meccentric

See it if you enjoy the way Hnath can superimpose his big ideas onto characters you recognize.

Don't see it if you’re hoping to see perfect impersonations of the Clintons.

See it if you have an open and quick mind. Some of ya'll haven't studied avant-garde and it shows.

Don't see it if you don't like foul humor.

Also given the circumstances, it's a miracle that it's on its feet at all. Nielsen was markedly nervous, and for good reason, but she still gives a generous and committed performance.

White is hysterical from start to finish. Lane is uniformly great.

This may be a good play, I'm still thinking about it. Each line is a new idea. Political parallels abound. One pops out and the moment it feels profound, it's on to the next fart joke. Its absurdism feels a bit like Pinter or Ionesco.

I think this will change a lot, but in any case, I had a great time.... Read more Read less

See it if improv and/or freestyle rap are of interest to you.

Don't see it if you are dumb if you have the opportunity and don’t take it.

See it if you enjoyed the irreverent, wildness of Harris's communication in Slave Play. If you’re open to *anything.*

Don't see it if don't care for the wildly abstract.

Also Daddy bounces from idea to idea non-stop for three hours. It is never boring, but also, rarely focused...though that feels intentional. It is shockingly personal and conveys ideas that seem to have been on the zeitgeist's subconscious but haven't been explored, likely due to the pain associated with them.

Much like Slave Play, I'm not sure what to make of this, not sure how to "score" it. I'll be processing it for at least the next week. This isn't "good" or "bad." This is radical artistic expression and it's given me a lot to think about.

Also, I sat in the front row and there was a towel supplied for me...and I definitely needed it.... Read more Read less

See it if you’d like to see something truly original.

Don't see it if you can’t be bothered with an allegory.

Also this, perhaps, produced more genuine laughs for me than anything else I’ve seen this season. The ensemble is snappy and the writing is original and thought-provoking, but not cryptic. This is a delight in every sense.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy acapella music and are intrigued by the themes.

Don't see it if there's no good reason not to.

Also McCraney's Moonlight was my only frame of reference and this is demonstrably more didactic than Moonlight, which was a little jarring. All characters are pulled off of a shelf, making the twists and turns in the narrative visible from a mile away.

The musical interludes, however, completely turn the ship around.

Choir Boy is a decent play brought to life by stirring musical interludes.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see a marvel of a performance.

Don't see it if you're often dismissive of innovation as "gimmicky."

Also despite the script being a competent-at-best adaptation, Cranston's Howard Beale is so explosively magnetic, it makes this the hot ticket of the season.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a brisk, 80 minute romp with some social themes.

Don't see it if there's no reason not to.

See it if you enjoy Nicholaw’s by-the-book style.

Don't see it if contemporary musical theatre hasn’t excited you lately.

See it if you must see the puppet. And I’ll admit, it is worth seeing.

Don't see it if you are satisfied with seeing video of the puppet. There is NOTHING else worthwhile to see here.

Also thank u, next.

See it if you’re in the mood for a thought-provoking, well-paced play with actors you like.

Don't see it if despite everything, I think everyone should see this.

Also this play has issues, but that doesn’t make its subject matter any less important. Everyone should see it.

The script unfortunately, feels like a draft. Every scene inevitably ends in a monologue that could’ve been pulled from an op-ed or a speech and the dialogue arrives at these monologues far too conveniently.

Washington keeps the elevator on the same floor for the duration and employs the same tactics on all of her scene partners. I couldn’t help but imagine how brilliant Regina King could’ve been in the role. I do applaud her for making this happen, though.

Jordan is out of place, Pasquale makes a good effort, but it is Eugene Lee’s performance that brings nuance to the table.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see a solid drama about passive/active resistance.

Don't see it if you don't like "political" dramas.

Also the performances just aren't as lived in as the set looks. Gevinson is the one bright spot.... Read more Read less

See it if romantic comedy is your choice of hill to die on.

