Tatyana V.

See it if you are Ethan Hawke fan.

Don't see it if you'd rather see a modern relevant play, not this allegory on the modern family collapse that today looks irrelevant and forced.

See it if you like interactive shows. If you don't mind grabbing a bite with your Shakespeare fix. If you're not offended by silly takes on classic

Don't see it if You expect an actual shakespeare play. If you are gourmand. If you don't like interacting with actors.

Also This intimate Meatpacking loft production combines an eight course meal, with wine pairings and a compact and breezy Shakespearean comedy. If you think it's cheesy - it is. But if you cringe, thinking that it's another terrible dinner when a waiter is spitting his Nessun Dorma syllables all over your minestrone, or as in those medieval feasts you'd have to gnaw on your mutton leg while some people are fighting at your feet - don't fret, you are not in Kansas anymore, and NYC won't disappoint. The food (also prepared by actors) is perfectly eatable, sometimes bordering on elegant. The wine, while not prize-winning, is totally legit. Oh, and then, there's Shakespeare! I think good ol' Will would actually like it - it's raw, lots of fun and batshit crazy: his characters flirt, fight, make silly jokes, snort coke, dance, drink, sing and make music using serving tongs as castanets. All of this with gusto and lots of enthusiasm.... Read more Read less

See it if You like pseudo-intellectual debate off New Yorker pages. If you are into lengthy dialogues.

Don't see it if You'd rather read a good article of the subject of human consciousness. If you prefer human emotions rather then some heavily diluted ideas

See it if You are interested in revealing the absurdity of our current history revision, convoluted sensitivities of the left in the intimate setting

Don't see it if You are easily offended by satire. If you don't appreciate fun being poked at sensitive political issues.

See it if you enjoy intimate off off broadway production, if you want to see great acting.

Don't see it if you are into big Broadway and musicals

Also Cute little play with some big awkward ideas on politics, business and environmental challenges. The script is ambitiously tailgaiting Glenngary Glen Ross but a playwright Adam Seidel, while showing a good ear for monologues, is no David Mamet, and the whole enterprise seems unbelievable and simply naive. Multi-million dollar oil contracts without a single lawyer in sight, anyone? Dale Carnegie techniques as a Bible of "closing"? The author has obviously never participated in one. The sales people hustle and delusions of grandeur are depicted quite well though, and played with gusto by a strong trio of actors, where Robert LuPone is a standout. The staging is brisk and assured. The play has potential, provided the script is adjusted accordingly. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes it to a bigger venue, it deserves viewers.... Read more Read less

See it if you're into violence and low-class psychopaths shows

Don't see it if you have good taste and cringe at the vulgar and obscene for the sake of obscenities.

See it if you like Harvey Feinstein's work. If you love Michael Uri - it's his show. If you want to see Angels in America sans the drama.

Don't see it if you are not comfortable with gay theme.

Also Harvey Fierstein's play is essentially Angels in America but without politics and the AIDS. Instead we get jokes. Lots of jokes. Gay jokes, jewish jokes, jewish gay jokes. They are all genially funny, it's just that (and I never thought I'd say that) there are way too many of them. Fierstein's characters seem to be hiding behind them, and instead of luring them out to show the drama, he drowns them in their own jokes. At the beginning the bombardment of witticisms is almost unbearable but then the actors are terrific, especially Michael Urie. It's hard to say that he steals the show as there's essentially no show at all without him, and I don't think he's off stage for a second during this 2 hour 40 minutes play.
There are just a few surprises, well-built into the play. The staging is also not too imaginative and sometimes awkward. But the ensemble of actors, their chemistry, and their love for this project gets under your skin and you can't help but enjoy the hell out of this show.... Read more Read less

See it if you are ok with female sexuality exploration. If you are looking for a fun rather than a deep and meaningful play.

Don't see it if you want a traditional staging.

