See it if You want to see a Broadway classic; if you want great singing and cool sets; easy digital lottery for $40 tickets
Don't see it if You don't like ALW; if a mix of opera and musical theatre sounds weird (it is); creepy relationship dynamics bother you
See it if You want to see talented actors having a really fun time on stage; if you want to see Christian Borle give 200% to like 10 different roles
Don't see it if You need leads to have massive romantic chemistry; you're upset by mentions of spousal abuse/death
See it if You want a very Okay show with some pretty good music that lasts for almost 3 hours with lots of unanswered questions. Kind of charming.
Don't see it if You expect something feminist/queer/progressive; if having the whole pit be 2 keyboards is annoying.
Also I have a few problems with this show. The reason I didn't score it low... Read more Read less
See it if If you want a fun night out watching enthusiastic actors with really cool sets/effects
Don't see it if If you need something super deep; if you need interesting music (it's all pretty generic broadway-pop-rock)
See it if You want to see Parker in an interesting role; if you like 2-person plays; if you don't mind lofty speeches and discussions of death
Don't see it if You want something uplifting; if you need likeable male characters; if you want a good discussion of sexuality ("26% lesbian" just say bi)
See it if You want to see talented child actors and an interesting premise about how childhood affects the rest of your life
Don't see it if Cigarette smoke bothers you; child actors /kids cursing makes you uncomfortable; if you need something super flashy.
See it if You want a contemporary take on a known myth; if you like innovative staging and amazing, unique actors; if you support contemporary theater
Don't see it if You're sensitive to sound (my ears rang after), if you don't like hard-hitting metaphors, if you don't like high male voices
See it if You want to hear some man's vaguely boring, indulgent life story while watching 4 modern dancers move slowly around the room for 90 minutes
Don't see it if You don't like 1-man shows; if you don't care know the main actor personally; if you don't know the history of La Mama; if you need any plot
See it if You like being vaguely confused but in a good way; if you like great performances and creative staging/costumes/choreography.
Don't see it if You don't like Spring Awakening-style songs (also weird obsession with girls growing boobs??); if you prefer traditional theater
See it if You care only about great acting; if you can stand mediocre script/dialogue for 2 straight hours; if you really like straight plays
Don't see it if You're expecting a modern classic; if boring subplots about unlikable characters having affairs is annoying; if breakdowns are upsetting
Also I walked into Network expecting to love it. I had heard nothing but po... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see what the hype is about; if you want to see great acting; if you like lots of crying and plots that rely on lying
Don't see it if You need an actual, helpful portrayal of mental illness; you don't like being manipulated by power chords and Loud Singing to feel emotions
Also I feel kind of bad scoring DEH this low because so many of the moments... Read more Read less
See it if You're looking for some cute, fluffy LGBT representation; if you like big production numbers; if you want to smile but not be challenged
Don't see it if You're annoyed by cheesy, almost substance-less works; if you need believable plot lines or characters; if pressure to come out is upsetting
See it if You want new arrangements of Bob Dylan songs; if you like atmosphere more than plot; if you like character-filled stories
Don't see it if You need the mixture of songs and plot to make sense (it felt like 10 min of play then 5 min of Bob Dylan then back to the play)
See it if You're interested in a huge cast of good actors; if you're into Irish politics; if you like family dramas with political undertones
Don't see it if Diversity is important; if smoking onstage bothers you; if a 3+ hour-long play about politics of white people sounds boring
See it if You're interested in a different perspective on the Vietnam War; if you like plays; if you like political dramas and small, intimate casts
Don't see it if Actors smoking on stage bothers you; if you don't like plays; if lots of yelling isn't your thing; if a bit of male nudity bothers you
Also Overall, I liked the show. I'm more of a musical person so I had to ki... Read more Read less
See it if You like drag shows, want a refreshing look at the state of our nation through an individual perspective, like disco
Don't see it if One-person-centric shows aren't to your taste, if you don't like disco, if loud music bothers you, if you want a through-composed show
Also Jomama was a really great performer. I felt like some of the songs wer... Read more Read less
See it if You're looking for a nontraditional theatre experience that brings back the nostalgia of the 2000s with great atmosphere and energy
Don't see it if You're looking for a serious night out; if strobe lights affect you; if you hate loud noises (I brought earplugs)
Also I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this show. There was ... Read more Read less
See it if You're interested in how politics and personal lives combine throughout different generations. If you like plays with strong women.
