Megan 7302

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 lower is because overall it still came off as fairly charming and the singing was good.
The show read as very dated. [Spoilers ahead]. The first act introduced these 4 women coming together to spend a month in Italy--one in a relationship with an abusive man; one married to a man she can barely hold a conversation with; one widow who openly admits she wasn't in love with her husband; and one who is supposed to marry a man but decides not to because she's not in love with him. Here I am, thinking, wow this has so much, potential for progressive queer theater. Nope! They're all straight! Bummer.
Also, I felt like all of the pretty serious issues in this weren't actually resolved. The abusive husband comes to Italy and he's like "Wow it's so pretty here I'll stop yelling at you" like great but you still have to go back to London where you'll continue to be gross. I'm going to run out of characters, but overall...mediocre... 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 positive reviews. I sat through it and kept hoping it would get better. It did not. Bryan Cranston was excellent but all of the other actors were much weaker (though I suspect that's partially due to a very clunky script). I hadn't seen the movie so I didn't know the plot. [Minor spoilers ahead]: The show was quite a bit too long (2 hours without intermission) and part of that was taken up by these two characters who had no personality other than being horrendously annoying deciding to have an affair with each other. This had absolutely nothing to do with the main character (Cranston) and did nothing to move the plot. Every time they were onstage together I cringed. Why am I supposed to care about this adulterous man and this unfeeling woman who have zero chemistry? I even had trouble feeling anything towards Cranston's character. It was such an unfeeling, unjoyous, soulless show.... 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 seem so beautiful and moving--but then you actually think about the context in which they're shown, and suddenly it changes. [Spoilers]: I really don't like the plot. I understand that Evan was feeling pressure from Connor's parents to say the letter was Connor's, but that's really not a valid excuse to lie to everyone about everything for several months. And the Connor Project would have been a good thing if the goal was to raise awareness about teen mental illness and suicide, but it...wasn't?? Evan was doing it because he felt pressured to and Alana was doing it because she wanted to put something on her resume (she did say later that it was important to her because she felt alone but that was the only time she was ever a three-dimensional character). This show is exhausting. It's very long, there is so much crying, and I didn't feel like it was a diverse portrayal of mental illness.... 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 kind of force myself to stay engaged, but there were a lot of really good parts of it. The acting was good (there were either some slip-ups from the actors or the script includes quite a bit of stuttering) and the direction was great. I loved the set--it was a house cut straight down the middle so you could see the insulation and the inside of beds and chairs. I also really liked the music during set changes. There were some good twists that I didn't expect and quite a bit of emotional tension. It was definitely too much *everyone yelling at the same time* for me. I found about 1 1/2 of the 5 characters to be likable, but the others were really well-crafted characters anyway. I really didn't like that the characters smoked on stage, it gave me a headache and didn't add much to the story.... 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 were disconnected from the overarching idea of the show instead of furthering the themes of the show, and that made the experience less enjoyable. I'm also just personally not a fan of disco and didn't think it worked well in this context. The moments of serious introspection were the most resonant and the disco music that usually followed those moments gave the show less of a presence.... 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 a little punk concert beforehand from KnuckleHead which was a fun time (I'm not too into punk but the energy was great!). Be warned that if you sit down, you have to buy food or drinks (the chocolate chip cookies were delicious, though).