Also A series of connecting riffs on lesbians, wanna-be lesbians and female dual sexuality in NYC. The actresses are a blast, each one of them: they have a great chemistry and look like they are having a lot of fun themselves in the process, which becomes contagious.
The play itself is super weird and offers some rip-offs of Midsummer Night's Dream it also uses as inspiration. There are two plain lesbian characters and two initially straight ones who were wronged by men. No, they were neither raped nor sexually assaulted - rather, they don't get any. And this is wrong. So two lesbian characters are set to straight it out. Or rather, queer it up. While staging a play, loosely based on MND.
Unsurprisingly, every character comes out as shallow, sexually or monetarily driven and overall quite unpleasant. But the staging is so inventive and brisk, and the actresses are so personable, that the play is able to transcend its own premise and become a heartwarming fun ride.... Read more Read less

See it if you like small productions

Don't see it if you are into musicals, big Broadway productions, etc.

Also This is a very intimate and quiet staging of a terrific Shaw work. They did it more farce than I cared for and added some strange but cute gimmicks like sing along with an audience (no, you don't have to). The actors are quite mediocre with an exception of two characters, but the play is so sparkly and fun that even actors are not in its way.
I've read it many times but for the first time I saw how relevant it was with a perfect Trump figure in its midst.
Even though the play deserves a much more refined staging, this one is so disarmingly warm and humane that it's easy to forgive it its naive vices.... Read more Read less

See it if you are into #metoo movement and don't mind some blatant history rewriting

Don't see it if you're not into Agitprop theater which it is at times.

Also The actors are amazing, direction, while not too imaginative, is solid. The play modernizes the story of Sara Bernhardt, thus taking away from her by turning her into a cartoonish fighter for female rights.... Read more Read less

See it if love Shakespeare and don't mind a very straightforward and unimaginative staging of his work.

Don't see it if If you'd rather see an interesting director interpretation.

Also While the acting ensemble is strong, the director doesn't do much to highlight their abilities. The staging is almost cliche. The stage design is awkward and primitive.... Read more Read less

See it if you are into boring historical plays with some weird PC undertones (women rights in 17th C England, seriously?)

Don't see it if you don't have to.

See it if you love a Moliere-worthy comedy with a modern twist

Don't see it if You'd rather see something modern or a musicale

Also I saw it with two 9-year kids and both kids enjoyed it even more than I did. As good plays go, this one works on different levels, and everyone will find something to laugh about, whether it's an intricate play on words, fart jokes (not bad, I promise), or an amazing physical nimbleness of the actors.... Read more Read less

See it if if you love Stoppard no matter how dated his work became. If you're Patrick Marber's fan. If you're easily fooled by big names (my case)

Don't see it if You are suspicious (for good reason) of revivals, if a pseudo historical dramedy is your idea of a personal hell.

See it if One of the best plays I’ve ever seen. It’s an absolute must-see for anyone interested what theater could/should be. Also it's a wild party!

Don't see it if you prefer dusty broadway revivals

See it if you are into silly, vaudeville like shows.

Don't see it if you have taste

See it if you like outdated rom-coms: Golden Girls meet depressed Friends meet Stepford Wives. Yes, it's that awkward.

Don't see it if you are not into silly "girlie" plays.

Also An unnecessary attempt of rom-com about a prim alcoholically inclined mother crushing her daughter post-suicidal home party with unbelievably corny dialogs and spectacularly wooden acting. Hayley Mills in her lead role is a darling but a playwright Isobel Mahon should stick to her acting career since speaking lines comes much more naturally to her than writing them.... Read more Read less

See it if you like period pieces. If traditional opera stagings of, say, Handel, is your cup of tea. If you an incurable Rylance fan.

Don't see it if you want your play to make your think. If you like smart scripts. If you are not into the banality of period pieces.

Also I saw it last month and already forgot what it was about. I remember it had some cute moments. Some nice arias. Traditional staging. Solid acting. And horrendously boring script. There's no point in the story, it's so trite and really meaningless. The characters are not developed, and it's not clear what the whole fuss is all about, except for a horrendous backstory of child mutilation. Mark Rylance IS wonderful, but then his role is so easy and two dimensional - my cat could have played this frail naiveté while pretending to be all scared. It was upsetting more than anything else.... Read more Read less

See it if you like real drama that ponders big questions.

Don't see it if you'd rather see something entertaining and light.

