Southern Biscuit

See it if You've never seen the play before, and want to know what all the fuss is about, or why it's required reading for so many college students.

Don't see it if You go to the theater more for plot, grand theatrics and/or fun than for profundity.

Also Along with about three dozen people, I fled at intermission. I am seeing from some of the other comments here that Act II was far livelier than the first act. That's not good enough. I was on the front row and the people on either side of me were both nodding off in the first 30 minutes. I didn't hate it, but I've enjoyed other productions of this play much more, and I am starting to believe that this play is much better to read than to see. In fact, I will finish the night reading the second act.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see the next generation of great talent start to blossom in this city. Impressive acting, direction and writing all around.

Don't see it if You don't like to stand and move around when you see a show.

See it if You want to see what jukebox musicals are capable of and can dare to be. Great ones, like this show, can make you re-think well-known songs.

Don't see it if Your definition of a musical includes chorus kick lines, hilarious hijinks and lots of playing out front. This show is subtle and spare.

Also I'm not a Dylan fan. Not a hater either, but I'm a bit too young to have been heavily influenced by him in my youth, and I don't much care for the sound of his voice. But those lyrics! Twyla Tharp made a travesty of his songs on Broadway years ago, and Conor McPherson has righted that horrible wrong. I love many of McPherson's plays, with their depictions of how spirits of the dead and soon-to-be gone infiltrate our daily existences. That notion carries through this show in every way, and beautifully so. Saw this show at the Old Vic last summer and was blown away. The only reason I decided to see it at the Public was to see the show in a more intimate space, and to see how McPherson would tackle this material again, having gotten to learn much from the first experience. The result is wonderful. The two acts now feel far more like one of a whole, and the transitions feel more organic. This cast is as wonderful as the UK cast, with special props to the ever-brilliant Mare Winningham.... Read more Read less

See it if You liked "Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder" and enjoy period, old-style musicals with quirky sensibilities.

Don't see it if You only like modern work that's been heavily polished. This is a festival show.

See it if You're interested in seeing a theatrical exploration of women's rage. That's what this is. And it's fun, and funny, and occasionally moving.

Don't see it if You'll be bothered by the ridiculous play-within-a-play that has no connection to reality whatsoever and undermines the depicted, real rage.

Also The staging is terrific, and I loved the set design and four of the five cast members. (The fifth cast member is simply miscast and too old to be playing the character she's meant to be in relation to another. Fine actress, just not right for this part.) I wish the playwright had been pushed harder by her collaborators to really explore the rage she feels, because the in-theater jokes are fine and fun, but they don't suit what these characters are really facing. It's too facile.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to be perplexed as to why Oskar Eustis chose to have this play done at The Public.

Don't see it if Money and time have value to you. (That's too harsh, actually. But this show irritated me, despite its very fine actors.)

Also The two leads are splendid. Wish they were working with better material.... Read more Read less

See it if Great work interests you.

Don't see it if You don't know how to get to the Lower East Side.

Also Marvelous, hilarious new play with a pitch-perfect cast, and brilliantly directed. A delight from start to finish.... Read more Read less

See it if You think you're about to have an aneurysm.

Don't see it if Vanity projects make you sad.

Also Half the cast is actually very good, and all are game, but this show is woefully directed at times, and a strong authorial or directorial voice could have made chunks of this work. In short, the idea has potential, but the execution is lacking.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see one of the greatest plays written in the modern era.

Don't see it if You've got a short attention span. Or just see the first part.

See it if Spectacle and special effects suffice for a day's entertainment.

Don't see it if You're bothered by a first act that's entirely expository.

See it if You want to see what most shows at the Edinburgh Fringe are like. Or are interested in gender dynamics in action.

Don't see it if Real plot and real stakes matter to you. Or if you're 30 or older.

Also I actually loved the first half of this play. The brief monologues the actors give are hilarious and touching, and the pacing is marvelous. Beautiful, specific writing. I was entranced.

And then the two performers started talking to each other. Time for real drama! But lo, not to be. I started getting the sinking feeling, soon fully realized, that this show was clearly going to just be about... feelings. And not to put to fine a point on it, endless, oversensitive feelings between two lesbians, a cliche long before transgendered folks started demanding their due. The two performers are outstanding, and I can't wait to see what this playwright comes up with in the future, but when all is said and done, this play ends up being about so incredibly little. It screams millennial and is another example of one of our great non-profits succumbing to the need to pander to trendy identity politics even when the work is not yet up to snuff. I love hearing the voices, but not this way.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to support new work and a new voice. The ideas of this show are worthwhile, as is this author's voice.

