Mimi B 7354

See it if Just see it!

Don't see it if You’re not human. You don’t like puppets. Although this show could make anyone love puppets.If you don’t like African music.

Also I refused to pay full price for tickets to this show and I’ve tried to get Broadway 2 for 1 tix to it for years. I finally got them, and I did love the show. I would see it again, which is my highest compliment. The people/puppets are so imaginative that I felt like I was really in Africa (and I have been there.) The music is beautiful.... Read more Read less

See it if You love the songs and the dancing, and don’t mind a modern update of the show. I found this to be more authentic than previous versions.

Don't see it if You are a purist. You will hate this version.

Also Pimental was superb as Maria. Isaac Powell, Tony, was replaced by his understudy, Jordan Dobson, who’s voice was less strong than Maria’s. Ben Cook, as Riff, wasn’t hitting his notes. The giant screen behind the actors made me feel like I was watching a movie instead of a play, and the actors looked like little dolls in front of the screen. I thought that was sort of cool. The choreography was repetitive and the actors spent an inordinate amount of time on the stage floor. To me, dancing should be up, not down. And while I did think that this was more authentic than the movie, I didn’t feel touched by any of the characters. The movie always makes me cry.
Also, make sure to get seats in the middle or you won’t see the screen. We were 3 and 4 seats off the left aisle, but the people in the seats more to the side had trouble seeing the screen.... Read more Read less

See it if You like musical revues. If you like the music of Maury Yeston. If you want to see 5 wonderfully talented young people singing and dancing

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals or musical revues. You want to see a production on a large stage.

Also The cast was so good. I think that these young people, especially Justin Keyes, will go places.,... Read more Read less

See it if You like urban characters and humor. This play humanizes the dispossessed amongst us.

Don't see it if You are easily offended by cursing and by down and out characters. You are not an empathetic person.

Also Some reviewers criticized this play because of the length (3.25 hours) and the number of characters. I am a very critical person and thought that I may have had to leave at intermission, but I was spellbound and entranced with every character. 3+ hours sped by. I loved this play.... Read more Read less

See it if You must see Peter Dinklage in person.

Don't see it if You feel uncomfortable with off-key singing and high school level choreography.

Also My friend left at intermission, but I stayed. The second act was worst than the first. The fighting scenes were high school quality. And how does the first act, with Peter Dinklage shouting the actor off the stage relate to anything? The songs all sounded like the same pop songs. And I couldn’t help but think that Dinklage was casted to draw more of an audience. Meh.... Read more Read less

See it if You like new musicals. You like politically relevant theater.

Don't see it if You only like traditional musicals by Rogers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, etc and don’t appreciate parodies.

Also I missed so many of the subtleties of this show that I want to see it again! Read the reviews before you go. I avoid doing this, but it would have been useful in this case.... Read more Read less

See it if You would like to see a Meatloaf concert with great staging. The book doesn’t matter too much to you.

Don't see it if You want a real story. It was kind of silly. This did not interfere with my enjoyment at all.

Also I didn’t look at my watch once and the 2 hrs 45 min flew by. If you like Meat Loaf, see it! But the choreography was very weak. Maybe they were trying to be true to the era, but jazz dance is so boring, especially with all of these young able-bodied actors. Jazz hands are not dancing!... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate the choreography of martial arts.

Don't see it if You are expecting a musical.

Also I thought that this show was very brave. My complaints were that there were spotlights behind the stage which were shining into the audience and there were actors who blocked the view in the most important scene (and we were 4th row center), so that the second act made no sense to me. I also objected to the spotlights moving over the audience instead of the stage during the disco scenes. We weren’t in the show, so it was annoying. With only 3 not very understandable songs, it was hardly a musical. All of that being said, the simple staging was great, I loved the lighting when it wasn’t in my eyes, and the choreography, which WAS Kung fu-ish, was great. I’m glad I saw it.... Read more Read less

See it if You can get cheap seats. You are a big fan of touring Bourbon Street in NOLA.

Don't see it if You don’t like a monotonous score. You expect a modicum of chemistry between two leads who are supposed to be star-crosses lovers.