Also You see a bleak, old, uninviting room with mismatched furniture. It's a typical Broadway set that can represent at least half of all the Broadway shows I've seen. But it is slightly unusual as the stage is off-kilter for some reason. And there's something off in the reunion of two old friends and colleagues. There must be something rotten in their history. Or is that a present problem? Gradually you realize it's just good ol' Apocalypse happening in front of you. And it's exactly as I imagined it: drab, boring, gilt-ridden: they are survivors.
Sounds grim. But this quietly devastating play is not really that, as it's also very touching, and funny, and contains a great deal of questions. Answering them will help save the world. Follow three terrific actors on their path to improbable salvation. Every mistake they've made in their lives has a price tag. It's quite interesting how the playwright Lucy Kirkwood calculates the tab.... Read more Read less

See it if you like comedies and want to see an immensely talented actor - Drew Droege is a pure delight.

Don't see it if you are not interested in the gay lingua franca - bitchy whining. If you don't like one man shows, this is also not for you.

Also Those of us who jump on every trend months later, don't need to bother. I got probably 85% of crazy ass gay world references, mostly those falling into my two fave categories: whiny and bitchy. The rest was pure hilarity, no matter whether you recognize the source of a quote or just enjoy watching stupendously talented and funny Drew Droege (the show is also written by him). I am happy they brought Michael Uri in - his directing is firm and the show never gives you a moment to get bored.
You are in Palm Springs, CA, attending a gay wedding. And there is this guest. You know this guest - you've met him at every gay wedding you've been to: fun, verbose, rude, smart, weepy, lonely, and firing the best lines you've heard in years. There's nothing deep there, nothing tragic or important. It's just a gay wedding that simply can't get any better.
It's a one man show but this man is larger than (your) life, so be ready to spend 1.5 hrs immersed into bright colors and bold patterns of his.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see Uma Thurman in all her glory - she carries the show.

Don't see it if you are annoyed by constant mentioning of Trump, latest elections, and House of Cards

Also It starts slow. You are treated to a large living room, decorated exactly as a Restoration Hardware sales floor, which is apparently all the rage with the rich and powerful of Washington, DC. Then you see Uma Thurman, who is drop dead gorgeous: tall. slim and powerful, she commands pitiful whiny men around her with a cold precision, mastered by Isabelle Huppert. Finally an American stage got its strong heroine: smart, ruthless, manipulating, and hot as hell.
The playwright, 'House of Cards' creator Beau Willimon, is following her established routine, but the theater plays an interesting trick on this play. Numerous (and annoying) references to Trump and late election notwithstanding, the characters acquire an Ibsenesque quality. What's missing though is a back story of our main character: you leave, not fully understanding how and when she managed to become a local politics Machiavelli, and how come she never showed a capacity for this earlier on.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see two great funny actors

Don't see it if you don't like stand-up comedies, it's all about gags.

Also The script is about two stand-up comedians in LA, and it's loaded with inner not really funny jokes of vocation ("She is no longer a magician!" - "You can't stop being a magician, it spreads like a disease") and locale ("We left Irvine 2 hours ago and still not in West Hollywood"). One comedian is a girl and another one is a boy. The boy is bi. But she doesn't know it. Will he tell her? Will he not tell her? Will she cry? Who the hell cares, seriously.
The boy is played by Paul Molnar, who looks like a Jewish Keanu Reeves. Got it? See? Doesn't really matter what he says as long as he stands there, all dreamy. The second reason is a girl, played by Lucy DeVito, who bears an uncanny resemblance to her dad: same raised shoulders posture, same, albeit, skinny figure, same shape of a mouth that is capable of suddenly turning into a huge face-dividing gap. She is cute, funny and a good sport.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see a strong staging with terrific action

Don't see it if you don't care about the finance, junk bonds scheme of the 80's in particular (quite covered by the movies like Moneyball)