Don't see it if romantic comedy is not your choice of hill to die on.

See it if you have experience on or backstage with classical theater.

Don't see it if you are not at all interested in Shakespeare or gender-identity in casting.

Also McTeer and Harner elevate a first draft script..

See it if crass British humor is your jam.

Don't see it if you expect peak precision and discipline on Broadway.

Also aside from one player, the dialect work is astonishingly bad across the board; it sounds more like American Southern. The snooker scenes are quite impressive though.... Read more Read less

See it if you’ve ever wanted to find a way to see the Henry VI portion of the War of the Roses in a compact, streamlined production.

Don't see it if you are averse to Shakespeare.

Also this is is an outstanding Shakespeare history production, full stop. Music, sound design, and lighting are marvelously effective. Vanessa Kai is such a standout, she can steal a scene with a glance or a gesture and I wish I could’ve seen her play every other role. I highly recommend the first row for an immersive view of the staging and maximum audibility.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy parody and the Potter universe.

Don't see it if you think you have a sophisticated sense of humor.

Also I didn’t laugh until well past the halfway point, but the show definitely found momentum and was enjoyable to the end. Transitions and technical elements are slick and clean and provide the strongest comedic timing of any element in the show. Several performers begin the show at a 15 when they should be a solid 8 and make the jokes about themselves rather than the entendres.... Read more Read less

See it if you think LGBT folk, Indians, Judaism, or dwarfism make great punchlines and female characters' sole purpose is to romantically match w/ men

Don't see it if you enjoy theatre.

Also have you ever been held hostage by a child who wants to put on a show in their living room? Gettin’ the Band Back Together is almost as good as that.... Read more Read less

See it if you’d like to support the communities involved in the ensemble (though a monetary donation is probably a better idea).

Don't see it if you’re expecting to see an entertaining, cohesive production.

Also Taub’s music, aside from two songs, unnecessarily dominates the evening and sounds like a collection of Playhouse Disney boardroom rejects.

Maybe 10% of the actual text is used. The rest is music that completely truncates the story and halts any sense of dramatic tension. The community ensemble are committed and noble in their performances, but they are not even slightly directed. No attempt was made to create enticing stage pictures. Principle characters were washed out in the sloppy staging. This was ultimately a collection of songs based on the themes of Twelfth Night sprinkled with occasional semi-dramatic readings of Shakespeare’s text.... Read more Read less

See it if you're intrigued by Creole culture.

Don't see it if you like for a script to pick one issue and really explore it from all angles.

Also there is a LOT happening here. It's mostly solid. The Beyoncè pre-show playlist is fire as is the entire ensemble.... Read more Read less

See it if you love the cast.

Don't see it if you don't love gratuitous star casting.

Also I felt that the volume of stars in the cast was actually a hindrance to the production. The audience cheered at any creative inflection like red meat. I found a lot of the beats to be very canned.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy avant-garde theatre.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy having to sit through dialogue delivered at a deliberately glacial pace.

Also I can’t help but think this could’ve been better performed in the original Japanese or perhaps as a walkthrough installation. Striking images, but the dialogue isn’t profound enough to be memorable.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Shaw and his ability to wield language and address social issues that are STILL relevant.

Don't see it if a wordy, three hour play is too much for you.

Also Shaw's feminism never fails to astonish me. Topical and relevant in all the right ways. Rashad veers away from a wooden, cerebral performance and delivers from the gut.

It's really too bad that the set is unattractive and pointless to the point of distraction.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Eugene O'Neill's dark sense of writing and/or technically difficult, wordy acting.

Don't see it if you don't like 3+ hour domestic dramas.

Also yet ANOTHER London transfer (Yerma, Harry Potter, Angels in America, Travesties) that we are unworthy of. Get yourselves in those seats. I had the pleasure of sitting in the onstage cushion seats: an experience I highly recommend if it's an option for you.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the craft of acting.

