Richard 129440

See it if An enormous amount of talent - dir: Pepe, actors: Butz, Peil, Lage, Abud sets: Pask is used in vain to try & salvage this inept non-musical

Don't see it if A stunningly messy & confused book (gifted Simon Stevens) does little to bolster the heavy-handed lyrics & lack-luster music of Mark Eitzel

See it if Despite the title, its ALL about Machado; an uneven bio-drama about coming of age in the age of AIDS The 1980's verisimilitude shines bright

Don't see it if While the acting can be a little to earnest & the writing a little to purple; Machado's message is up close & personal esp around creativity

See it if This potent yet uneven devised theatre piece hits many targets in the pro-life/pro-choice polemic with both empathetic and satiric power

Don't see it if Essentially sketch comedy, often missing its mark (usually the skits concerning the performing fetuses) & audience participation falls flat

See it if Dexter's 1977 production remains as intense & emotionally satisfying as ever with Met vets Perez, Coote, Goerke & Barton in vocal command

Don't see it if Production can feel slow as the nuns come to grips with the inevitability of their fates but Poulenc's masterpiece remains a haunting saga

See it if Annie Saunders' dense, complex devised theatre piece juxtaposes the Antigone story w/her own sibling drama w/mixed results Often fascinating

Don't see it if Saunders ambition can get the better of her all the interwoven plot lines/references Her brother's story can get indulgent (by design?)

See it if R G Smith's latest for UTR is a dark, deeply moving monograph to Anne Frank from her father (and eternal guardian) His grieving is palpable

Don't see it if While the work is an intense howl of pain & regret, its also strangely morally forthright & contemporary Smith tends to swallow the dialogue

See it if A consummate ensemble of NYC theatre actors hold us at attention as they careen through an existential no man's land here called Des Moines

Don't see it if Life at the margins & how one navigates them is of more interest to Johnson than any linear plot development Get comfortable with chaos!

See it if Crouch's inventive, intense & a bit scary performance is the glue that holds this conceptually meta mash-up of King Lear & stand-up together

Don't see it if Knowledge of Shakespeare's Lear a must - it becomes the catalyst of the piece; the audience & theatre mores become as potent as Lear's death

See it if Actors Dockery & Broaddus blast their way through author Dockery's meta, meta, meta dramatic rift w/farcical & surprisingly poignant results

Don't see it if Whirling through themes from Shakespeare, Freud & Beckett among others one is left somewhat exhausted like watching a dog chase its own tail

See it if Stoppard's heartfelt semi-autobiographical chronicle of 3 generations in a Viennese Jewish family on the cusp of Nazism Atypical for him

Don't see it if Much more emotive & melodramatic than his usual cerebral-ness At times, the family chronology is difficult to follow; still a powerful drama

See it if Birbiglia - theatre's existential 'Jeff Lebowski' has another hit Here he's reflecting/deflecting on his health/mortality & thus on our own

Don't see it if Birbiglia's laconic, free form intellectual rambling may not be to all tastes Patience is a must But once converted there's no going back

See it if Guirgis' taut, tough, no holds barred Pulitzer Prize winning dramedy is on its way to winning a Tony w/an incredible cast led by Henderson

Don't see it if While Guigris' tendency to overwrite is on a short leach here; it still gets a little lugubrious Pendleton's sharp direction finds the humor

See it if An American classic gets an invigorating makeover w/Cromwell's dynamic staging, a powerhouse supporting cast & Pierce's unforgettable Willy

Don't see it if Miller's indictment of capitalism while a little didactic still stings anew; the dramatic arc while a little slow still packs a sucker punch

See it if Marjan Neshat works overtime to sustain our interest in this quasi-suspenseful solo show; a bravado performance even with her accent foibles

Don't see it if Cale packs far to much plot into Sandra's life as it moves from the curious into the melodramatic into the implausible leaving one annoyed

See it if Bettany (Warhol) & Pope (Basquiat) shine in McCarten's uneven drama of a collaboration of creative geniuses Well staged by Kwei-Armah

Don't see it if Its main problem is it spends too much time on Warhol's story (much of it common knowledge) & not enough on the more interesting Basquiat

See it if Suh's intriguing, edgy look at identity, assimilation & community Crafting the entire 1st Act as an interrogation proves a breathtaking feat

Don't see it if While the 2nd Act's denouement is a bit ambiguous & confusing it somehow proves satisfactory Ting's staccato staging throughout reinforces

See it if Gallery's ambitious DIY production is greatly aided by Gallagher's fleet staging & an eager, effervescent cast led by an adroit Brown & Beer

