Jeff 17

See it if You want to see a great new revised version of an overlooked musical with a fantastic lead turn by Beth Malone

Don't see it if You’re a old-school purist. The book and several songs have been rewritten

See it if You want a fresh, feminist take on a slightly dated play

Don't see it if You can’t stand VERY talky plays with little action

See it if you/your kids are fans or just want to see a charming new show with great use of puppetry and staging to make a seven person cast look huge

Don't see it if you're expecting big-budget Broadway spectacle. It's a scrappy show that makes up for its physical limitations with heart and theatricality

See it if You want to see two phenomenal actors with fantastic chemistry in an play by turns funny, romantic, harrowing, and emotional

Don't see it if You want production value or don't like two person shows

See it if I liked the son and neighbor characters but the script doesn't gel and actors were stumbling on lines

Don't see it if The show was tonally all over the place and didn't know if it wanted to be a dark comedy or a suspense-drama. It ultimately failed at both

See it if You want an interesting take on an old show

Don't see it if You don't like "talky" plays. It's one unit set with a lot of dialogue

See it if You don't mind a slow burn first half as two clowns slowly discover heady concepts of existence. Hilarious and surprisingly moving payoff!

Don't see it if You don't like clowning or lack patience in watching a long setup. Really worth it if you stick it out!

See it if You're already familiar with both plays

Don't see it if You're not open to a concept not being fully explored. Acting was a mixed bag but the Vanya/Romeo was a little embarrassing to watch

See it if You like strange, Lynchian, tweet plays that are big on weirdness and short on answers.

Don't see it if You like a clear plot and defined characters

See it if You want a straight forward (for the most part) production of Twelfth Night with a particularly charming Feste and Maria.

Don't see it if you saw Fiasco's warmly hilarious production at CSC last fall cause this pales in comparison. Actors and designers are all on different page

See it if you don't mind heavy subject matter. Though the writer does a great job of keeping moments of (sometimes laugh-out-loud) levity throughout.

Don't see it if you're turned off by (unfortunately) topical themes and events.

See it if You want a laugh-out-loud, wacky comedy with tight direction and actors willing to fully commit to the hilariously bizarre circumstances

Don't see it if You are skittish about raunchy humor. And do NOT bring children to this show

See it if You want to see a lively, colorful, fun ensemble take on the famous 'battle of the sexes' tennis match

Don't see it if You like kitchen sink theatre

See it if you can allow yourself to just go with a show like a ride. Two strong, VERY physical performances (especially Colin Cambell) on point

Don't see it if Look. You won't understand 50% of the lines. Strong Cork dialect with made up phrases strewn throughout. But the impact is what matters

See it if You want a breezy, 70 minute comedy with plenty of heart and just enough pathos to not feel like an extended sketch

Don't see it if You don't like bad language and can't enjoy a somewhat slight premise

See it if You want a traditional retelling of one of Shakespeare's darkest plays.

Don't see it if straightforward, no-frills Shakespeare bores you.

See it if You like to support new, original musicals

Don't see it if The idea of cheesy heart string-pulling, uneven comedy, and spookiness combined into a musical doesn't strike your interest.

Also The show took some risks which I applaud despite not always
being on board with them (space cats?). But there's also an abandoned subplot about disability that reads as pretty offensive. Go for the Ukrainian, the fortune teller, and the incredible flying number, stay to support new works.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see an immigrant love story that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in spite of troubled times

Don't see it if Bad langue offends you

See it if You like Shakespeare shows staged to feel extremely relevant.

Don't see it if You don't like the Bard's work messed with.

See it if you love a well-done romantic comedy.

Don't see it if you have a shriveled, cold, dead heart

See it if you like Ed Harris. He is incredible and worth the price of admission

Don't see it if you're not a die-hard Shepard fan

See it if You ever watched Saturday morning cartoons.

Don't see it if You hate laughter.

See it if You like bold theatre that makes you laugh, think. And feel.

Don't see it if You have a weird hangup about going to TriBeCa to see plays.

See it if You love Mark Strong

Don't see it if You're a classics purist.

See it if You’re a fan of Eno’s deadpan absurdity. You like strong takes on classical material

Don't see it if You don’t like classical adaptations to be so cheekily irreverent. You’re not a fan of Eno

See it if You want to support one is mainly a one-person show for the majority of the running time or want a unique take on Frankenstein

Don't see it if You’re a Frankenstein purist or are averse to talky, “storytelling” plays with little action

Also Really wanted to like this as there were some unique ideas. Ultimately though, it was very slow and performative with little-to-no truth throughout. It felt like there wasn’t enough time given to adapting the story or to rehearsals.... Read more Read less

See it if What a twisted delight! Like a Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf and No Exit mashup. I was on the edge of my seat laughing and cringing.