Don't see it if you are pretentiously unpretentious.

Also acting in its purest form. Crudup is impeccable.

See it if you enjoy theater as an intellectual exercise.

Don't see it if 3+ hours and serious mental cardio is thought for you.

Also the cast is mostly strong throughout.

This falls somewhere between Americans Son and Slave Play. I’ll say, this was the most thematically satisfying play of the season dealing with this particular issue. It wasn’t overly didactic like American Son, and it wasn’t spectacularly grotesque like Slave Play.

All of this text’s intellectual power comes from the audience’s willingness to suspend disbelief about a particularly far-fetched device. It took me perhaps a little too long to drop mine. Had I played along sooner, I think I could’ve made some more discoveries. It’s a fine device, but I think that the production’s design and direction could perhaps do a little bit more to help the audience play along with it.

Side note: if you are the woman who sat next to James Franco tonight (3/17), please step forward and tell us why you were scolding him.... Read more Read less

See it if you love the material.

Don't see it if you’re not into Sondheim tropes.

Also the stripped down staging doesn't quite feel essential but it's nice. The cast is uniformly strong with Manu Narayan as a major, legitimate standout.... Read more Read less

See it if you’re interested in a conversation about sexual assault in the ether.

Don't see it if you can’t handle a conversation at its most painful.

Also the plot is a Trojan horse for the issues at hand, but they are important nonetheless and the actors bring them to life effectively. The talkback facilitator the night I went was SPECTACULAR and really made this a memorable experience.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy monologues or the two actors.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy storytelling.

Also these are two lovely monologues performed quite adeptly by both actors. I thought both could have definitely stood to be slightly more theatrical in nature though. The last tableau was nice.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Sam Shepard, Hawke, and/or Dano.

Don't see it if you don’t like Shepard’s absurdism.

See it if you enjoy storytelling.

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy storytelling.

See it if you enjoy this story but are also open to some updates to it.

Don't see it if you're a devout and haughty purist for the novel.

See it if you are game for just about anything on stage.

Don't see it if you know who you are. There is a trigger warning on the door and hired staff to address post-show trauma.

Also it’s hard to evaluate this piece in that it is so wildly different from anything I’ve ever seen. It is quite thought provoking and very well directed, nonetheless. I do feel the need to say it again though, TRIGGER WARNING.... Read more Read less

See it if you’d enjoy a hilarious exegesis on shame and identity.

Don't see it if the legroom in the Hayes Theatre will end your life in three hours.

Also Urie is a young Kevin Kline. Physical comedy, specificity, and vulnerability to boot. Ruehl, as expected, is majestic and a privilege to watch.... Read more Read less

See it if you are willing to sit through two hours of semi-tedium to eventually see electric work by Close.

Don't see it if you don’t care about star power.

Also though she isn’t a leading player, Van Patten’s performance leaves much to desire, making Joan’s “maidship” hard to believe. I don’t believe the script’s contemporary jargon is the problem, so much as the tone is. On a spectrum it jumps back and forth between center-drama and center-satire. It would have benefitted from moving further to one direction or another.... Read more Read less

See it if you love solving puzzles and minimal exposition.

Don't see it if you don’t have a three hour attention span.

Also you can’t kill a frog by dropping it straight into boiling water, but if you gradually turn up the heat on lukewarm water, it’s surefire.... Read more Read less

See it if you typically find plays inaccessible.

Don't see it if you’re expecting a deep dive into the politics of journalism.

See it if you enjoy Lonnergan’s writing style and lived-in, heavyweight acting.

Don't see it if you dislike slice of life plays.

Also the production, shockingly, is a large departure from Neugebauer’s uniformly slick and breezy style. I’d actually call this a directorial misfire. Transitions are clunky and memory elements of the script could’ve been much more specific and conceptualized.

