The Passionate Pilgrim

See it if You go to the theatre to watch a celebrity with no stage presence, and if you want to watch a show with low stakes.

Don't see it if You want a riveting, tense, complicated play.

Also Ed Harris doesn't pull it off. He's stiff, slow, and barely has a trajectory. I can think of ten NY theatre actors off the top of my head who would kill to play that role and who would do it better. But Broadway loves Hollywood, don't they? The kid from Dear Evan Hansen overacts, fake cries, and play acts like a child the entire time. The audience eats it up like sugar but those of us who know the craft can tell his performance is fake. But, hey, go ahead producers, bring in the fan favorite because they laugh at his cheap jokes we see coming from a mile away. It felt like there were no stakes, no tension, no pressure whatsoever. It was directed terribly and I'm tired of the boring, flat, uninspired direction throughout Broadway. We've all seen the same old smooth, overlapping transitions for years now. It's boring. Also, there is a massive stage for actors to play on and everyone stands in a line downstage, like a high school show. Can we please find some new directors on Broadway?... Read more Read less

See it if You want to be trapped in a room with a one-sided point of view where a talented actor preaches to a congregation of woke liberals

Don't see it if You want to challenge yourself with new ideas and hear different points of view about the current state of our country.

Also Major disappointment. The amount of misinformation and “statistics” that were presented as truth is too great to list here. It would take me several pages to rebut everything. Also, it’s one of the most negative shows I’ve seen in a while. How perfect for the doomsday left.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to watch a critique of our obsession with the internet (the monster) told through a cappella arrangements.

Don't see it if You want a snazzy jazz hands song and dance musical

Also It was a beautiful show. Malloy does it again. Ghost Quartet is still his best though.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to watch an immersive play about oppression & otherness without the material being too heavy-handed. Reminded me of Caryl Churchill

Don't see it if You are tired of watching plays about oppression and otherness. It's getting old, but this play isn't loud and overt like most plays today.

See it if You want to watch two very talented actors play misfits desperate to not be alone. They are very quiet, nuanced performances.

Don't see it if You want to see a dazzling, fast-paced spectacle.

Also Superb performances by Michael Shannon and the great Audra McDonald. How wonderful to see strong, craftsmanship on stage. It’s so rare on Broadway. Director: The final moment almost worked. I got ahead of it. It’s so close. Something is off.

To all of the quasi-feminists who think this play is "problematic" because (god forbid) the male character refuses to leave the female character's home: please, get the rod out of your bum, let your hair down, and chill out for once in your life. Life is complicated. Life involves risk. Sometimes women make risky decisions with men and sometimes it pays off. Learn to deal with the complexities and contradictions of life otherwise you will end up a miserable old hag with 7 cats and no friends.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to watch a remarkable feat by Glenda Jackson.

Don't see it if You can't sit through a show that's over 3 1/2 hours long or you aren't at all familiar with the story before the show starts.

Also It was an early preview so it may get better. If you don't know the story of King Lear, you will be lost. I recommend reading it beforehand or a synopsis. Sam Gold is am amazing director but he missed the mark on this one. There needs to be more compelling visual storytelling to guide the audience through the plot. There is not enough change. It can be very one-note. The end the first half is very compelling and Act 2 is more interesting than Act 1.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a version of Miss Julie exploring the current land controversy in South Africa and the violent consequences of apartheid.

Don't see it if You can't handle graphic sex on stage or sexual violence.

See it if You want to see the most impressive puppet in the history of the Broadway stage. Seriously, the King Kong puppet is insane!

Don't see it if You want quality musical theatre with an unexpected story. Let's be honest, without the ape, this show would be a dud.

Also I find it so annoying that the creators felt like they had to add lines to the lead female's song about "not being in a cage anymore" for female empowerment or other related cultural hot trends of today. It didn't matter because this was my experience of the play:

Scene without King Kong: blah blah blah blah blah

Scene WITH King Kong: Wow! Amazing Special Effects! So cool!

