Moose Murders

See it if you want 2 plays in 1: (1) a satire about competitive mothering at toddler day care, and (2) a dystopian apocalypse brutality. Very bizarre.

Don't see it if you want thoughtful theater. Despite very good acting, the writing sinks this painfully pathological tale which morphs into war & chaos.

See it if you want MESMERIZING entertainment by a superb mentalist/magician. Not a play or musical - and not ordinary B'way fare - but truly engaging.

Don't see it if you want story, music, or dance - or more than an impressive one-man show. A master entertainer, even skeptics will be stunned and amused.

Also Hard to rate this show. It's wonderful and entertaining, but decidedly tough to compare it to Broadway's roster of plays and musicals. But, as sheer entertainment, it's hard to beat.... Read more Read less

See it if you're patient with unpleasant characters talking pointlessly (& endlessly) - interspersed w/inexplicable dancing to loud pop. LONG 105 min.

Don't see it if you want thoughtful theater. Tries to be LaBute or Lonergan - but is instead poorly staged, banal conversation among emerging young adults.

See it if you want to be drawn in to a show's story and emotions. This FIDDLER powerfully tells its tale, with *SUPERB* staging and performances.

Don't see it if you're not willing to read super-titles or experience how transposing this show to Yiddish adds dimension and nuance to story & characters.

See it if you want sweet off-Bway musical by hardworking, talented cast with good voices. Clever and simple sets, visually appealing.

Don't see it if Anodyne music; occasionally clever lyrics. Show TOO LONG: should be 60-75min show - NOT 2hrs20min. Painfully over-amplified & sharp.

Also Over-amplification had audience members putting fingers in ears - and does real disservice to singers.... Read more Read less

See it if you want wonderfully staged Shakespeare comedy set in contemporary black America. Funny, entertaining. Great acting, esp. Brooks & Coleman.

Don't see it if you don't want Shakespeare's original text, albeit made accessible by great performances/staging. A trifle long at times, but quite good.

See it if you want BRILLIANT NEW TAKE on a classic musical. Staying within book and score, this production evokes darker (more realistic) themes.

Don't see it if you want conventional. Emotionally resonant, gritty, with, as such, greater heart ... this is not for all. Dream ballet, sadly, a waste.

See it if you want to experience an IMPORTANT THEATRICAL VOICE exploring key themes in identity, sexuality, family, & career. Superb performances!

Don't see it if you're not prepared for sexually frank dialogue, music, & action re: the life of a gay black man dealing with homophobia and body shame.

Also Show could be tighter (family sections and gospel church sequence run long) ... but it's compelling music, strong storytelling, and seven extraordinary performers depicting the inner life and exterior activity of a young gay black man struggling to find his way (and worth) in musical theater and in life. A SHOW WORTH SEEING.... Read more Read less

See it if you want very funny play that tackles serious topics of climate, relationships, and power. Humorous re-takes of film are very engaging.

Don't see it if you want pure comedy or pure drama. This blends both quite well, although the relationship sections can drag a bit.

See it if you like intense, serious drama. Looks at male-female relationship, love, war, fidelity, death. Great acting.

Don't see it if you want something fast-paced. This is deliberate (a bit slow occasionally) storytelling. Need to let the plot points unfold.

See it if you want superb performances (esp. Benning & Walker) and production of powerful Miller play about patriotism, profit, & honor during WWII.

Don't see it if you want something new or edgy. Miller's play builds on conventional "types" & story unfolds in strong yet expected fashion. Still gripping.

See it if you want timely & intellectually fulfilling exploration of Socrates' life/death made relevant for today's need to figure out what is truth.

Don't see it if you won't let an almost 3-hr play unfold. With Columbo-like style, Socrates probes assertions. Brain gymnastics give intellectual muscle.

See it if you want pop-rock musical w/"after-school-special"-theme re: high school popularity. Earnest, sweet, great performances. Fully engaging.

Don't see it if you want DEAR EVAN HANSEN or SPRING AWAKENING. This is sometimes trite, but tries hard to please. Energetic score w/some clever lyrics.

See it if you want cleverly imagined (& often funny) conversation among Hillary, Bill, Barack, & H's campaign mgr during 2008 Dem primary. Enjoyable.

Don't see it if you expect great revelations - or even great theater. This is made-for-TV quality ... but a guilty pleasure to envision such conversation.

See it if Fatuous farce on flatulence, feces, fluids, & fools --> *some* laughs. Political/moral tale tries to emerge, but remains inchoate & unclear.

Don't see it if Lane, Nielsen, White show comic chops - but can't overcome weak proto-Beckett/Ionesco (but ultimately futile) attempt at absurdist theater.

Also Desperately needed to be workshopped LONG BEFORE bringing to B'way. There are glimmers of comic and thought-provoking promise in an otherwise mess (literal and figurative) of a piece of (wannabe) theater of the absurd. Tries to be THE CHAIRS, THE MAIDS, HAPPY DAYS, or THE BALD SOPRANO -- but doesn't come close to clarity, insight, inspiration, or wit.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see 2 actors do very good job telling rather ordinary stories about tragedy/grief/loss/birth. Noteworthy without Jake? Not sure.