Also It's a massive, quite masculine and brisk production with precise directing and great acting. Everything here is very well done: from music to lights and costumes (how refreshing to see billionaires in decent suits, as opposed to usual unappetizing second-hand Broadway garb).
There's just one problem. It's boring. If you know how junk bonds work, you won't be too interested in play's lengthy explanations. If you have no idea how junk bonds work, the play's rationale is not too clear. It also has an interesting Jewish angle I was struggling to identify: on one hand, the play lauded the brave young jews who smartly rigged old white men's system, on the other hand those jews were just a line short from a Jewish financier caricature (promptly jailed at the end). Overall, if you want to see a great form of Broadway theater without much substance - see the play. A formidable cast of characters is reason enough: you have everyone from Tony Carlin to Rick Holmes.... Read more Read less

See it if you appreciate great acting. Frank Langella is superb. Great staging too.

Don't see it if you're looking for light entertainment. The work is profound and sad, though peppered with a lot of funny moments.

See it if if you enjoy intimate theaters and great acting

Don't see it if you are not into banality of evil, i.e. women inequality and hardship of immigration

See it if If you know who William Kentridge is - run until there's still tickets. It's an electrifying collage of imagery and ideas.

Don't see it if you don't know who Kentridge is, you probably won't enjoy it much. It's a theater of absurd.

Also This is the theater of absurd so usual measures are hardly applicable to it. The first World War gave birth to absurd theater, its memory served as an impetus for further development, therefore it's only fitting to use it to depict WWI now.
It has all of his usual Meyerholdian tropes, but the scale and the scope of the Armory lends the show an unbelievable physical and emotional strength. I don't think I've ever watched anything this epic.

The music, the voices, the projections, the shadow play tricks - on every imaginable level this show is a giant feast.... Read more Read less

See it if you can't get enough of magic in your life. If you have visitors you need to entertain. If you have kids 7+. If you want to have great fun!

Don't see it if You are easily offended with jokes (fun is poked at some viewers) and with your neighbors being loud and obnoxious (it's very umm democratic

See it if You like one story being told from different angles

Don't see it if You are tired of the mean when the same story is being told from different angels

See it if you like intimate period pieces on WWII, if you're interested in Ireland's history, if you are ok with minimalist setting

Don't see it if If you don't respond well to banalities. The show, while cleverly staged and beautifully played out, essentially is quite trite.

See it if you're are open minded, interested in female sexuality, and appreciate great acting.

Don't see it if you are tired of #metoo agenda as the ending is very disappointing and doesn't hold.

Also The play has so much potential, and the beginning is absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately the older our hero becomes the more banal and cliched writing becomes. The ending is just absurd.... Read more Read less

See it if You are clinically insane

Don't see it if You have a heart and a brain

Also This is a terrible monetizarion on a real tragedy that happened in our city several years ago. Why the author decided to depict a grieving couple as evil incarnated, is beyond me. Frankly, if I were those people, I’d sue the theater. The whole show is insensitive, cliched and just awful.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the past and current peaceful protest movements. If you enjoy work of Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen, If I forget)

Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with non-pc works, if you'd rather see a musical.

Also Great and timely play about futility of public protests, clasp of high-minded and down-to-earth ideas, youth, its confusion, its struggles and its frailty.
The "collective" of three young people live together, while trying to stop Vietnam war pretty much singlehandedly. Their relationship is tested on an everyday basis, they fight, love, cry and rage. Oh, how they rage!
The play, written by Steven Levenson (If I forget, Dear Evan Hansen) is terrifically non-pc, the language is so vibrant, it could have been a radio play. Trip Cullman (Significant Other, The Substance of Fire) assuredly directs a solid group of young actors (my favorite Tavi Gevinson is becoming a formidable force) - I saw a preview and there wasn't a single hiccup one needs to correct. Casting of Lauren Patten (Fun Home, the Wolves) is a bit questionable and the play could use more music, because what young people don't listen to it non-stop, but overall it's theater at its most enjoyable and smart.... Read more Read less

See it if you have a kid in tow. It's excruciatingly boring for the adults.

Don't see it if you actually want a coherent and meaningless play on inventions and/or history of inventions.

See it if you are into British exports and farce in general

Don't see it if you don't like meaningless laughs and have contempt for bad plots. This one is not genius to say the least.