These all become very minor problems in the hands of five remarkably talented performers in a painfully witty and truthful script. Cera is charming and garners lots of laughs in a near cameo role, Allen delivers grit when necessary, Cromer is astonishingly grounded, and Hedges exercises restraint in all the right places. May is hypnotic, funny, masterful, transformative, and devastating in what will likely be the performance of the season. I wept.... Read more Read less

See it if you likes themes of Americana evoked by Bob Dylan music.

Don't see it if you are not open to a show that can neither be defined as a jukebox musical or a play with music.

Also Girl from the North Country manages to be a moving evening with atmospheric set and lighting and gorgeous music, executed with precision. However, it can't help but reek of what could've been. It ultimately lacks catharsis due to its meandering, non-linear plot and music that establishes tone, not narrative. This sits somewhere between song-cycle and jukebox musical. Trying to identify and categorize the piece can be distracting. An audience member with a deeper appreciation for musical aesthetics and styling might be able to immerse themselves in this experience with more ease than I did.... Read more Read less

See it if storytelling and Ted Talks are mediums you enjoy.

Don't see it if you want to see theatre with a capital T.

Also the young debaters (Thursday Williams 2040) are dynamite. This also couldn’t be more timely. The convergence of current events and Schreck’s ideas and presentation of history are electric.... Read more Read less

See it if you love a whimsical, optimistic distraction.

Don't see it if you do not like jukebox musicals.

See it if you don't mind learning a lesson through ever-so-slight masochism.

Don't see it if you cannot bear second-hand embarrassment.

Also I changed my score after thinking about this overnight.
MINOR SPOILERS:
**********

At the onset, one would expect this to be a harsh criticism of straight white males and their abuses of privilege in western society, especially after the introduction by the two “people in charge.”

I initially interpreted the picture frame as a pedestal of sorts. It looked like a plaque and I assumed that I was meant to loathe the fact that these straight white men were showcased. I was surprised that Lee’s script was kind to all four characters. They were fascinating and three dimensional. Upon reflection, I realized that Lee was showing us the world as it could be. Straight white men are currently afforded the privilege of “framing” other identities through storytelling. Ideally, one should get to showcase their own identity, but Lee demonstrates that cross-identity framing can be done with great care and compassion. It was subversive in a way I couldn’t have expected. Brava... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy the way Letts crafts three dimensional characters through specificity and how Neugebauer can endow a gesture with meaning.

Don't see it if you don’t like dramas or must root for the protagonist.

See it if you want to see a new frontier in theatrical staging.

Don't see it if you are offended by excessive nudity and violence.

See it if you LOVE Menzel and enjoy a nice distraction.

Don't see it if you're looking for something profound or earth-shattering.

See it if you enjoy storytelling.

Don't see it if you cannot handle excruciating explanations of violence; for me, it was worse than seeing it.

Also simply because this production is playing immediately after Harry Clarke, is also produced by Audible, and also in the Minetta Lane, it’s hard not to compare the two. Harry Clarke is a much better play and I think I may have enjoyed this more had I not seen them both in such similar circumstances. Mulligan is expectedly, fabulous.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of Kroll and Mulaney.

Don't see it if you are strictly here to see a play.

Also I did indeed see this production live, I just realized I hadn't reviewed it after I scrolled past it on Netflix!... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy O'Neill's spiraling, depressive world-view executed with great finesse.

Don't see it if you cannot sit through a heavy, deeply dramatic, four hour non-musical.

See it if you love Churchill and especially the topics covered in the play.

Don't see it if you don't think theatre should feel like homework.

Also Chavkin's reputation should not be marred by this. This really is a great production with radically progressive casting and staging that actually, works; tight direction and compelling performances. This script is simply impossible to salvage. There are glimpses of beautiful, human portraits, the rest is 17th century C-SPAN.... Read more Read less

See it if you know you enjoy Stoppard or have an open and willing mind to engage with absurdist theatre.

Don't see it if you just like to be entertained or don’t think you should have to “work” to enjoy a play.