Laura 36

See it if you love Alcott's writings

Don't see it if Civil War history is not your area of interest. There is not much new here though the vantage points from the page to stage are fresh

See it if you love music source from everywhere in history.

Don't see it if church basement self-help groups are not your thing. This is an a capella evening about various internet addictions

See it if the relationship between food, love, culture and power fascinates. This smart play that deals with a parent's death among the struggles

Don't see it if watching a character deal with Hospice and death onstage is too much for your personal sensibilities

Also The struggle of the post-war Koreans against the deprivations of both WWII and the Korean war created a generation of parents who deprived themselves even to the food in the mouths of their children. When that generation is watching their parents die, they must resolve these struggles in order to honor them. A very well done play. A must see!... Read more Read less

See it if you know not all love stories end well, and want to see English country life between the wars.

Don't see it if slow, thoughtful shows are a bore for you. There is no electric revelations, no thunderbolts, just a quiet country outing with surprises

See it if rehashing history of Irish Catholic/Protestant troubles are of interest. Nothing new here, but well done personal stories, with keen edge

Don't see it if you have trouble with deep Irish accents or Irish slang. There is a lot of it here, and it is sometimes hard to follow

See it if Jane K is your favorite blonde, anywhere on the planet (on stage, that is) and Zach Levi is charming. Set is too crowded for them to shine

Don't see it if you still have charming recollections of 'Little Shop' with Jimmy Stewart. Laura Benanti was a no-show at matinee, not enough room to dance

See it if seeing all sides of the story and all types of opinions is exhilirating and stimulating, even about a subject like campus rape

Don't see it if you are squeamish about the subject matter (campus rape) or discussing it

See it if all female casts are alluring answer to some of Shakespeare's problems with this play.

Don't see it if you don't want to wait on interminable lines for a free ticket.

See it if teenagers in love, from different cultural and social and economic backgrounds is new territory.

Don't see it if this scenario has been rehashed by many playwrights and you're tired of it.

See it if gallows humor in cancer ward is funny

Don't see it if you have ever lost a friend to cancer

See it if sex trafficking, global warming, refugee crises and other current world pandemics suggest a dystopian future for us. Big topics, not new.

Don't see it if none of those things 'touch' your life or you really don't care about them, or would rather not think about them when you watch theatre

See it if Millenials are your group and you want to know how to define friends and lovers.

Don't see it if performance art is a joke to you

See it if on second thought, save the two hours and read a book instead...

Don't see it if you ever might think of visiting Kentucky and don't want to be blinded by stupid and senseless thoughts that you might pick up here.

See it if loud Rockabilly music is your thing. Its a very thin story with so-so songs, music is way too loud and nothing is good or interesting.

Don't see it if you like real country music because the loudness and one note quality will turn you off.

See it if Chekhov, updated, made relevant and quirky and fun sounds like a night at the theatre you would enjoy. Prepare to laugh.

Don't see it if you only take your classics straight up and on the narrow path.

See it if you love French farce and people tripping over themselves and each other and their marriage vows

Don't see it if you need farce to be exquisitely timed or acted to be funny

See it if you love being bored by banal characters with nothing to say

Don't see it if you want to wash the cat

See it if Miss Jean Brodie was your hero, this is how real women lived through the transitional periods between the wars.

Don't see it if an all-female ensemble with one good cardboard character and one bad cardboard character don't appeal to you

See it if gender issues are important to you, or if you like great dynamics of truly messed up family

Don't see it if you're bored with gender issues

See it if smart people espousing very smart ideas about race and class in America, over the heads of other characters and audience

Don't see it if you cannot follow four or more simultaneous, intense conversations talking at the same time. Overwrought but erudite

See it if you love Seamus Heaney's poetry for that, moderately, is the only saving grace of this. The set and costumes are cheap, the cast is off.

Don't see it if you are true to the original play or want to see vernacular poetic adaptations with more verve.

See it if you love Thomas Middleton and can't get enough Jacobean drama

Don't see it if you can't follow very intense and dense language

See it if you think you are a thinking person. This will give you a good idea of what some of the debates (not shouting) are really about

Don't see it if you have already closed your mind to any political discussion or don't care about the recent loss of constitutional rights

See it if You loved the book by Sue Monk Kidd or music by Duncan Sheik

Don't see it if everything being on stage at once is confusing or the slow pacing of the book was a drag for you

Also There is some truly delightful and interesting music here, though some of it is ordinary. Pockets of musicians around the stage help lift voice and there are drums that move the action along. It has some charming Southern notes to it.... Read more Read less

See it if one side of a story is interesting or intriguging enough to judge a history

Don't see it if you find one handed plays difficult to appreciate or trust

See it if women telling men's tales, both historical and hysterical, is a new experience. Great casting, funny and very clever.