See it if you like interactive shows with lots of audience participation

Don't see it if you love musicals, traditional linear genres, etc.

Also Mecurio promises “no barriers” “revealing and fascinating” show but the result, while never boring, is just shallow. A lot depends on the audience, of course. When I went there was barely 30 ppl in a much larger theater which felt a bit weird, as if you were attending a dress rehearsal. Mercurio used to be a M&A lawyer turned one the original writers for John Stewart show. He called in some younger folks (not fun as they have no story to tell yet) and some much older ones. There was his second grade teacher with her friends, his neighbor (though he had no idea she was his neighbor) and some delightfully crazy stalker of John Stewart (for real!) with her kid.
The show is essentially what the audience makes it to be. What it lacks completely though is any teeth since screaming at the audience “shut up” and “fuck you” is not exactly that. It has great potentials. But it needs to cut the small talk and really have no barriers.... Read more Read less

See it if you prefer brainy entertainment, if you enjoy science and love animals.

Don't see it if you are not into one-woman shows, and want a traditional play

Also Ms. Rossellini is the bravest woman I know. An actress turned farmer turned dog trainer turned biology professor turned director.
Her new show is warm, whimsical and quite educational. I’ve learned that dogs and ducks have the most intricate vaginas in order for a female to choose the right partner during a gang rape. Ive learned the difference between Aristotle and Descartes approach to animal psyche. I’ve learned that birds have accents, chickens can identify Picasso paintings and that Ms.Rossellini is a lot of fun. And I’ve learned that it doesn’t mater how famous or beautiful you are, you have to constantly learn, and grow, and take others for the ride. She is full of insecurities she is very aware of, and she fights her fears as well as the world’s fear of its own ignorance.... Read more Read less

See it if you like seeing great young actors with amazing synergy. If you prefer relevant themes of race and economics

Don't see it if you are not into intimate works and prefer more glitz. This one is quiet and a bit unsettling.

See it if You like big but tasteful Broadway productions. If you like Bernard Shaw. If you like deep themes.

Don't see it if you are into musical and comedies, can't stand long thoughtful monologues

Also Broadway of the year, and possibly best Broadway I've ever seen.
Ms. Rashad is not always up to her task but the staging is astonishingly beautiful, the play is whip smart, and the male ensemble is strongest since Incident at Vichy two years ago.... Read more Read less

See it if you're into visually gorgeous staging and great acting.

Don't see it if you are looking for some substance, ideas and good script - none of those are there

See it if you want your entertainment thoughtful, quiet and intelligent

Don't see it if you'd rather laugh through a musical

See it if you have a young adult to take it to. It explores the mysterious ways of creative process, basically a fun entertaining lecture about art.

Don't see it if you are not into perceptive talks, study of art, and would rather have a straightforward narrative.

Also Highly recommended to take older (9-18) kids to. It’s a fun conceptual theatrical lecture on art, technology, and human connections. Both girls and boys will appreciate it as it has Morse code, Irish dancing, theremin, kittens, hidden messages, etc.... Read more Read less

See it if you like young talent: the actors are pretty good, while the show is shallow and plain weird.

Don't see it if you are not into slow pieces that remind you of your school productions.

See it if you like cirque du soleil, colorful costumes, and busy stage.

Don't see it if you like to have a plot to follow. Also, if you are annoyed by cultural stereotypes this show has a plenty.

Also It's as grandiose as you'd expect from the Armory. It's colorful. It's busy. It's a lot. You are in someone else's dream. This dream is filled with monkeys, terrorists, mythical figures, bearded men, beautiful women, songs, dances, and some mild stage effects.
The plot is rudimentary: a French theater troupe is stuck in India, since their director, annoyingly named Lear, in case we miss the reference to our Father of Theater (who also makes a cameo appearance), went mad. His assistant, annoyingly named Cordelia, is tasked to mount the show all by herself. She's running around like a mad headless chicken, and the only thing you can rely on her to do is to pee and poo continuously. After each episode of screaming, running, and peeing, she collapses in her bed and dreams of stupidly funny terrorists, of women abuse, of Syrian refugees and of Mahabhartata tales.
If this sounds confusing, think of the last time someone was telling you their dream. For 4 hours telling you their dream.... Read more Read less