Don't see it if You don't want to be disappointed. This play won the 2018 Horton Foote Prize for Most Promising New Play, but it's not ready for prime time.

Also Such a major disappointment I left at intermission. Much of the acting felt amateurish (including many a line being dropped or mangled, and the show's been in previews for more than a week), as did a great deal of the writing and the direction. MTC is doing this play and playwright a disservice, because this play needs a LOT more work. And not a glossy new draft or two. More like a year or two more of development and trial and error. Didn't quite believe anyone on stage, and lest there be confusion on the matter, I wanted to. Was very excited to see this play, which likely made the performance I saw that much more thudding.... Read more Read less

See it if You need a laugh, cause the colorful characters, especially darling Waxy Bush, will give you plenty in this beautifully constructed play.

Don't see it if British comedy is not your thing, or if you're not into laughing, or if you don't like theatre whatsoever.

Also Saw this in previews, and that opening scene is... OOF... dire. Glacial and lethal. Not sure what's going on there, but I'm hoping that gets fixed, cause the rest of the play is bonkers and grand. The second act is delicious, and I'm still giving this show such a high score despite that first scene because Richard Bean is a master writer of comedy, and MTC should be applauded for producing this work. (I wish Americans could have seen Bean's "Great Britain", one of my favorite comedies of recent years.) Not only was I thoroughly entertained, I learned a lot about snooker, so the show is educational AND hilarious.... Read more Read less

See it if You don't want to miss another legendary performance by Janet McTeer. Her work here rivals what she did in "A Doll's House". Yes, that good.

Don't see it if You have no interest in theatrical history, Shakespeare, gender dynamics, beautiful sets or a powerful new play.

Also What a major surprise this play turned out to be. I've typically enjoyed Theresa Rebeck's work (especially "Mauritius" and "Seminar"), but she's more ambitious here, and with great results. It was thrilling to be seeing a spanking brand new play on the Roundabout Broadway stage, especially one of this quality, all brilliantly directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Such wit, such intelligence, such glorious acting. I wanted more from the mother-son relationship between Bernhardt and Maurice, and their scenes, but that's a minor fault in a major new work. A special shout out to Ito Aghayere, who as Rosamond has a single scene to make her mark, and does so with mighty aplomb.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a show that knows what it is, doesn't take itself too seriously, and knows how to land joke after joke.

Don't see it if Underwritten female roles bother you. (Cause these are massively underwhelming.)

Also The best singer in the cast, Manu Narayan, is the only one in the band who doesn't get his own big solo number. BIG MISTAKE. That said, the show is brilliantly cast and directed within an inch of its life.... Read more Read less

See it if You've always wondered what this Hammerstein-Bizet mash-up would look, sound and feel like.

Don't see it if You hate wonderful singing. Or hate shows that last less than five hours.

Also I hate opera. HATE IT. But this show, which was a Broadway musical in '43 and is really now more an operetta, entranced me from start to finish. That cast! Voices from the heavens, I tell you. And if you've been wanting Anika Noni Rose back on the New York stage -- and you're crazy if you haven't -- then your patience will be well-rewarded. She is sensational. As is the entire cast. I'm only deducting points off this terrific production because John Doyle's minimalist staging and aesthetic has a few major drawbacks here: mainly, cast size. The doubling here is distracting, and unhelpful. Imagine Husky Miller's entrance if we hadn't already seen that actor on stage. That missed opportunity, and others like it, keep me from giving this show a perfect score. But let's be clear: this show is far better than almost every musical churned out on Broadway this past season.... Read more Read less

See it if Yes yes yes yes yes! Or should I say, YAS, QUEEN! This play tackles the issues and debates that homos are having privately and publicly.

Don't see it if You think that baker in Colorado was in the right when he refused to decorate that cake.

Also As I was saying... These debates, these questions, these issues: they're all happening right now. I felt myself get angry because some of the situations feel so similar to what my husband and I are experiencing now. (We're a mixed-race couple, very similar to the gay couple portrayed in this play.) All that said, I don't want to marginalize Mr. Harrison's excellent work as a "gay play", because our hetero friends and families are having to tackle these questions too.... Read more Read less

See it if You're ready for a thought-provoking ride and great performances.

Don't see it if You don't want to be challenged.

Also Some of the lighting and scene transitions were incredibly awkward, especially odd so late in the run.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a legend giving a legendary performance. Yes, Glenda Jackson is THAT good.

Don't see it if You're only into linear narrative plots.