Scene without King Kong: blah blah blah blah zzzzzzzz

Scene WITH King Kong: Whoa! How did they do that? Oh my god he's climbing the Empire State Building!... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see the great Cherry Jones onstage with 2 solid actors; if you want to consider what truth in a story means to different people.

Don't see it if You are looking for a real argument onstage that leads you to unexpected places through twists and turns.

Also The weakest part of the play is probably the script itself. The director and actors saved the production by finding specificity in the acting. They helped create more meaningful moments than were actually in the script. Despite that great effort, the play still lacks momentum and tension and, instead, shines in its moments of farce and witty comedy.

Radcliffe's character, at one point, pokes fun of the "lamestream liberal media." What a missed opportunity to create a conservative Harvard-educated character who is working on the inside of the liberal media to expose inconsistencies and lies. That would have been a braver, more interesting direction to take the play and the New York audience would have been more challenged by it. Instead, Radcliffe's character is an anal retentive detail-obsessed perfectionist obsessed with winning. The play mainly asks "who owns the stories of the dead?"... Read more Read less

See it if You need justification for why Ben Brantley should be fired from the NYT for lack of taste and absence of critical thought.

Don't see it if You are expecting One Man, Two Guvnors. That show was funny and entertaining. This one is not.

Also Why do Broadway producers produce stuff like this? It's not good. There are much better plays being written and produced all around the city. Please, producers, stop it.

Daniel Sullivan's direction was so uninspired and disappointing. Is it time for him to step down let younger people actually have directing jobs? Yes, I think so.

The writing was SO sophomoric. None of the jokes were funny. Sure, the midwestern tourists in the house will laugh at anything you put in front of them but that doesn't mean it's good.

The set design was like an expensive high school show set. Wobbly, poor paint treatment - I even saw backstage in one of the scenes!

Finally, the trans character was an absolute mockery. In the first scene, the playwright put in a bunch of d--k jokes and "sex change" jokes. Is this the 1980s suddenly? The audience should laugh at the characters who are talking about her, not at the trans person. It was really low and so unfunny.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see play about 4 white guys where one's depression is portrayed with detached compassion by the writer. Critics will love it.

Don't see it if You want to see something overtly political or that answers questions. It doesn't. It asks them. This was unexpected.

Also I was right: Critics love it. So predictable.

My big problem with this show is the "people in charge." They are two openly transgender actors who are dressed in matching, almost circus-like costumes. It comes off as bizarre, uncomfortable tokenizing. They also serve zero function within the world of the play. I'm sure that's the writer's point but it doesn't have an impact.

Another disappointing element is the direction. The banter of the actors was boring - perhaps because the character of the father has been recast. The scene changes didn't work. She employs the 2 "people in charge" to lead the "white men", by the hand, to their spots yet there are stagehands moving props and scenery around. Very disjointed and I would expect more from a Broadway-level director.

At first, the play looks like it is going to spend 90 minutes making fun of white guys but it surprisingly explores the depression and stagnation of one of the sons. His story was the most interesting part of the play.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see an epic, fantastic classic about an extremely difficult and sad time in American history

Don't see it if You are expecting a perfect show. If you saw the original, don't come in expecting that production.

Also I'm shocked that this production is getting accolades. It is a problematic script that is very difficult to execute onstage. With this production, the set causes the timing of the transitions to be off . The sound design and composition is one of the worst I've heard on Broadway - it sounds like something from a 1960s movie and it feels out of place. The pace of the show is clunky and sloppy - I am deeply confused how Marianne Elliott (a great director) made so many poor decisions. The acting is a mixed bag. Andrew Garfield overacted the entire time. He screeched and wined and camped it up. Lee Pace overall was bland but he had a few decent moments. The actor who played Luis was, overall, very good but I wondered if he was forgetting lines or jumping cues. Harper's valium-induced loneliness was very cool & different than other versions I've seen.