Don't see it if While production values are minimal (except the "mermaid ballet" number) & lighting can get dodgy, the script's 'la joi de la vie' shines

See it if Kennedy's most accessible work gets a splendid B'way debut via Leon's subtle, hands-off direction & an incandescent performance by McDonald

Don't see it if Despite its gripping story line of violence & casual racism, its essentially an evening length monologue Pinkham's creepy cameo aids tempo

See it if If Hitchcock & Kubrick ever collaborated this dramedy might be the result A surreal satire about surveillance & the fragility of identity

Don't see it if Starting off at a fever pitch one never quite gets ones bearings but that's not a bad thing Try to hang on as more is revealed... & revealed

See it if Performance artist Kelly's elegiac, informative homage to Samuel Steward a gay pioneer of the 1950's Infused with poetic raunchy reveries

Don't see it if The episodic structure of the piece while extremely interesting & often elegant is difficult to follow & rambles, frustrating the narrative

See it if The Mint's impeccable standards on full display for Coward's early dramatic endeavor Leads West & Evans spar beautifully under Gray's watch

Don't see it if Evident influence of GB Shaw's moral philosophizing here as Coward works to find his own voice Pungent witticisms/observations abound

See it if Boudreau's irreverent homage to the bawdy. raunchy humor of Shakespearean "taphouses" The author/actor's raconteur quality is its highlight

Don't see it if The limerick device while appropriately humorous soon grows a little repetitious and looses some luster yet audience participation helps

See it if Irish Rep's annual elegant. lyrically pleasing rendition of Dylan Thomas' Christmas verse poem A beautiful holiday gem delivered w/aplomb

Don't see it if The robust verse tends to takes a back seat to the glistening music making music director/pianist David Handcock Turner the evening's star

See it if A wildly transgressive, savagely entertaining & deadly serious look at black/white relations since the Obama era w/an uproarious "Peaches"

Don't see it if While the sketch comedic format works well, each individual one is just a little too long robbing the piece of a needed fleetness of purpose

See it if Yet another renascence of this 'native tongue' Fiddler still glistens with all its emotional powers intact Skybell (Tevye) & company triumph

Don't see it if New World Stages' space is a little too compact for all the musical's emotional exuberance Feels somewhat cramped esp in its dance numbers

See it if Ms Thorne approaches her material with a needed gravitas & admirably holds our attention over its ambiguous course Yet a detachment sets in

Don't see it if This sense of quasi-detachment seers dangerously towards entitlement which proves fatal negating our sympathies More rigor is required

See it if The incandescent Jefferson Mays dazzles as all of Dickens' characters in the beloved holiday novel His only competition is the soundscape

Don't see it if No Bah! Humbug!! here; unless you don't care for Arden's enthralling mise en scene turning the classic into a dark Victorian penny dreadful

See it if Native American author/actor Sayet has created an interesting & admirable stew of a show covering identity, heritage, colonialism & academia

Don't see it if Unfortunately, Sayet is far less interesting as a performer and does a major disservice to the piece turning it into an attractive TED talk

See it if The taut chemistry between leads McInerry & Berchtold hold our interest despite Wohl's illusive & uninspired tale of American Nazi Youth

Don't see it if Wohl seems unable (unwilling?) to bring a solid focus to the neo-Fascist underpinnings of the adolescents Cromer's direction suitably creepy

See it if B'way showman Nicholaw in top form in this dance-crazed adapt of the classic Wilder film w/nifty, vintage score & gently 'woke' book Fab fun

Don't see it if Needs major cuts (1st preview) At 3hrs-it can't sustain its momentum Ballads the cause But that show-stopping coup-de-theatre ending!!!!!

See it if Off-B'way vet Francie Jue anchors author Liu's earnest look at the repercussions of Mao's legacy on the youth from the period Well directed

Don't see it if Non-linear construction causes focus problems w/Liu's ambitions over taking his talent Relationships often sketchy or underdeveloped

See it if Not for the faint of heart...Norris' latest iconoclastic drama concerns qualities of mercy & forgiveness in a community for sexual offenders

Don't see it if The constantly changing, deliberately provocative situations can cause anger & frustration as well as challenging questions/responses

See it if Surprise! This juke-box musical is a boisterous, entertaining fit of songs & concept; edgy & energetic Betsy Wolfe shines as 'Anne Hathaway'

Don't see it if What glistens in Act 1 congeals in Act 2 as the book becomes much more interesting than the retro-fitted songs & becomes musically too long

See it if Gabriel Byrne's charismatic presence is the biggest asset in this adapt of his memoir on growing up Irish (with all the prerequisite tropes)