Don't see it if you get motion sick easily. This is a fast and furious ride down the Colorado River into Grand Canyon with this troupe. Wonderful!

See it if you love Joyce's words & world. Feet of clay on great writer, but redeemed. Nora is early feminist. Too many songs, leads are terrific.

Don't see it if highly sexual (raunchy) dialogue is offensive. Too much moving props and too many songs, needs more historical background.

See it if you always wondered what goes on in a retreat. Most of this play is silent, so be prepared for a lot of gesticulating and strange actions.

Don't see it if you plan to go to a retreat or have been...this doesn't reflect any reality. The comedy is mildly amusing, but very slow and mostly silent

See it if you love Matthew Broderick (who is still a one-note actor, even here) or if you want to see the newly renovated Irish Rep theatre

Don't see it if you want plays to be about something interesting or important or historic, or something...anything at all. This was meant to be ghost story

See it if you've never heard the Grieg music and have no idea about the story, this might be clever transplant of Gynt tales to Appalachia

Don't see it if Anitra and Solveig are living characters in your childhood memory and Peer Gynt was written to teach you lessons.

See it if family dynamics and drug abuse make an appealing dramatic turn

Don't see it if O'Neill's family dramas are too much to begin with. Good roles by Gabriel Byrne and Jessica Lange don't overcome slow burn of drugs

See it if myths aside, the romantic gesture is alive and well, and accompanied by all sorts of Louisiana music styles in entrancing new musical form.

Don't see it if you don't have a heart. It works as social commentary, love story, musical theatre, that whatever you like, this will have it.

See it if the decline of American labor unions, automation, and tensions within working class black communities in Rust Belt provide meaningful ground

Don't see it if plight of working class black communities in the midwest don't interest you

See it if the continuing saga of Hispanics in Philly at all economic levels is of interest, but beware strong references to child sexual abuse

Don't see it if you don't care about who picks up the pieces in child abuse cases, or if you hated Water By The Spoonful

See it if you are a maniacal fan of Albee, Fornes or Kennedy. And even then, be forewarned, only the Albee is watchable. This is overindulgent stuff

Don't see it if you want to do something meaningful with those two hours (plus travel) of your time & the theatre budget you're trying to keep under control

See it if classic tale of gossip ruining many lives, done with great wit and charm, including an impeccable cast and great direction.

Don't see it if well, there's really no reason not to see Sheridan's masterpiece - so go!

See it if fables are your thing, or the possibility of coexistence among the three major religions hold infinite possibilities

Don't see it if well, you already missed it.

See it if you loving moving stage scenes, that is the stage moves and not the show. The singing is nice, good set and backdrop (but that's landscape)

Don't see it if music is your thing...The banjo is not showcased, and the music is forgettable, doesn't explore the various idioms of Appalachia.

See it if when it wasn't a sitcom starring a black family, it was a great play about aging parents and their adult children

Don't see it if you have a parent suffering from Alzheimer's or senile dementia now, it would be too painful and truthful to watch

See it if you wonder 'what would I do if...', this gives you a chance to see what these characters do when they discover the source of their income

Don't see it if clever staging and witty banter wrapped around hard hitting issues doesn't suit you. Its great Shaw, well done!

See it if you haven't had enough of cultural differences between Africa and US

Don't see it if you're easily bored

See it if author's autobiograpy is easy to spot here, sometimes unhappy to watch, always riveting with this new young lead

Don't see it if another coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water story is uninteresting to you

See it if politics and policies in the Middle East confound & frighten you, this is why

Don't see it if you cannot stomach violence and don't follow the news from the Middle East

See it if question of following orders has long been one which perplexes society. This examines it a personal/group view, with uncomfortable results

Don't see it if you don't want to think about that question of 'what would you do'?'

See it if you can't wait for a really good production of Brecht's masterpiece

Don't see it if you've read too much about Tonya's leaving the production and worry it will color your appreciation