The show itself was also better than my expectations. The plot was just as stupid as you think it'll be but the show was super self-aware and didn't try to portray itself as 'serious theatre.' If you know Starkid/A Very Potter Musical/Me and My Dick, the humor was very similar to that, which is totally to my taste but I can also 100% see why someone else would hate it. Overall, Pop Punk High was a really fun show that had me laughing and enjoying myself the whole time.... 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's not really a bad thing. It was very interesting and I feel like I learned quite a bit without it feeling like a lecture. I thought sometimes it was a bit heavy handed with the personal backstory and sad stares into the audience. Also there were probably 5-10 minutes in the middle of the show where the secondary male character has a weirdly emotional monologue that didn't seem to fit into the show at all and although it would have been interesting by itself, I found myself wondering, "Wait why is he even telling us this?" There was also a debate section at the end that was funny and engaging, but again I think it would have been stronger without this as it took away from the central storyline of the main character.... 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 like the humor; I thought 2 of the 3 characters were immensely dislikeable; the plot didn't go anywhere the entire show. It was a mildly interesting premise but they really didn't do anything with it. I didn't feel connected with any of the characters. The acting overall was pretty good, though I wish they didn't have to cry on command because that didn't work out very well. I thought this play went on and on without having much action, relatable dialogue, or interesting content.... 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 of the characters covered in fur and calling her an animal. I'm still confused about the universe this story was set in. None of the characters were likeable. [Spoilers ahead]: We have the woman desperately in love with a blatantly disgusting man who doesn't love her back; we have the disgusting man who captures this woman covered in fur because he's in love with her and wants to have sex with her; and we have the woman covered in fur who's desperately in love with the first woman because she's...pretty? Massive rape dynamics with the man and the fur woman. Altogether gross. I think they were going for some sort of race/ethnicity metaphor but it was totally lost. Also not for the faint of heart--the woman covered in fur eats very realistic looking animals on stage and also part of a human. Unpleasant. After about the 70 minute mark I started asking myself 'when will this end' but it just kept going and going.... 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 reviews from my friends, but I'm mad at how much I enjoyed it. I thought most of the songs were super fun, there were some great comedic moments, and I left feeling like it exceeded my expectations. Do I think it's a great show? No. It has a lot of serious problems, and I think we should talk about why we're stilling using 'man in a dress' as comedy instead of discussing the gender politics surrounding the show. They get a little more into that here than they did in the movie, but it's not enough. It markets itself as being a pro-queer show, yet pretty much every single character is decidedly straight and cis, which gives the whole show kind of an uncomfortable vibe. However. I still had a good time??... 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 me as really cheesy and indulgent. There were lots of short, irrelevant subplots that distracted from the main themes. The whole point (I think?) was that the women working the phone lines were Very Important to WWI but by the end I'm still not sure why they were So Important (they even say in one of the final songs that they might have made no difference). The five main characters are all vaguely interesting but they feel contrived and stereotypical, and none of them had anything actually interesting about them. The songs, which I think could have been really excellent with some more work, were significantly too upbeat at certain times (there was one where they were all singing happily about how they might only have 15 minutes to live). Overall it wasn't a BAD show, it was just a lot less amazing than I think it had the capability of being based on the premise.... 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 (300 years into the future, where robots and humans and part-human-part-robots all live together) and made it into an incredibly emotionally driven, relevant piece. The main actor was endearing and super good at guitar and banjo. The main actress was absolutely stunning--her stage presence was extraordinary and her voice and her acting and everything else was awesome. The other members of the band all brought unique energies that all mixed together for a magical show. The story was surprisingly emotional because of the masterful storytelling and execution--I actually cried (which is really, really rare). I thought it took an interesting and weird concept and made it very relevant. A really thought-provoking show.... 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 and I really enjoyed most of the staging. The beginning of Act 2 (no spoilers) was just...stunning. I still thought parts of the plot were kind of problematic and/or just a bit boring, but that's the fault of the script, not this production. Overall I thought it was really well done and would definitely recommend it!... 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 downs of someone with Asperger's in an honest, self-aware way. Unfortunately, the characters treated it as a joke, as something to be pitied, and as an excuse to treat the man with Asperger's like an annoyance and a burden. Knowing people with Asperger's who are hilarious and awesome if you treat them like actual people, this was just kind of insulting. One of the shows 'arcs' was the main character 'getting over' his Asperger's without medication or therapy...just magically 'getting better,' which I don't find to be a healthy portrayal of the disorder.
There were also some boring/forced romance plotlines that just made everything worse. There were some funny lines but the cringe factor outweighed the comedy for me.... 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 would be a little cringe-worthy, which it was. The rapping itself was well-done and there was some really impressive freestyle as well as cleanly scripted verse with visuals. He made a few too many awkward sex jokes for my taste, especially since they didn't seem to land with anyone else either. It's more of a psychological analysis of consciousness than it is a scientific, neuroscientific analysis. Some of the songs were really good and others were kind of boring. I'm glad that he seems to be doing what he loves, and I had a fun time with just a bit of secondhand embarrassment.... 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 singing was great. Some of the more mellow songs were a bit boring, but the full ensemble songs were breathtaking. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the story within the story, as it relied too heavily on love-at-first-sight, especially with a male love interest who isn't really that great of a person (so I'm annoyed that the girl was willing to give up so much to him). But it was staged so well, a really enjoyable production that had me on the verge of emotional tears a few times. Definitely recommend.... 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