Also Reeve Carney played Orpheus like he was an awkward middle school kid whose voice hadn’t changed yet. Will Swenson makes a much better Lord of the underworld than Patrick Page. OMG, I can’t get that gravel voice out of my head. There was no chemistry or believability in any of the relationships. I’m pissed I paid $189 for tickets. I never do that.... Read more Read less

See it if You’d like to see a great play by Jesse Eisenberg.

Don't see it if You don’t like Susan Sarandon and you like neat endings. Although it had more of an ending than most the last two seasons in theater.

Also I think this would have been much better without having a political ignoramus like Susan Sarandon cast in it. And i’m not even a conservative. I won’t even buy Tylenol anymore because her voice overs make me sick.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Sam Shepard’s plays. You don’t mind a confusing ending.

Don't see it if You object to animals being used as props ( and upstaging the actors). You don’t like to see dysfunctional families.

Also I will never forget the analogy of the eagle and the cat, which haunts me, even though I didn’t understand it. It doesn’t seem that it was the two predators who fought and died, but rather the members of the family. So I didn’t get it.... Read more Read less

See it if You like goofy plays. You like John Larroquette. You know what a Nantucket Sleigh Ride is.

Don't see it if You expect a typical John Guare play.

See it if You like edgy dramas set in what looks like a David Hockney landscape. Warning-the first row gets wet.

Don't see it if Nudism offends you or you are homophobic.

See it if You want to see a married couple ( I assume) talking about the husband abusing the wife as they flee (white people ?) in South Africa.

Don't see it if You want any suspense.

Also This was so disappointing compared to other Signature productions.

See it if You like Lynn Nottage’s work. You want to explore issues of race that span 70 years. It is hilarious.

Don't see it if You’re not interested in seeing racial inequality.

See it if You have an interest in the history of the Vietnam War era.

Don't see it if You’re not interested in this period of history.

Also Full disclosure-I am from Catonsville and I went to grade school at St. Mark’s, which is the church mentioned in the show. I was in 7th or 8th grade and I remember the day well. I had never seen this play, and the staging was very interesting. The audience was seated 360 degrees around the actors on benches that almost seemed like jury benches. I thought that the actors did an excellent job.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a heartwarming show which questions what makes someone a man.

Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with gender fluidity.k

Also The show starts very slowly. The scenes in the shoe store are gloomy and the songs aren’t very good. Andy Kelso as Charlie Price was completely overwhelmed by the orchestra-my friend and I could not understand the words to his songs. But when Callen Francis as Lola appears with his group of drag queens, the whole tone of the show changed and I started to enjoy it. When Lola appears as Simon and the focus changes to what makes a man, I loved it. It really got me thinking. It closes soon, so get your tickets!... Read more Read less

See it if You haven’t had your fill of addiction plays.

Don't see it if You want to see something interesting and unpredictable. If you liked “People, Places, and Things”, you won’t like this.

Also This was such a waste of tremendous talent. Spoiler alert-something happens at the end of the first act. Something else happens at the end of the second act. The something else is not worth waiting for.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Bryan Cranston. He is brilliant in this, and is the reason I saw it.

Don't see it if You are bored by a slow pace. You don’t want to see a sex scene on stage. You really don’t care how TV networks work.

Also I grew up in the 60’s and 70‘s, so loved the old TV ads being flashed on the screen behind the stage when the news was not being broadcast. Since I was in the nosebleed seats, I appreciated the action being projected on the large screen. Bryan Cranston was mesmerizing. But I found myself looking at my watch. I thought all of the corporate stuff was unnecessary and confusing-it could have been simplified. And the secondary plot which culminated in a sex act on stage was absolutely unnecessary and uncomfortable, and I am no prude. 2 hours with no intermission is too long. So don’t add intermission, make the play shorter IMHO.
One last thing, I saw some LBJ in Howard Beale. But maybe all old men look alike to me-LOL!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see masterful acting. This play was close to perfect. The only play I rated higher was “The Curious Incident of the Dog ...”

Don't see it if You are expecting a staged version of the movie.

Also The children are played by adults, but they were totally believable. I was spellbound the entire time. My only problem was some confusion between the present time and flashbacks.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like medical shows and musicals, you’ll love this. Also if you like to support young talent.

