See it if You want to witness an ambitious, exciting new work by one of America's great playwrights. Bonus: Letts is in the cast.
Don't see it if You think America, the great experiment in democracy, is faultless and beyond criticism.
Also The entire cast is sublime, and Austin Pendleton has never been better... Read more Read less
See it if You like titles that have double meanings, as in, "I'm perplexed as to why this horrible show is being shoved on an unsuspecting public."
Don't see it if Bad theatre makes you despair. This show is many, many, many, many, many, many, many drafts from being production-ready. If at all. Or ever.
Also Richard Greenberg is a superb writer, Lynne Meadow is a strong directo... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see major drama on an epic scale.
Don't see it if You go to the theatre for subtlety.
Also Great opportunity to see a rarely-staged play.
See it if You want to see a show on Broadway that normally never shows up above 14th Street. Plus, Jeremy O. Harris has talent and something to say.
Don't see it if You expect something well-written and daring that deserves to be on Broadway. What a crashing disappointment. This Emperor has NO CLOTHES.
See it if You'd like to get a perspective rarely seen on stage.
Don't see it if Sex talk makes you uncomfortable.
See it if You want to keep up with one of the most exciting new dramatists around. Bess Wohl is a clever, theatrical playwright.
Don't see it if You don't like seeing children on stage.
Also From the writer of "Small Mouth Sounds," a glorious piece of theater.
See it if You like satires of Chekhov, and know your Chekhov well enough to enjoy the satire.
Don't see it if You want that satire to actually mean something, or get at a bigger point. This show does neither.
Also Comedy is very hard to do well, and satire possibly even harder, and t... Read more Read less
See it if You want to meet, in greatly entertaining fashion, an important historical figure who, until now, has been largely forgotten.
Don't see it if You require classical theater structure.
Also Don't like baseball, but I loved this play. Superb performances by the... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see major artists doing their work in an intimate setting. I'm sure there are hopes and dreams that this will make it to B'way.
Don't see it if Your idea of a musical entails lots of sequins and jazz-hand dancing.
Also Many of the reviews on Show-Score are already very, very high for this... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see two actresses at the top of their games in an intimate setting. Susan Sarandon and Marin Ireland are ALL THAT.
Don't see it if You don't like major tonal shifts between drama and comedy and outright tragedy.
Also This play would never be produced on an Off-Broadway stage as it is un... Read more Read less
See it if You love seeing organized religion take its (deserved) knocks, especially those megachurches.
Don't see it if The show is overlong at 75 minutes. What's going to happen is obvious very, very quickly. Really, this is an expanded skit.
Also There are some real ideas here, but this is not the right vessel for t... Read more Read less
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 seei... 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 ha... 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 fi... 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 materia... 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 why I bothered to give it 10 points: 5 for the sets, and 5 for Karen Olivo. The rest is corporate crap.
Don't see it if You love theater or the movie upon which this staged travesty is based. Or if you value your time and/or money.
Also Alex Timbers should be spanked for this stinkbomb. This show actually ... Read more Read less
See it if You want to know why the theatre community is still mourning the loss of composer Michael Friedman, a major talent gone way too soon.
Don't see it if You want or expect your musicals to lift you up and make you feel chirpy when exiting the theatre.
Also Perry Sherman is magnificent as Francis Grand. With a great voice and ... Read more Read less
See it if You'd like the opportunity to see this Pulitzer winner on a Broadway stage, with a great lead performance by Blair Underwood.
Don't see it if You want spectacle, or if you dislike military or mystery plays.
Also One of the leads is miscast, but overall the acting is superb. Love th... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see a fantastic playwright making her Broadway debut. And if you want to bathe in the glorious talent that is Jane Alexander.
Don't see it if You hate overwritten plays that border on sitcom.
Also An entire scene could and should be cut, but it won't be because one o... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see Mary-Louise Parker, one of our country's finest actors, strut her brilliant stuff in material that is worthy of her talent.
Don't see it if You only like musicals, or want a passive theatrical experience. This absorbing play requires great attention and thought.
Also Playwright Adam Rapp has taken some hard knocks from critics, sometime... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see how a group of talented people manage to make sex boring. This show is jaw-droppingly awful, almost wholly without merit.
Don't see it if You like the film. Or if you like theatre in general, as this show has almost nothing to offer. To be clear, the cast is not to be blamed.
Also One should not be too rough on first-preview performances, but on this... Read more Read less
See it if You are blind and can enjoy the music without having to witness the indulgent, pretentious banality on stage.
Don't see it if You get irritated by indulgent, pretentious banality. The first hour of this show is excruciating.
Also Wow. What a shit show. And it's not just boring or banal, it's awful b... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see the big public birth of a major new talent.
Don't see it if Queer themes bother you.
See it if You want to see what the great Suzan-Lori Parks is up to. Also a +: a stunningly good cast, led by the criminally charismatic Daveed Diggs.
Don't see it if Realism is crucial to your enjoyment of theatrical experiences.
Also My eyes are still rolling at the very idea that an unknown, heretofore... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see Isabelle Huppert, one of the world's finest actresses, strut her stuff. She is fearless, unrelenting and truthful.
Don't see it if Coherence matters to you. Or reasonable storytelling.
Also Want to see what happens when a great actress is stranded in a mediocr... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see superb acting in an ambitious work.
Don't see it if You want consistency over the course of the evening. The second and third acts are not nearly as strong as the first.
See it if You love John Guare and are hungry for an absurdist farce.
Don't see it if Coherence is absolutely important to your notion of a successful evening of theater.
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... 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... 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. Glacia... 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 enjoy... 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... 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 ... 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'... 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.