Nathan Lane was marvelous. The best thing I've seen him do. The angel was spectacular. The final moment of Part 1 is extremely well-done.... Read more Read less

See it if you like musicals with fun songs a committed cast or you are interested in how artifacts and objects emotionally resonate through time.

Don't see it if You are looking for a deep theatre experience that asks important questions or explores the complicated aspects of the human experience.

See it if You want to bring the memory of the extinct female Shaker community alive through an exploration of simplicity.

Don't see it if You can't sit through abstract theatre.

See it if You want to see a new take on a less popular Arthur Miller show with a cast of amazing primarily British actors.

Don't see it if You like your Miller traditional.

See it if you want to see something loud, in-your-face, and heavy handed.

Don't see it if You don't like blood, loud noises, or a plays without much emotional resonance.

Also The play is like a poorly-written Fringe show with a massive budget.

See it if You like Tolstoy or if you want to see a Broadway show that is a little different, and the theater completely transformed.

Don't see it if You are looking for a more traditional Broadway musical.

Also The opening number is superb, Act 1 was very well done. Gelsey Bell is incredible, Denée Benton, though a little green, is perfectly cast. However the show struggled to sustain itself in Act 2. Flashy, loud, and bold staging choices sometimes seemed to compromise the need for tension and intimacy.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to support a theatre company that remounts old plays.

Don't see it if You want a compelling drama with comedy and tension throughout.

See it if You can appreciate a show about race approached from an intelligent, absurd, and artful direction acted with a talented cast.

Don't see it if You can't appreciate small-budget shows or you are simply little miss grumpy puss.

See it if You want to watch a deconstructed Crucible and you are forgiving when a director makes choices that are antithetical to the script itself.

Don't see it if You have little patience when a director muddies the intention of the playwright and, therefore, ruins most of the performances.

See it if You want to see an intelligent & thoughtful family drama about a repressed gay father a blossoming gay daughter & the conflict between them.

Don't see it if You don't want to see something sad or if you are completely close-minded about the realities of gay humans and their families.

See it if You are looking for a different kind of play with gay themes or if you like zombie stories. Or if you like science fiction stories.

Don't see it if You don't like long and slow plays where the plot meanders for a while. Or if you can't deal with heat (though they gave popsicles, yum!)

See it if You have always wanted to see Blue Man Group but haven't. Get it out of your system and move on with your life.

Don't see it if You want theatre. It's not theatre. It's a fun and goofy show where talented drummers wear blue makeup and behave like detached aliens.

See it if You like site-specific theater and you are looking forward to an immersive experience.

Don't see it if You don't like to walk up stairs or if you don't like crowds. It was extremely crowded the night I went.

See it if You want to watch a play, set in 2008, that depicts a group of teenagers, their shifting loyalties, and their esoteric culture.

Don't see it if You don't like strobe lights or herbal cigarette smoke in small spaces.

Also The acting had some good moments but there was a lot of screaming (which teen girls do, I suppose) and much of the acting lacked modulation, differentiation, and tonal shifts. The dance sequence was fun but the strobe sequence went on way too long. Add some toilet paper and it would be Blue Man Group's finale.

The final scene of the play felt like it grew out of nowhere. It was too fast a change. In fact, many of the scenes didn't propel into the next scene. Conflict was often minimal and the Pablo Escabar fascination didn't really amount to anything. The grossness of the ending didn't bother me. It just felt a bit gratuitous.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to go on a wild musical trip of gay, black, Christian, insert intersectional identities, self loathing for 1:45.

Don't see it if You don’t need to see or hear about anal sex constantly. A few times, ok, I get it. After the 119th time, ok...we are not your shrink.

See it if You want to learn some history about the Irish revolution from the perspective of the common Irish of the time

Don't see it if You are looking to be emotionally rocked or if you are looking for comedy.