Don't see it if You don’t like to hear women singing who clearly need voice lessons. I got bad chills up my spine whenever Tiff and Christina sang.

Also Kudos to Michael Ehrenreich for his achievement here. My objections were the nasally, throaty singing of Christina and Tiff, and the stereotyping of the women as boyfriend-seeking over study and rich bitch. Two better stereotypes would have been sexually harassed student and single mother trying to have a career. But the truth doesn’t get laughs. I loved the concept of the legacy kid-in my experience they don’t let them quit.
I would love to see this show succeed and I look forward to Michael’s next show.... Read more Read less

See it if You liked Cyprus Road. You would like a good play and can forgive a lot of stereotyping and derivative references from other works.

Don't see it if You can’t sit through a 3+ hour show. You don’t want to see a play about the Irish written by an Englishman.

Also Muldoon was a Darth Vader or Marvel comic villain with his ridiculous clothes and diction. The children were delightful, but I agree with one critic who said that the family reminded him of the Brady Bunch. In the 3rd act, you knew that something evil was going to happen as the Corcoran cousins began drunkenly (remember they’re Irish-(sarcasm)) egging their cousin Oisin on to take revenge on an English farmhand for the supposed acts of unrelated Englishmen, leading to the final tragic (operatic or Shakespearean?) ending.... Read more Read less

See it if You liked Wakey Wakey. If you can appreciate that the non-linearity of the play is the way our minds work. You like Michael C. Hall.

Don't see it if You don’t like stream of consciousness plays. It’s very existential.

Also The guy who leaves at the beginning is a plant, people. Michael c. Hall is so handsome and talented, I could watch him do nothing for 70 minutes. But I really think this was a demonstration of how our minds work, in a totally non-linear way, and I loved it. If you want a linear plot, don’t see it! There’s no real ending, but it works here.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy non-linear plots and stories about WWII.

Don't see it if You expect any of Vonnegut’s satire. I kept waiting for it to appear, but no.

Also Very well acted, especially by Gabriel Grilli, but the non-linear plot and the ensemble characters became difficult to follow. There’s no Vonnegut here. And so it goes...... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy family dramas.

Don't see it if You’re not interested in a female Asian playwright’s interpretation of straight white men. (Which is hilarious nonetheless).

Also There is driving, loud hip-hop music playing in the theater before the show. It is designed to make you uncomfortable. It gave me a headache. This is somehow supposed to be linked to the discomfort induced by 2 actors of indeterminate gender who introduce the show. If you get headaches from loud music, take your seat at the last minute.

Most straight white men that I know are glued to football games at Christmas, not singing and dancing, but this was clearly a different kind of family, with 3 grown sons, a John Mahoney type of father, and a deceased mother who is still a huge presence in the play. I felt that the play deteriorated near the end, and I was disappointed and a little bit confused by the ending.... Read more Read less

See it if You have any interest in gay male culture from the 80’s to the present, related in a very creative way.

Don't see it if You are homophobic or are not interested in the history of HIV/AIDS.

Also The first act was a little slow, but the second and third were much more interesting. I am a doctor who treated AIDS patients prior to the HAART drugs, so this play resonated with me.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Little Shop. You are a fan of musicals. There was nothing dated about this revival. I’m so glad I saw it.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals.

Also The plant was this incredible puppet with people inside of it! I don’t even like puppets but I thought it was ingenious. The entire cast was fantastic. Josh Geoff was totally believable as Seymour, a huge jump from King George III! Tickets were very expensive for an off-Broadway show.... Read more Read less

See it if You loved “Waiting for Godot” and would like to see it with gay black actors.

Don't see it if You don’t like stereotypical characters. Several of them reminded me of Maya Rudolph in SNL.

Also I am a doctor who took care of AIDS patients at the height of the epidemic in the 1980’s. There is nothing new here, although perhaps for the older white crowd that seemed to be amused. As one of the characters aptly said, “This ain’t no Angels in America.” Yup.... Read more Read less

See it if You like a detective story that you’ll never know the ending to.

Don't see it if You like your drama to have a neat definite ending.