Don't see it if You dislike adaptations that take liberty with source material or you can't see how marital strike could be used as the basis of dark comedy

See it if You want to see a fascinating update of a classic play.

Don't see it if You'll have to listen closely as there are some heavy dialects, but it's definitely worth it

See it if You're a LaBute fan. The third piece: Unlikely Japan is some of his best writing in years and beautifully performed by Gia Crovatin

Don't see it if You don't like LaBute or can't stand uncomfortable, squirm-inducing material

See it if You want a deceptively light, tight love story with a lot of laughs and heart.

Don't see it if You think a play needs to be a certain length. It's tight, 50-minute runtime might be too short for some

See it if you want to LAUGH! I've never seen an episode of the show and it didn't matter, I was cackling throughout like an idiot.

Don't see it if No reason not to see it. Funniest solo show I've ever seen and the full body and vocal work of Ipema must be seen to be believed!

See it if You like Tennessee Williams and want to see one of the best acting performances of the year in Juan Francisco Villa's take on Tennessee

Don't see it if You dislike gay themes or have an aversion to two character plays.

See it if you don't believe that the classics (especially Williams) can still resonate today. This will make you a believer.

Don't see it if you're not a fan of prop-less, theatrical staging.

Also Marin Ireland is giving one of the best performances (if not THE best) of the year and she is matched beat for beat by Nathan Darrow with a top-to-bottom perfect ensemble surrounding them. This is beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, moving, must-see theatre. Don't miss it.... Read more Read less

See it if You wanted to see a talented multi-ethnic cast in a charming and mostly light-hearted comedy-drama

Don't see it if you like a big message with your shows or are looking for a straight comedy or drama

See it if you love any of the actors (John Glover especially broke my heart) or are a Terrence McNally fan.

Don't see it if you have a short attention span. The play's a little slow and though played brilliantly by Douglas Hodge, it does center on an unlikable man

See it if You have an extremely low bar for sitcom-lite comedy and/or want to see Hayley Mills live

Don't see it if you are expecting anything more than two-dimensional cliche characters drinking wine and occasionally dropping "funny" one-liners

Also You know you're in trouble when the director comes out before the show and says, "Don't be afraid to laugh!"
I'm clearly in the minority here as others took her plea to heart but this show didn't get a single laugh out of me. Nor did I care about a single one of the characters. The script is a sitcom-y cliche, which is not the end of the world, but for a comedy being described as 'biting' and 'brutal' that is absolutely false advertising. This is the softest, blandest comedy I've seen in a long time. The actors are trying their best with the caricatures they're given (though if they really want to add more bite to the production, they need to stop trying to be so likable, which killed any comedic tension). I'm not giving it a zero because the actors are fine and the set is lovely, but this is one of the worst live shows I've ever seen.... Read more Read less

See it if you appreciate people who can honor a Shakespearean text while simultaneously making it sound fresh and fun for today.

Don't see it if you need spectacle or dislike Shakespeare.

See it if you like you're Shakespeare zany with a large dollop of irreverence.

Don't see it if you're a Shakespeare purist. There's a LOT of random shtick and ad-libbing that sometimes really distracts from the actual comedy.

See it if You need a good laugh and you want to see a masterclass in clowning and comedic acting.

Don't see it if you don't like supremely silly comedies

See it if You like your shows breezy and light even if they're potentially trying to get dark

Don't see it if You need more from your theatre than snappy dialogue

Also Loved, loved, loved the first act. The second act unfortunately meanders (including an absolutely pointless flashback that just pads the runtime) and fails to reach a point or meaningfully connect the pieces between the two acts.... Read more Read less

See it if You need a laugh in these dark, dark times and are all about slapstick and numerous jokes about pop culture and politics sprinkled in

Don't see it if You prefer your comedy "highbrow"

See it if You liked Seminar, Small Mouth Sounds, or any of the works of Annie Baker.

Don't see it if You like having everything spelled out for you.

See it if You are open to plays being presented in an atypical format. You're willing to go along for a ride.

Don't see it if You need a lot of obvious spectacle.

See it if you love The Wizard of Oz or simply love intelligently staged theatre. A beautiful show!

Don't see it if nope. No reason not to see it.

See it if you like The Great White Hope, cleverly staged theatre pieces.

Don't see it if you want 'realistic' fight choreograhy

See it if You love Sam Rockwell

Don't see it if You've seen it before.

See it if You love new theatre with a classic bent

Don't see it if You don't like plays

See it if You love the classics.

Don't see it if You like a fresher take on older material.