Also It’s a talented team of actors and the design is beautiful (though the set is a little crammed). The play is dated but I think it could work if the director were more inspired with the piece. It felt safe and bland. The characters felt like copies of an idea of Irish working class people in the early 1900’s instead of people living now in an immediate moment. Still, Irish Rep always does interesting work and the production is visually beautiful.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to laugh at endless gags and slapstick humor from beginning to end.

Don't see it if You want a compelling, emotional, or intellectual experience at the theatre.

See it if You long to witness the once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing a large pile of dead male bodies on a Broadway stage.

Don't see it if You want a show that surprises you or makes you lean into the material in unexpected ways.

Also I really wanted this play to be good because I think Taylor Mac is a great artist. I can tell you the #1 reason this show failed: allowing the producers to cast Nathan Lane instead of Taylor Mac himself. Once again, the capitalist producers made a huge mistake because they were only concerned with having a star on stage to sell tickets. Big mistake that, once gain, failed. Nathan Lane is a great actor but not in this role - or at least the director wasn't able to help him fit into the play better. This role is the voice of Taylor Mac and he is the only one who should have been cast in that role.

Unfortunately, the director just let Nathan Lane do his usual bag of tricks, stealing focus, and distracting from the spirit of the piece. It was loud, over the top, and hammy. Taylor Mac would have brought the right blend of camp and stillness to the role and Taylor Mac would have been better at working the crowd. Bummer. Hopefully ONE producer reads this.... Read more Read less

See it if You like Bryan Cranston, Network the original film, and Brecht-style theatre.

Don't see it if You don't like experimental theatre or non-normative theatre.

See it if You are a fan of Van Halen or you want to watch three women campily play male roles.

Don't see it if You are looking for something thought-provoking or something very funny.

Also I'm surprised Atlantic Theatre produced this. It's a very silly, fluffy, and forgettable show. The production values were good and Adina Verson was the most grounded actor on the stage.

The musical numbers and choreography could have been executed much better,.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a deconstructed, stripped down version of Oklahoma that speaks to today's USA and stays true to the message of the original.

Don't see it if You are a Rogers & Hammerstein purist who believes no liberties should be taken with their work. Stay away and let the rest of us have fun.

Also This is the best Oklahoma I've seen. The characters are intense and they don't smile often which is a wonderful change from the normally-cheesy productions and film of the past. This production speaks to American history and today's United States by highlighting our history of violence, misogyny, and parochialism. The argument of federal vs local government shines through beautifully and hauntingly at the end.

I agree with others that the dream ballet is a miss. It doesn't fit into the aesthetics of the production at all. The director should play a bigger part in dictating the choices of the dream ballet. It felt like he just let the choreographer go wild. The entire show would benefit from completely re-doing the ballet. C'mon Mr. Fish, just do it.... Read more Read less

See it if You love the typical Irish family drama where they fight, drink, dance, and uncover demons of the past.

Don't see it if You can't sit through a show for over 3 hours.

See it if You like to watch shows where opposing perspectives are shown with empathy and multiple levels of gradation.

Don't see it if You dislike plays that portray a homophobic Christian as a multidimensional person (actually maybe you should see it if that's the case).

Also A surprisingly good show! It's rare today to go to the theatre and not be lectured at for 2 hours about left-wing politics. This show dares to explore a friendship between a kind and forgiving older lesbian and a generous good-natured right wing Christian who believes homosexuality is against God's intentions.

Overall, it's well-written and gripping throughout with one flaw: the Christian is shown to be a reasonable, well-rounded and logical person whose choices are dictated by his absolute faith in Jesus. However, he is instantly duped by the introduction of a cryptic message in Aramaic by an unknown hacker. Not only is he swayed by the message but so are members of his church who turn violent. This was surprising, given the playwright's empathy for Christianity, for the Christians to suddenly become gullible fools.

I say cut the storyline about the hacker, keep the assault at the end (just find a different circumstance) so that you can keep the wonderful "mushy" food moment.... Read more Read less

See it if You like well-written Irish plays about lost men who use alcohol to escape the sins of their past.