Also The playwrite plays with your emotions in an unfair and manipulative way. (Spoiler alerts)
Why did Bill die? Did he commit suicide? Because he was gay? Was he his father’s son? Why did the mother reveal possible infidelity at the end of the play? Why did the photo of Bill on the piano look like a biracial person? Why was the maid from when Bill was a baby brought back not just once, but twice? What was her purpose? What were the purposes of the stepfather and his kin from Atlanta? The whole thing was a hot mess, which makes 2 strikes and no hits for Signature this season.... Read more Read less

See it if You like the work of Anna Deavere Smith, and don’t mind seeing it without her performing.

Don't see it if You’re not into social justice issues. You’re a racist.

Also I remember these incidents so clearly in NY history. It was a painful time and Anna Devere Smith does a fantastic job of portraying a very painful chapter on our lives as NYers... Read more Read less

See it if You like Brian Cox’s acting and are interested in American history from 1965-68. Without some knowledge of the era, you may get confused.

Don't see it if You don’t want to sit for nearly 3 hours. If you didn’t like Oslo.

Also I can’t believe that there was none of the music from the sixties in the show. It would have added so much! Brian Cox was masterful as LBJ, even speaking in the right accent. He did flub a few lines though. Richard Thomas played Hubert Humphrey like a smiling cipher. There was no character development at all. Nixon was in the show for 5 minutes and his character was more developed.
My main complaint is that the show is too long, and needs to be tightened up. 3 hours with intermission is just too much.... Read more Read less

See it if You like night club acts. That’s where I felt I was the whole show.

Don't see it if You don’t like jukebox musicals. You’re expecting a romance.

Also This show was glitzy, but forgettable. It was also heavy on crotch views. I could have done with fewer women with their bottoms up. I don’t think it was worth the price I paid.... Read more Read less

See it if You love great singing and dancing. The energy on stage is amazing!

Don't see it if You’re racist.

Also I loved this show! These performers worked so hard that it was unbelievable. And I loved that the Supremes were in it. Moving and entertaining-makes you want to sing! Recommended for all humans.... Read more Read less

See it if You like musicals, because this was right up there with some of the Broadway musicals. If you like stories with strong WOC as leads.

Don't see it if Racism and child abuse are central themes of the story and it is very uncomfortable to watch people being abused. If you are too sensitive,

Also This show really moved me. The voices were unbelievably strong and I thought it was enchanting how they portrayed the bee keeping. I loved being able to see the orchestra on stage. I thought that the orchestra could have been a smidge more quiet-sometimes I couldn’t hear the words to the songs.... Read more Read less

See it if You love the Temptations and other bands of the era. I was in my high school glory bc the bands in high school moved/sang like these guys.

Don't see it if You don’t like music or dancing, or the history of American music.

Also I don’t know how these guys do this 8 shows a week! The first show that made me smile and clap in a long time.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a sort of rom-com with 2 great actors.

Don't see it if You object to partial nudity and strong language. This is for adults only. If you want a big show-there are only 2 actors on the stage.

Also Although the show kept my attention the whole time, I feel that it could have been 1/2 hour shorter, or as another reviewer suggested, reworked into a one act play.... Read more Read less

See it if You like bawdy plays- the first act reminded me of Blazing Saddles.

Don't see it if You don’t remember your college Greek history. Besides Socrates and Plato, there are numerous characters with long Greek names.

See it if If you have to see everything Nathan Lane is in. If you like sophomoric humor. If you are a 12 year old boy.

Don't see it if You find jokes about penises, feces, farts, etc funny. If you don’t have a strong stomach forget it. I’m a doctor and I found it gross.

Also I couldn’t understand the first 15 minutes of the show at all. Nathan Lane is totally wasted in this show, which I compare to Blazing Saddles. I did like the set though. Full disclosure-I hate Shakespeare and I only got the ticket to see Nathan Lane.... Read more Read less

See it if You like gospel music and coming of age stories.

Don't see it if You are homophobic or you have no knowledge or appreciation for black spirituals.

Also I went with a group of all gay people except me. The two Catholics ( I’m one) in the group loved it. The others not so much. I’m not sure it’s going to click with people who didn’t grow up with some kind of black spiritual music.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to have a fun evening. I had no idea that this play was about, but I learned a lot about Van Halen, and laughed a lot.

