offends you; you prefer light plays/comedies

See it if You love great performers having a game go at very challenging material

Don't see it if you dislike abstract theater with no discernable plot

See it if You know that nothing works without a great script, you love the way good theater forces you to feel things and think about relationships

Don't see it if You want a fun night of light fare, you don't want to schlep to Long Island City

See it if You love intimate, immersive theater, you love Shakespeare, you want a fresh approach that still respects the material

Don't see it if You can't stand for an hour, you like a traditional theater experience, you hate Shakespeare

See it if You like your thought-provoking entertaining rather than existential, you're okay with a wild plot, you love how much music can contribute

Don't see it if You like a realistic plot, you don't like humor in discussions of serious subjects

See it if You like French existentialism, stream of consciousness explorations of difficult themes

Don't see it if You need a linear story or a happy ending

See it if You like your Shakespeare interesting in staging but respectful of and faithful to the material

Don't see it if You prefer grand productions with period details, or just don't like Shakespeare

Also A cast of excellent actors has a game go, using nothing but a bare stage, a few chairs and benches, and a handful of fardles and raiments to suggest many settings, many characters, many, many ideas.... Read more Read less

See it if You like broad musicals with lots of singing and dancing and glitz, a very game cast, fluff and fun

Don't see it if You don't like gay themes, many groups being good-naturedly poked fun at, serious theater

See it if you want a play about people in pain that subtly challenges what you think about feminism and racism without beating you up with dogma

Don't see it if you don't like sad, intense plays; you prefer perfect political correctness

See it if You like a discussions about the issues that divide and/or unite us, without being beaten over the head with current political tropes

Don't see it if You prefer light entertainment, something funny

See it if You like shows that play as much to your brain as to your sense of humor, are kind of quirky in a great way

Don't see it if You like a conventional narrative, you don't want to have to pay deep attention for every minute of the (hour-long) show

See it if You love an immersive experience, conversations with strangers, something completely different, have a keen sense of curiosity

Don't see it if You need a plot, only like to listen to conversations with celebrities, dislike strangers, are easily offended

See it if Questions about how realities and perceptions change over time, and how very complex ideas can be presented on stage intrigue you

Don't see it if You need a linear plot line or a lot of story, moments of confusion make you uncomfortable