proxy

See it if big-hearted, gloriously funny, impeccably staged, with heroic performances. Deeply weird and deeply sane. A total gift.

Don't see it if it's not naturalism and it has fart jokes. It's a political clown show, not a drama.

Also It's amazing that this play is on Broadway. If you're at all adventurous in your taste, you owe it to yourself to go.... Read more Read less

See it if the script really holds up, and Michael Urie gives a star performance. Tender, funny, poignant. A beautiful play lovingly restored.

Don't see it if it can feel overly glossy in a Gay Inc. kind of way. It's a very respectable revival, but I wanted more grit.

See it if deeply felt, rich and complex. Russell Harvard is outstanding.

Don't see it if the play sometimes bites off more than it can chew, but that's part of its appeal.

See it if the staging is utterly magical. My jaw was on the floor. It's a perfect family show: spectacular, silly, sweet.

Don't see it if the script strains to accommodate the magic tricks. Who cares? It's still ridiculously fun.

See it if funny, gentle, and soul-baring. A vulnerable and generous theatrical essay on oppression and freedom, bravely and masterfully argued.

Don't see it if it's mostly an autobiographical monologue (though in key parts includes other performers). But even if that's not your thing, this might be.

See it if important, under-told story told in a harrowing, beautiful, truthful way. Carrie Coon breaks your heart, leads a top-notch cast. Stunning.

Don't see it if if issues of disability & child illness hit close to home for you, might either be resonant in a great way or hard to watch (or both).

See it if observant, wry, & tender drama of power, class, bodies. Packs a punch with plainspoken lyricism, excellent performances.

Don't see it if naturalism isn't your jam.

See it if fiery & finely wrought, with elegant writing and a nuanced, force-of-nature performance at the center. Trenchant politics, explosive finish.

Don't see it if you may have to be British to fully track the arguments about class and status- took me until later in the play to glom on, but it pays off

See it if Metcalf, flinty & droll, holds you in her palm. Top shelf cast finds laughs & heart of cerebral update. An incisive, bold, & rich 90 mins.

Don't see it if you're looking for spectacle. This one's all about the actors and the words, which are spectacular in their own way.

Also You don't need to be familiar with A Doll's House to understand it.

See it if a smart & gutsy feminist history play, bruising & eloquent on love and politics. Wears its big heart on its impeccably-costumed sleeve.

Don't see it if don't go expecting kitchen sink naturalism. It's beautifully grounded, but presented in a way that's powerfully theatrical.

See it if A conceptual high-wire act, a thoughtful experimental riff full of theatrical wit. Smart, unpretentious, & challenging.

Don't see it if the thrills are mainly conceptual and theatrical rather than stakes-driven. More intellectually than emotionally engaging.

See it if clever, cozy, charming. The design is a feast, the performance is a warm, grown-up vaudeville. Silly and stark. End is magic in many ways.

Don't see it if requires some patience as it relies on charisma to sustain slack moments. But it rewards patience richly.

See it if Sets em up and knocks em down. Giddy and sweet with winning performances. If you love the books or movies, you'll love it.

Don't see it if Harry Potter fans will get a lot more out of it than novices. It's good for kids except for a few f-bombs

See it if sprightly staging of a big-hearted, witty family portrait. Lovely antidote to the times. Block is a standout in pitch-perfect cast.

Don't see it if it's a family musical about identity crises among the bourgeousie. To some, that's a knock, but it also makes this show surprisingly timely.

See it if beautiful theatre made with love. Unique, gorgeous staging facilitates the score while handing the show to the actors. Triumphant, rare, wow

Don't see it if when you get the chance, go.

See it if a soulful, spirited rumination on anxieties of faith, dogma, and place-- haunting and deeply felt. Beautifully lived-in characters.

Don't see it if there's an understated, urgent edge to this play. It's a little angry and a lot sad, and you might feel that way too coming out of it.

See it if incendiary, graceful, bracing and wild. A virtuosic collaboration exemplifying the best in devised work, full of big laughs and rich ideas.

Don't see it if not a tame evening. It moves from delightful to sickening in a blink.

See it if handsome stagings of slippery symbolic shorts. Atmospheric & precise, with meticulous attention to rhythm and composition.

Don't see it if these plays are oblique throwbacks with idiosyncratic architecture- sometimes inscrutable, always interesting.

See it if majestic Lewis: soulful, playful, in glorious voice. Virtuosic Jones shines too in a warm witty play w/ magic music & love for its subjects.

Don't see it if falls squarely within the conventions of mainstream bio-plays, so maybe skip you're looking for something far out/more formally experimental

See it if a string of character sketches that have in common a light touch & warm funny sensibility, with a witty and frequently delightful cast

Don't see it if you're bothered by unevenness or lack of resolution-- some of the stories resolve, others don't.

See it if cool-headed & warm-hearted, funny, haunting, & deft. Recalibrates your clock with long silences, spurs you to think, invites you to change

Don't see it if you don't want a play to ask more of you than 90 mins

See it if sharp & fervent acting from strong ensemble, especially Okonedo & Wishaw; lovely stage pictures; a cold, finely wrought, somber staging

Don't see it if you find the play monolithic or kitschy. A stylish production for fans of the play, but it doesn't articulate much counterpoint to the text

See it if lovely and elastic, eclectic and egalitarian, worthily staged, with Mee's signature wisdom and slapstick chaos

Don't see it if you prefer psychological realism

See it if sweet and melancholy story about friendship and gentle lit gossip in a production that asks a lot of your imagination

Don't see it if you're not hooked by a story about friendship between two writers, you don't like low-fi theatre

See it if vivid staging, strong performances, and a breathtaking third act turn that crystallizes and dramatizes the problems of nationalism

Don't see it if you're not looking for political theatre

See it if incredible writing: soulful, sharp, risky. Funny & harrowing theatricality, gorgeous performances.