Don't see it if you want something sweeping or with spectacle. These are LOW KEY, unadorned monologues by two talented actors telling somber stories.

See it if you have patience for convoluted & ultimately unsatisfying storytelling. Good acting can't compensate for tedious, frenzied, erratic tale.

Don't see it if "Ride" of title is harpooned whale pulling fishermen in life or death struggle, but this play is more of a "wild good chase" to boredom.

See it if you want the essence of this superb Sondheim musical - deconstructed & reconstructed to excavate the show's heart. Strong music+plot combo.

Don't see it if you want meaningful character development along with story & music. Stripped down (and slightly expanded) book too full and yet slow.

See it if you want riveting piece re: role and power of civil disobedience in a democracy. Three actors superbly play all roles in Vietnam-era trial.

Don't see it if you're not prepared to grapple with complex social & political issues. Powerful & intense. Creative staging at times confusing or slow.

See it if you want an ebullient, modern day, rock-soaked MUSIC MAN. Fun, funny, with rock music that fits and enhances story & character. Enjoyable!

Don't see it if you want something new or innovative. This is a feel-good, upbeat tale -- albeit with cliched characters/story. Nothing edgy, but good fun.

See it if you want compelling first-person narrative of life and challenges of gay male commercial sex worker. Wonderful performance, well-staged.

Don't see it if you won't appreciate frank talk about male-male sex, or sex for money. Play is wordy (editing advised), but a unique theater experience.

See it if you like "magical realism." Intelligent & thoughtful premise, but wooden dialogue. Great insight, tho, into US-Mexico immigration history.

Don't see it if you don't appreciate poetic text, or "Twilight Zone"-type story. Acting was so-so, except for Del Fabro who was excellent.

See it if Why adapt a movie for stage if not going to use uniqueness of live theater to tell story in new ways? That's NETWORK'S problem; see movie.

Don't see it if Frenzied/confused/confusing staging can't make up for passionless story-telling. Cranston is great, but other performances indifferent.

See it if you want *brilliantly* staged blend of story & a cappella gospel. Evokes HISTORY BOYS &"Dead Poets Society" in school for young black men.

Don't see it if you're not comfortable with young gay men exploring sexuality in context of schoolboy homophobia and pressure to conform. Cliched at times.

See it if you want quintessentially Stoppard play re science vs faith, nature vs nurture. Intelligent, but feels like late-night grad student debate.

Don't see it if you're not prepared to think about philosophy, science, consciousness, and god. Terrific acting in academic, intellectually-grounded play.

See it if you want FUNNY and PROVOCATIVE exploration of race, gender, sexuality, sex, and power in relationships. SUPERB direction & acting by all 8.

Don't see it if you're uncomfortable w/intense & sexually explicit - & racial/racist - situations. Lots of laughs, but alongside raunchy yet potent themes.

See it if you want to learn about LBJ's presidency in 3 hrs. Strong performances (esp. Cox), but densely-packed drama tries to do too much. Too long.

Don't see it if no interest in 1960s US politics/history. Compelling, but undermined by length/scope. Tries for KING LEAR, but is History Channel instead.

See it if you loved Disney movie & want to evoke memories. Otherwise, this is mediocre staging with 1-2 strong performances (e.g., Bart, Rodriguez).

Don't see it if you want great musical theater. This is mediocre story-telling, cluttered staging, with a few good songs. Clearly for diehard fans of movie.

See it if you want dialogue-driven drama re marital infidelity & friendships. No real sets or costumes: focus is words, characters, relationships.

Don't see it if you're not prepared to listen & look. Spare staging (excellent use of turntable) forces focus on what characters say & how they stand/move.

See it if you want intense, well-acted tale of gay men dealing with religious fundamentalist homophobia, this time in Uganda. Impt. issue, good drama.

Don't see it if you want nuance: the good and bad sides are powerfully and clearly drawn. Cliched? Church hymns droned on; play could benefit from a trim.

See it if you want one-man show with POWERFUL STORYTELLING re: dramatic & traumatic childhood events in working class UK. Great tale, powerfully told.

Don't see it if you want spectacle. Cale re-creates all family members as if a fully populated stage. Music unfortunately unmemorable; doesn't add much.

See it if you enjoy plays speculating about interactions among politicals/royals, such as HILLARY & CLINTON, or TV's "The Crown." Good performances.

Don't see it if you want revelation. Depictions of Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth felt true to expectations, albeit well-played. Long speeches, at times.

See it if Intelligently-written piece evokes late 80s. Director Mayer brings out comedy aspects of play, but defuses its underlying power/intensity.

Don't see it if Limited heat or passion - relying instead on scene-chewing dramatics instead of real connection among characters. Witty dialogue entertains.

