Marilyn 22

See it if You like perverse theatre that challenges expectations and makes you listen.

Don't see it if You want something fast-moving and crystal clear in its plot and intentions.

Also I don't know why people disliked this play. My husband and I both found it engagingly perverse. We had a good conversation about it the next day. The ending doesn't entirely work for me, but I don't want to give it away. Let me just suggest viewers think about this: what if a government conducted a targeting and murder program not only on perceived political threats, but on people deemed social failures?... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate a great ensemble and the work of a one of America's most talented playwrights.

Don't see it if You expect this to be as great as JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE or some of Wilson's other works.

Also I really enjoyed this, but the end felt abrupt, rushed, hence my tag "incomplete."... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a refreshing take on this show with great performances by Sutton Foster and Shuler Hensley.

Don't see it if You want a big, boffo production with an upbeat ending.

Also I don't understand the negative reviews of this production. Although I initially had a bit of trouble seeing Sutton Foster as a dumb broad (she's just too bright!), she made it work. I liked the stripped-down production and thought the tone was surprisingly even. I really enjoyed it!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to explore relevant issues of racism, education, and the prison system performed by a brilliant actor.

Don't see it if You don't want to think about these issues.

Also Anna Deavere Smith portrays 17 people and you'd swear they were all on the stage. She's a national treasure!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a classic with a talented ensemble.

Don't see it if You want to see a production that balances the humor and bite of said classic.

Also Although some people found the first act boring, I didn't. I enjoyed the amoral reporters' repartee. The show took a wrong turn for me when Molly Malloy jumped out the window and it was played more for laughs instead of bite. I adore Nathan Lane, but I feel that Walter Burns wouldn't do physical shtick, and that Hildy (John Slattery) got lost in the process. This isn't to say the I didn't enjoy the production. It was entertaining, but also disappointing. An oxymoron, if you will.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a fascinating and edgy piece of history about the Black Panthers and Young Lords.

Don't see it if You can't sit through a long and sometimes tricky to follow piece.

See it if Like me, you're a sucker for excellent close-up magic performed by an engaging storyteller.

Don't see it if You're a cynic and/or you don't enjoy being fooled.

See it if If you like thoughtful Chekhovian family plays with great acting.

Don't see it if If you want obvious, cliched dysfunctional family dramas and you don't like to listen closely.

See it if If you love innovative theatre with great acting.

Don't see it if If you love a proscenium stage.

See it if You want to laugh and you appreciate the great amount of talent and technique it takes to write a play in rhyming couplets.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy farce or rhyming couplets.

Also I rate plays on if they succeed at what they attempt to do, not on their profundity, as well as if I enjoy the genre and performances. I love a good farce and, as a poet, I really appreciate great verse. So high marks for this one.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a fan of Cheryl Strayed and advice columns.

Don't see it if You prefer a play (action, plot, characters) as opposed to what seemed to be more like a reading.

Also I wasn't bored, but I also wasn't moved, and now I have a hard time remembering much about the content. I did find some of the advice wise and interesting, but some of it was irritating.... Read more Read less

See it if You're interested in the art of writing. If you have a fondness for Long Island and enjoy seeing entertaining characters from that milieu.

Don't see it if You want a cohesive play that cuts deeper. You're tired of depressed female characters who are not really that interesting.

Also I am conflicted about this play. I grew up near Levittown and took the Babylon line regularly to college, so I have a fond amusement for references to it (I even worked at Mays Dep't Store, which is mentioned in the play). And I did find the play funny. But I was far more interested in the housewives and the men than in the depressed Joan. I wasn't thrilled by her stories and I didn't understand the Southern belle accent. She seemed like something out of a Tennessee Williams play. I'm not sure I bought the need for the two "endings." I don't think the work played enough with the concept of endings to support that.... Read more Read less

See it if Want to spend another rich, satisfying, poignant, yet often humorous evening with the Gabriels and you like great writing and acting.

Don't see it if You don't like quiet plays to which you have to listen and pay attention.

See it if If you want to see a famous play that was deemed edgy when it opened. If you like good acting.

Don't see it if If you want to care about the protagonist. If you want a play that has something resonant to say and not the facade of resonance.

Also I rarely post about things I don't care for, but this play irritated me because I loved Hare's STUFF HAPPENS, and I think he has an interesting take on politics. But to me, this play had ideas imposed on it without a foundation to support them. Is it really about "one woman's struggle to lead a liberated life in a repressive era," or about an unhinged person, who would have been so no matter the era and whom I did not understand or feel for?... Read more Read less

See it if You love shows based on fun movie musicals and adore great dancing and singing.

Don't see it if You hate tap dancing, old-fashioned plots, and Irving Berlin.

See it if Pretty much everyone.

Don't see it if You hate rap.