Don't see it if You are turned off by excessive drinking onstage.

Also The acting was really good but Matthew Broderick was the weak link. I believe he was the only American actor on stage and that was clear in his accent. He also found very little nuance or modulation in the performance. I like the idea of casting a celebrity in that role because the character is out of place in the environment, but Broderick finds little nuance and fails to create much tension except for a few moments.

Still, it's a great production in a beautiful little theater, run but great people.... Read more Read less

See it if you have been waiting all your life for a fluffy feel-good musical about the Sep 11 tragedy.

Don't see it if you want to see a show with surprises, new insights, or risk.

Also Nearly everything about the show misses the mark. From the unnecessary giant trees that obscure the incredible band and close off the vastness of the space, to the surface-level acting and character development, to the maddeningly monotonous music, to the cutesy, uninspired, one-beat direction — the show aims to tug at your heart strings but, instead, puts you in a state of catatonic stupor wondering how highly-trained theatre artists with money to die for managed to create such a wet rag.

But hey producers, you have a hit! Middle American tourists laugh at the safe jokes, tears drop down their faces, and they leap to their collective feet at the curtain call as the generic Irish-inspired music pounds away.

My advice to anyone who wants to see some quality theatre in NYC: Stay Far Away.... Read more Read less

See it if you've never seen a Fiasco show and you want to get a sense of what they do. It's also a good show to bring young people to.

Don't see it if You want to see a different 12th Night. This is a pretty straightforward approach to the play.

Also Fiasco does their Fiasco thing and, while it's fun, they avoid deeper elements in the text like gender dynamics, same sex love, and loneliness. They do what they do best: clever, uptempo and fun staging of Shakespeare plays. Unfortunately they only scratch the surface of the play's possibilities. Malvolio's passion toward Olivia was played way too over the top which lessened the impact of the heartless prank played on him. There was also no manifestation of class in the play (only on the surface) which is important to make the show work.

Viola, Feste, Aguecheek, and Maria delivered standout performances!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to support a small theatre company with a lot of talent and potential.

Don't see it if You don't like extremely fast-paced storytelling.

See it if You live the music of Pippin, the circus, or old musicals that don't exactly work anymore.

Don't see it if You want to see something profound and new.

See it if you want to see a beautifully-executed script that highlights the resilience of the human spirit during times of crisis.

Don't see it if You have issues watching intimacy between 2 women. Actually, strike that. You SHOULD see it if you have weird issues like that. Get over it.

See it if you are in the mood for a night of abstract dystopian theatre with splashes of poetry. Also if you like modern dance and movement.

Don't see it if you want a linear story that is easy to follow.

Also The design is exquisite.

See it if if you like the idea of watching two good actors play amazing table tennis while acting.

Don't see it if You are a complete lover of all things boring and lame. It's a cool show, and it's short. Go check it out!

See it if You want to watch great acting and a fantastic ensemble.

Don't see it if You like need lots of dialogue in the plays you see!

See it if You get excited by female empowerment and women playing male roles.

Don't see it if You can't stand directors with overt political messages or if you want a complex, layered version of Shrew with tension between characters.

See it if You want to see a new, slightly deconstructed version of Streetcar with a great actor playing Stanley.

Don't see it if You aren't in the mood for a heavy-handed director and often too over-the-top Blanche.

See it if You want to see a classic Broadway dance show or if you are a choreographer or dancer.

Don't see it if You want to see something new and exciting. The show feels a little bit like it was dug up from a time capsule and put on stage.

See it if You like TV sitcom style stories

Don't see it if You are in the mood for something a little deeper and original.

See it if You are in the mood for something silly, with lots of laughs, and catchy songs.

Don't see it if You are in the mood for something deeper and more complex.

See it if All you care about is spectacle.

Don't see it if You want to go to the theatre and get captivated by a good story and good acting.