Don't see it if You hate small, intimate settings. If you hate audience participation (there's just a bit). If sexual assault or abortion are triggers.
Also This seemed like more of an interesting TED talk than a play, but that... Read more Read less
See it if You enjoy theatre from the early-mid-20th century, can look past stupid jokes and mild racism, enjoy great choreography
Don't see it if You want something at all thought provoking or deep
See it if You're over 50 (or have the humor of someone over 50), like mean-spirited characters
Don't see it if Actors smoking real cigarettes bothers you, if wildly predictable, over-dramatic dialogue bothers you
Also I think I just wasn't the right audience member for this. I didn't lik... Read more Read less
See it if You want a great revival of a play that helped define LGBT+ presence in theater, want a look into gay relationships, appreciate great acting
Don't see it if You dislike long works (this ran from 2-5pm including intermission), lots and lots of sometimes repetitive dialogue.
See it if You want an interesting perspective on Chinese/Chinese-American/American relations and the pressures parents put on their children.
Don't see it if You don't like plays, you want perfect acting (some of it was stilted), you don't like forced romances.
See it if You like rock music, appreciate good staging
Don't see it if You like good dialogue (it was really awful), if songs with lyrics "kill yourself, kill yourself" will upset you (& other talk of murder)
See it if You like non-traditional Broadway music, don't mind a shorter musical, aren't looking to be blown away by a story
Don't see it if Plots that rely on romance bother you, if you like more substantial works
See it if You love Dave Malloy and want to hear more of his imaginative work
Don't see it if Murky plot frustrates you, if you need to know every single thing that happening
See it if You liked the movie; want something charming; like actors also playing instruments on stage
Don't see it if Actors smoking bothers you (it doesn't smell great), physical violence/discussion of sexual assault bothers you;if you didn't like the movie
See it if You want to see two very good actresses and a fine actor with some pretty cool lighting. Those are the only reasons.
Don't see it if If you don't like bestiality, brief cannibalism, a plot that goes nowhere, 2 hours with no intermission, seemingly no point to this show.
Also Who knew that you could make a love triangle even worse--by having one... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see talented performers try really hard at a hopelessly bad script and score; if you need to see Gary Busey
Don't see it if You need literally any creativity in the music of a musical; if you don't like jokes that sound like they were written by mid-aged white men
See it if You want a thought-provoking, beautifully staged and acted production and you're not afraid to dig into uncomfortable emotions and thoughts
Don't see it if Racial slurs, nudity, violence, and/or rape are upsetting; if you're close minded about race in USA; if you're with family (it gets awkward)
See it if You want some psychological illusion and don't mind not knowing how he did it; if you like audience participation
Don't see it if You're looking for flashy magic (this is slower); if you need to know answers; if you're too skeptical about illusion
See it if You want a fun night and can ignore the underlying transphobia and sexism that pervades the whole show. Actors are really good at selling it
Don't see it if You're looking for something deep or pro-LGBT+. Definitely some 'yikes' moments and boomer humor, and not a great discussion of gender.
Also I thought I would hate this show because I had heard only negative rev... Read more Read less
See it if You want an absorbing staging of the show; if you want great acting and singing; if seeing a religious-critical show in a church sounds cool
Don't see it if You need to hear all the words (staging was cool but many words were lost); teen angst isn't your thing; you don't like the dying gays trope
See it if You want to open up dialogues about mental health (especially women's); if you want honest portrayals of issues we face every day
Don't see it if You're upset by anxiety/depression/other mental illness; if you need a diverse cast (it was quite white); if you need a linear storyline
See it if You want a new take on the classic novel with excellent acting and direction; if you don't mind some changes from the source material
Don't see it if Racist language is upsetting; if you want the exact version of the novel onstage; if seeing children portrayed by adults is weird.