See it if you like immersive theater, if you care about a good cause, if you don't mind political theater, if you love folk singing

Don't see it if you want a musical or a traditional sit down show

Also This is the most engaging theater I’ve ever seen: all those “eyes wide shut” and other atrocities of so called “immersive theater” of NYC don’t come close to sheer joy and camaraderie of this show. It’s also the most effective piece of political theater precisely because it’s so rudimentary folk in a “back to roots” sense. Nothing brings people together faster and closer than a song. The mixed troupe of Canadians and Ukrainians re-tells and re-lives their story, and invite you to share it with them. Never before was I eating borsch, singing in Ukrainian, drum on a trash container, wore a hard hat, threw bricks in Berkut, put flowers on someone’s dead body, and cried, all within one hour.
It has a room for improvement (what doesn’t?) but life is not about perfectionism.
Tip: come early and be friendly to get a spot at the table as opposed to the side benches that are not fun at all. Don’t be afraid: if you are a wall flower, they don’t make you participate, only offer.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a smart and funny play about real female struggles: age, career, kids, friendship, etc.

Don't see it if you prefer your entertainment loud and shiny.

Also Imagine that you watch Golden Girls. But they are actually smart for a change. And use big words. And dress well. And care for politics, ethics, and dying. Did you notice how Golden Girls never cared for dying? Well, these ladies are two smart to be immortal.
The show does not ponder big questions, but it touches on the melancholy of female aging, discusses the comforts and perils of friendship, and it provides something that almost evaporated from today's theater - human warmth.
The directing is quiet and considerate, all actors are fine, if not great. I saw it with my 9 year old who was mesmerized for the whole time (there's no intermission). I was crying. She was not. Children do not yet feel sorry for being abandoned by the loved and live ones.
Overall, it's a perfect chick flick.... Read more Read less

See it if you like the theater of ideas. If you want to see strong directing and acting.

Don't see it if you are not a fan of PC theater and agitprop.

Also I like Theresa Rebeck. Seminar, Mauritius, and Poor Behavior were tightly written, fun, and spiky. But then she decided to write a relevant play. About female people work struggles. Mercifully noone was raped. Mercifully, she moved the action to the long-gone 1990s. And yet the struggle remains. Like any agitprop, this one is cartoonish: all male characters - architects in a prominent firm - are complete morons, thriving in their Mad Men territory. One wonders how they actually made it up to this point: they only drink, gossip, and trash their female co-workers. They neither harass nor abuse them. They simply dismiss them as girls. The result is quite childish, not too believable, and simply boring. The ending is predictable - a smart girl puts them all in their drunk irrelevant place. Yawn.
Which is a shame, since directing by Adrienne Campbell-Holt is solid, actors are all great, but there's not much they can do with this pc trifle of a play.... Read more Read less

See it if curious about a decade long drama of gender errors, social boundaries and political danger - the most fascinating love story of the 20th c.

Don't see it if you expect a love story - this is more of a political/cultural encounter exploration

Also This play was adapted which was greatly appreciated as most staging material from the 80s is way dated. The humorous "breaking the wall" add-ons, when the characters argue about how to tell their story, were the best part of the show. The staging with constantly moving screen was a bit awkward and clunky, though it worked fine in order to stitch the events together and change the scenes swiftly. Overall, it's the smoothest and most professionally staged tasteful Broadway show this year. There's just one problem - it doesn't work.
You are curious about the fate of its protagonists but mostly on the biological level ("how did they do it" part was the worst moment of the play, unfortunately). Even though Jin Ha is a terrific actor, even though Clive Owen managed to remember his lines this time (he was a complete disaster in "Old times"), you have a hard time to believe that this French Don Draper, tall, good looking and self-assured, - that this man will ruin his career for a love trap.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the most heroic theatrical endeavor ever. They stage all four 1599 WS plays in one sprawling production

Don't see it if you don't like immersive theater

See it if you're into hollywood actors vehicles

Don't see it if you don't appreciate banal writing