Don't see it if you might find it more engaging intellectually than emotionally.

Also the getting-ready-for-dinner scene is a masterpiece.

See it if deeply moving, empathetic, and thoughtful comedy. The script is masterful.

Don't see it if it's not a show with lots of big spectacle: it's intimate and character-driven (with power belting).

See it if a joyful, chaotic ensemble comedy about queering the world through community theatre. Sweet, droll, playful and delightfully rude.

Don't see it if you're offended by frank sex talk.

See it if a sui generis pastiche musical melodrama: stark, melancholy, haunting. Act 2 is a heartbreaker. Astonishing moments in music and staging.

Don't see it if you might find its bleakness dour. It borrows tropes from old-timey Americana, but be prepared for an experimental sensibility.

See it if a thoughtful, well made comedy about idealism and revolution. Excellent performances, graceful and empathetic writing.

Don't see it if it's a little self-defeating that a story about scruffy radical Marxists comes in such a warm and fuzzy bourgeois package.

See it if Utterly spectacular: design, music, staging, performances. Nuanced humanist fable about love and decorum. Magical, soulful, wild.

Don't see it if can feel maximalist & digressive, though it's elegantly constructed.

Also saw it with Oak playing Pierre. He's a star and he's giving a standout performance in a cast full of standout performances.... Read more Read less

See it if Isaac: dazzling, wry, soulful. Direction: bold conceptual rumination on theatricality & death, witty & muscular. Cast: top of their games.

Don't see it if It's a full four hours long with intermissions, and maybe more intellectually provocative than emotionally satisfying at this point.

Also early in previews, you got the sense that this was still coming together. But it's already exciting.... Read more Read less

See it if Knockout great. Pointed and humane, experimental and virtuosic, risky and graceful. It has so much to say about this moment. Go in unspoiled

Don't see it if Some will find it off-putting. But it's great to see a play that puts you through a common experience while nudging you out of groupthink.

See it if Harvey Fierstein: indelible. A luminous study of gay melancholy & ambivalence as times change. Hopeful, haunted, eloquent, wise.

Don't see it if In general, will probably resonate more with gay men than others.

See it if a love letter to theatricality, with small explosions & epic transformations. Both old-fashioned & adventurous, a beautifully realized world

Don't see it if it's still coming into itself. It's complex and delicate, and it's still growing into the huge architecture it builds for itself.

See it if Sublime. Gyllenhaal & Ashford are ideal interpreters in a deeply insightful production. Sound is gorgeous. Thoughtful & moving, essential.

Don't see it if there's a minimalist & Chekhovian vibe that may bug you if you want baroque & snappy. But every choice draws out the heartbreaking humanity.

Also this one is special. It's a must for fans, and it's a great introduction for Sondheim newbies. Run don't walk.... Read more Read less

See it if Truthful, elegant, moving. A tender & devastating family portrait, a funny and vulnerable father/son story. Superb cast, production.

Don't see it if it meanders and digresses a bit-- go with it. It builds gentle but inexorable momentum.

See it if stark & droll, abrasive & tender. An experimental tear-jerker in the vein of Our Town about connecting, building meaning, and letting go.

Don't see it if it's an elliptical play that's by turns ingratiating and alienating. Come with an open mind and a willingness to get onboard.

See it if a poignant puzzle-box play about connection and magical thinking. Witty, fine-tuned, introspective and funny.

Don't see it if the first thirty minutes are a little disorienting and digressive, but if you're patient, the play comes together like a magic trick.

See it if Jones is a charismatic and eloquent guide through a funhouse autobiographical cabaret. Messy, mysterious, frustrating and charming

Don't see it if There isn't much by way of drama, so maybe skip if that's important to your enjoyment.

Also early in previews, this production was still working out some pretty fundamental elements. Maybe catch it later on to see it as it's supposed to be seen.... Read more Read less

See it if vigorous staging of feminist gospel-pop winner, a great vehicle for thrilling performances. Saw it w/ understudies, who are fabulous

Don't see it if you like your Broadway with conceptual bells and whistles. The pared down approach serves this one well

See it if gentle, rich, elegant play about helping a loved one through the end of life, with resonant & sensual imagery. Plainspoken and poetic.

Don't see it if if your taste runs more toward plays with a dramatic engine than a dialectical one.

See it if potent, finely-tuned ensemble in a funny, poignant quest story about frontiers past and present. A feminist charmer than runs on delight

Don't see it if you're feeling fragile about the masculine mythos (although the critique is pretty understated)

See it if rare emotional amplitude, a heartbreaker tackling grief, failure, and despair with grace and humor. An empathy-machine, raw and original

Don't see it if you can't take the occasional emotional sucker-punch. The play brings out sudden and intense feelings in surprising ways

See it if Disarmingly heartfelt study of irony as a weapon and a balm, contemporary riff on Private Lives, a gem. Scabrous & impeccable Emery & Behrs

Don't see it if you don't like raunch, or if you're looking for laughs without feelings- it's more of a drama with jokes.

See it if earnest & introspective; Albee-esque in concerns & approach; things connect as others dissolve; neurobio as metaphor for the human family

Don't see it if big and beautiful theatrical and thematic ideas that maybe haven't found their fullest articulation yet

See it if John Cameron Mitchell: glorious, loopy, queenly, crippled, marvelous.

Don't see it if you're turned off by the late 90s gender-essentialism the show still sticks with

See it if ribald and riotous examination of race and class, filled with theatrical delights and strong performances

Don't see it if you want to have a strong emotional experience rather than an intellectual one