See it if You want to see a beautiful production; a fresh take on a classic; I thought I would think it was dated, but it was charming/joyous/lovely!
Don't see it if You can't stand older/classic-sounding music or costumes, as those stay the same; if you hate when originals are altered at all
See it if You're interested in plays regarding racial politics and cop relations in current-day America. If you want good acting and a solid script.
Don't see it if Plays aren't your thing; repetitive yelling about repetitive subjects is annoying; if you want something happy; if you don't support BLM etc
See it if You want a well-done musical exploring human kindness through a traumatic event; if you want to hear fun Canadian folk tunes
Don't see it if You're looking for something serious (parts are definitely cliche); if 9/11 is still a fresh wound; if you need something really in-depth
See it if You like when actors play instruments onstage; if you want to learn a bit about WWI women; if you want to see an original premise
Don't see it if You dislike obvious and pop-y music to what could have been a great show; if you need a good script; if abrupt changes in tone annoy you
Also I REALLY wanted to like this show, but from the first song it struck m... Read more Read less
See it if If you want something unique, new, and totally engaging; if a folk musical about robots sounds awesome; if you want to feel a bunch of stuff
Don't see it if If you need huge productions; if you need extensive choreography/direction; if strobe lights affect you
Also Wow, I really enjoyed Rags Parkland! It took kind of an odd premise (3... Read more Read less
See it if You like contemporary theatre, if you like diverse and talented casts, cool lighting and staging, reimagined songs
Don't see it if You hate the plot of Oklahoma (it's pretty much the same as the original), if gunshots or darkness are triggers
Also It was such an interesting show! I found the cast to be super engaging... Read more Read less
See it if You're interested in plays that are both comedic and serious concerning relevant topics; you're interested in journalism
Don't see it if You want a larger cast; you really hate straight plays; if talk of suicide is triggering
See it if You're amused by people being mean to each other for an hour and a half.
Don't see it if Calling Asperger's a "disease" that needs to be cured is insulting; if straight white people being annoying and rude isn't your thing.
Also I was hoping that this production would manage to show the ups and dow... Read more Read less
See it if You want creative, well-done rap that provides existential, psychological analysis of what it means to be conscious.
Don't see it if You hate when performers interact with the audience, you don't want to see a middle-aged white man rant about being a middle-aged white man.
Also I enjoyed this just about as much as I was expecting to. I thought it ... Read more Read less
See it if You want a really lovely show with great staging, singing, and acting. If you want to be told a story.
Don't see it if A moderately generic tale of romance is a huge deterrent for you (though it's staged much more interestingly than that).
Also I really enjoyed this musical. The actors were all amazing, the singin... Read more Read less
See it if You like experimental theater with great singing and music. You want to be part of a story. You like politics/history.
Don't see it if If audience interaction freaks you out, if you need a coherent story/memorable characters. If the whole thing being in Ukrainian is bad.
See it if You want an imaginative, creatively staged and lit show with great singing and storytelling.
Don't see it if You need a totally linear plot, you prefer dialogue over songs.
See it if You want to be mildly confused (in a good way) for 75 minutes, like absurdist theater, want a bizarre futuristic look at Thomas Paine
Don't see it if The term "synth-opera" sounds like torture to you (because it is indeed a synth-opera), if loud, disjointed sounds/lights bother you
See it if You like stories that focus on friendship, you like emotional monologues, want to see a capture of the AIDS crisis
Don't see it if Shows with just 2 actors aren't your thing, if you don't like plays, if actors addressing the audience personally makes you uncomfortable
See it if You want to see stories of different people on the Autism spectrum, if you want a better understanding
Don't see it if Intense, honest portrayals of negative things are upsetting to you
See it if You want a hilarious, slightly improv-based show that's about kids finding their identities through spelling
Don't see it if You don't like humor or adults acting like children