Don't see it if The lengthy opening on his youth in Ireland takes up too much time/space sucking energy out of the piece; Its episodic structure is damaging

See it if Noah Diaz hits a raw nerve in this quirky, disorienting yet humane tragi-comedy: society's inability to deal with fatal illness Well acted

Don't see it if It takes time to orient oneself to the fractured setup & its somewhat crass outlook But gradually it moves towards its transcendent ending

See it if A spirited cast (esp Anika Larsen) try valiantly to breathe life into Crowe's tepid book/lyrics & Kitt's uninspired music; from movie adapt

Don't see it if What hurts the piece most is its inability to focus on its major character/plotline: William's coming of age. Herrin's direction scattered

See it if Albee's high WASP drama about existential dread in and outside the home gets a fantastic new read via NAATCO Great cast esp Herlihy's Claire

Don't see it if No getting around that its a 'big' talk fest w/a lot of heavy themes/recriminations But director Cummings keeps the pacing lean & swift

See it if Hansberry's modern American classic while of its time still (sadly) rings true Powerful ensemble led by Pinkins (Lena) & Gilbert (Beneatha)

Don't see it if O'Hara's direction is fairly straightforward allowing the drama to build & then closes with a signature incendiary ending that rings true

See it if The acting brilliance of the Birney duo almost makes one miss the formidable theme: no amount of reason can triumph over human imagination

Don't see it if Opening exposition scenes delivered in full frontal monologues starts the drama off badly Story ignites when the leads can finally cut loose

See it if It's to the dramedy's credit that despite all the meta, meta, meta-ness of the piece that Chekhov's ever haunting humanity still comes thru

Don't see it if There's a lot to unpack here...some of it wildly inventive; some of it broadly pedantic with a measure of Sam Beckett tossed in Oddly moving

See it if A visual/aural extravaganza - sets, costumes, projections, choreo, videos & lighting commingle using Circle/Square at its immersive best

Don't see it if Yeah, the plot is a cliched, backstage, back biting hot mess nearly derailing the show but those KPOP kids!! - get it back on track w/gusto

See it if Shakespeare's knockabout farce get the royal treatment from director Gould & company: broad characters, glitzy costumes, non-stop slapstick

Don't see it if Some actors handle the language better than others (no one is jarringly bad) & some handle the zany antics effortlessly (the two Dromios)

See it if Augustine's poignant, elegiac paean to his father moves with the pace of a tropical breeze yet is strong enough to challenge societal norms

Don't see it if The folk husband/wife duo - The Bengsons - elevate the drama into chamber music territory giving it gravitas Piece is slight but powerful

See it if Parks' Pulitzer Prize winner is still as potent & trenchant as ever (even with the dated 3 card monte motif) Furious performances from leads

Don't see it if Drama percolates with anger & recriminations under Leon's taut direction His scene changes are the only missteps in this vivid production

See it if Despite its title, the show rests on Marchbanks young shoulders Avery Whitted is gamely up for the challenge & runs away with the show

Don't see it if Staller's commendable 100 minute streamlining keeps much of Shaw's witty observations; his galloping direction tends to undercut their punch

See it if Millonzi (Hedda) & Quinn (Brack) help ground Baitz's fleet adapt of Ibsen's classic but Bedlam's DIY approach often works at odds with them

Don't see it if Director Tucker's direction is really the questionable element veering from impressionistic to often cartoonish leaving us tonally uncertain

See it if Park's college admissions dramedy via MacBeth is aided by a nifty ensemble (esp Benny Wayne Sully) & dimmed by Bordelon's aggressive staging

Don't see it if Park's use of satirical stereotypes starts out strong & funny but the devise soon swallows up the plot & leaves it sputtering to a close

See it if The incandescent soprano Sondra Radvanovsky burns a hole in the Met stage in Cherubini's Medea; aided by Matthew Polenzani's fierce Jason

Don't see it if Cherubini's music is a bit lackluster & McVicar's staging is a bit indulgent but nothing can dim Radvanovsky's raging, aggrieved Medea

See it if The new leads Rob McClure (Seymour) & Lena Hall (Audrey) send the show into musical comedy heaven Oscar, Pinkham & the Urchin chorus shine

Don't see it if Elements that usually kill a show - camp, schmaltz, outrageousness - work like a charm to produce a modern, small scale American classic

See it if The incomparable theatre icon David Greenspan mesmerizes in a new solo show this time from a Gertrude Stein text Dense material made musical

Don't see it if Both Stein & Greenspan are acquired tastes & can be somewhat opaque & precious But as Stein says "If you enjoyed it than you understood it"