See it if you want a laugh-out-loud FUNNY musical that pays homage to music and humor that evokes "Your Show of Shows" and similar 1930s-1950s charm.

Don't see it if you want something new/edgy. This is charming, funny, nostalgic -- but not avant-garde. Act II evokes riotously funny PLAY THAT GOES WRONG.

See it if you want inventively-staged, poetic-style musical with bluesy/jazzy/rock score telling intertwined Greek myths re love, marriage, & climate.

Don't see it if you're not willing to indulge poetic-type storytelling, or want/expect a more conventional B'way musical.

See it if you want clever, thoughtful, funny, engaging play (mostly a one-woman show) re: constitution, reproductive rights, & gender-based violence.

Don't see it if you want structured plot. This feels more like well-written stream-of-consciousness style reflections on life, family, and powerful women.

See it if FASCINATING tale undermined by confused/confusing direction and OVERLY LONG script. Act 1 is great; Act 2 is tedious. 90-min play in 3 hrs.

Don't see it if Strong acting, but inexplicable directorial choices: Why piano player onstage? Why such a SLOW & predictable/known denouement? Unfortunate.

See it if you want FUNNY comedy, super-clever Yazbek lyrics, & good musical derived (not slavishly) from film. Fontana, Stiles, & Behlmann are great!

Don't see it if you expect instantly hummable tunes. Music strongly in service to story (lyrics are superb!). Julie role has least interesting songs/arc.

Also Many enjoyable B'way in-jokes/references. Lovely homage to the life/world of NYC's B'way actor.... Read more Read less

See it if you want satirical look at absurd scenarios re: African-American experience in post-Obama US. Funny (at times), w/strong, versatile acting.

Don't see it if you want impactful theater. While provocative, the slow, long, & disconnected vignettes don't necessarily make a whole. Still, worth seeing.

See it if you want AMERICAN SON + REASONS TO BE PRETTY + (in)famous Stanford Prison Experiment (sucked into extreme scenario). Good acting; long play.

Don't see it if you want tightly-written play. This is OVERLY LONG and very wordy. It's a 90-minute play wrapped in 3-hour shell. Provocative & intense.

Also Also similar to GOD OF CARNAGE in way it brings out "uncivilized" behavior in otherwise civilized people.... Read more Read less

See it if you want sparklingly ebullient classic Cole Porter musical. Fun, impressive choreography, and standout performances by Bleu & Styles.

Don't see it if you want something provocative or edgy. This is a GREAT revival of classic B'way fare: 2.5 hours of nonstop entertainment & great tunes!

See it if you want old-fashioned musical with lovely tunes and light, amusing tale. Great choice (again) for Encores. Gotay & Worsham esp. good.

Don't see it if You want something new or edgy - or you want lead w/powerhouse singing. Cusack's voice lovely for some scores, but not for belting Berlin.

See it if you want a DARK play (not a comedy) about family secrets and unresolved past. Harsh, intense, often unrelenting - w/shrill characters.

Don't see it if you want thoughtful story or characterization. Good performances undermined by weakness of play's overall construction & darkness.

See it if you want an impish spoof of PAJAMA GAME (music set to new - and often sexually graphic - lyrics). Earnest actors, lively engagement.

Don't see it if you expect the highest caliber professional polish. This is a workshop-in-waiting - eagerly trying out material. Spoof could be cleverer.

See it if you like LaBute's desire to shock with what's behind seemingly polite facades, or plays where characters speak apparent truths w/o guile.

Don't see it if you don't appreciate somewhat rambling, albeit usually interesting monologues (2 of the 3 pieces) where characters reveal un-PC thoughts.

See it if you want a classical chamber concert rather than a play. Minimal story/dialogue, but lots of lovely music, skillfully performed.

Don't see it if you expect compelling storytelling. Play seems to omit opportunity to make interesting its tale of conductor's opposition to fascism.

See it if you want the warmth of a Xmas fireside, family & friends, and a child's holiday joy -- with Xmas music amidst Thomas' lovely prose poem.

Don't see it if you want major plot or flashy effects. This is sweet, heartwarming, beautifully staged, with lovely performances & singing (esp. Barasch).

See it if you like naturalistic drama, evocative of THE HUMANS or THE PROFANE -- about Iraqi-Americans grappling w/cultural boundaries & dislocation.

Don't see it if you want something big & splashy. This is thoughtful drama -- although the messages are a bit muddled at times. Superb acting all-around.

See it if you want an emotionally powerful tale of love, family, & principle in an era of greater marriage equality. Great acting, riveting story.

Don't see it if you're not comfortable with the loves and lives of same-sex couples, or confronting the residual power that society's bigotry can confer.

See it if you want intense family drama in context of 1981 N. Ireland troubles. Gripping story, well-acted.

Don't see it if you want spectacle. This is drama of N. Irish farm family grappling with country's long struggle between IRA and UK - & resulting deaths.