Don't see it if You don’t like gender bending roles. The male roles are played by women and Valerie Bertinelli is played by a man.

Also Here’s what I knew about Van Halen before this show-Eddie was married to Valerie Bertinelli and David Lee Roth did a miserable job replacing Howard Stern when Howard moved to Sirius. It was fun learning about the band and really fun seeing women acting like the adolescent boys that rock stars act like.... Read more Read less

See it if You like musicals and silly shows.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals or you want something serious.

See it if You have been on the roller coaster of whether to have a child or not.

Don't see it if You don’t understand why people would want or not want children. People I know who have seen it and are childless have not enjoyed it.

Also It was a little bit long.

See it if You want to see Glenn Close in an intimate theater setting.

Don't see it if You expect any originality to the Joan of Arc story. The anachronisms were silly.

Also I seriously couldn’t understand the reason for this play to be put on. It was totally boring and added nothing to the Joan d’Arc story. Isabelle Arc? Is she related to Noah’s Ark? I couldn’t wait for it to end.... Read more Read less

See it if You like musicals with great singing and even better dancing. Even if you weren’t a product of the 90’s.

Don't see it if You don’t like fluffy musicals or shows about teens.

Also I went to this fully expecting to hate it, the same way I hated Mean Girls. But it’s so sweet and funny that I found myself smiling throughout the show and clapping often. It does use 1990’s songs and rewrites the lyrics. A lot of reviewers have criticized this and I don’t understand why. Fun facts-I guess in the movie, the dress that Cher wore was a Tahari, and they wouldn’t give a dress, so it became an Armani. Also, they wanted to use a song from Boyz II Men and couldn’t get the rights, so they used an In Sync song. I was fortunate enough to attend a talk back with Amy Heckerling, the playwright and Kristin Hanggi, the director. I hope this goes to Broadway.... Read more Read less

See it if You like great singing and dancing.

Don't see it if You don’t like shows about seedy people. But everyone should see it once.

See it if If you love musicals and are interested in the history of the Musical that saved Broadway for us!

Don't see it if You have no heart

Also Everyone came in in a bad mood because of the weather. Everyone left as friends. OMG- the talent on that stage!... Read more Read less

See it if You love the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. You love musicals. This one of the beat!

Don't see it if You want a traditional Broadway staging of the show. It’s small scale.

Also My only objection was to the Dream ballet sequence, which looked like someone from Cirque de Soleil escaped and found a different show to go to. Don’t get me wrong, she was incredible, but totally incongruous with the rest of the show. It was modern dance in the middle of a show written in 1943 about a period in US history in the 1800’s. I was baffled.
Giving the audience beans and cornbread at intermission was a nice touch, and didn’t result in a major audience fart attack, like I expected.
I seriously had chills through most of the rest of the show bc the songs and the voices are so beautiful. And I did give a rare standing o.... Read more Read less

See it if You like family drama-dies. If you liked The Humans or Fish Out of Water you’ll like this.

Don't see it if The subject of Alzheimer’s upsets you. You want a happy ending.

Also Two things really bugged me. First, they referred to paintings as “pictures” during the whole show. Second, why they didn’t put this family member into assisted living is beyond me. (No it’s not-there wouldn’t have been a story.). I saw one review which criticized the movie footage between set changes, but I thought that these showed the old lady as a younger person. Elaine May was unbelievably good as a woman slowly unraveling. In fact the entire cast was excellent, although I’m not sure of the significance of the Michael Cera character. I have to say that it did not end as I expected it to.... Read more Read less

See it if You have an interest in how evangelical Christians think. Especially important in this day and age.

Don't see it if You have no interest in plays with heavy religious overtones. You don't tolerate yelling.

Also I did keep wondering through the whole play how it was going to end and it didn't end like I thought it would, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I also like Christian hymns and there are a lot of them sung in the show. I sat in the top row and was glad because there was a lot of yelling. The view is great from all seats.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a funny, contemporary play with all kinds of gay.

Don't see it if You’re homophobic. You don’t like cross generational love affairs.

Also It was at times hilarious and at times touching. Idina Menzel was brilliant as a woman from NY visiting her gay father in LA, with her different kind of gay son.... Read more Read less