ThePearl

See it if This is a thought-proving evening at the theatre that features 3 one-act plays, Brecht's The Jewish Wife and two new plays that were written

Don't see it if in response to Brecht's. Arlene Hutton's Sunset Point and Kristin Idaszak's Self Help in the Anthropocene are both strong plays. Hutton's is

Also set in the literary world and is smart, engaging, and humorous until things take a turn, and Idaszak's, set in the future, is [largely] a sharp, well-crafted monologue with props, very well-executed by actor Lucy Lavely. With its past/present/future construct the show warns that things we think we may have left in the past, like certain kinds of persecution, are never far away.... Read more Read less

See it if This is an idea-based play by the talented Will Eno that explores life's Big Questions, not unlike Wakey Wakey and some of his other plays.

Don't see it if It's a very empathetic, humane play and is well worth a look. The structure is interesting and bold but, as the play goes on, it does start

Also to feel somewhat schematic and slow in parts. Some great dialogue and funny lines. The hospital scene was a stand-out for me. And as usual with Eno, a memorable curtain line. Thought-provoking about human life on earth, our connectedness, chance, fate, love, aging, multiverses and other mysteries, and the sometimes-absurdity of it all.... Read more Read less

See it if Neil LaBute's Appomattox is terrific--the clear stand-out of the Series B program. The writing, acting and directing are superb. LaBute's

Don't see it if mastery and talent are on fine display in this timely and edgy play about reparations. Sharr White's Lucky, about PTSD, is performed at such

Also a glacial pace that it's hard to get a fix on it. It has some strong emotional moments. Providence by Nancy Bleemer is a comedy; pleasing but slight. Series B is worth checking out for the LaBute alone (and that play is largely the basis of my score). Kudos to the set, light, costume, sound, projection and props folks--they do an elegant and creative job given the minimalist constraints of the format.... Read more Read less

See it if Harron Atkins's Tempo is the standout here, miles above the other Series B plays. Fine acting by Cecil Blutcher and Wesley T Jones, great

Don't see it if voice-over work, and sharp direction by Collette Robert of a play that is funny, fresh, heartbreaking, empathetic, theatrical and all-around

Also masterful. Cayenne Douglass's Oh My, Goodness features exceptional, wrenching performances by Zach Grenier and Margot White and is smartly and tightly directed by William Carden. The set, lighting, and sound design are excellent. The play itself has some lovely writing but suffers from the predictability of most "issue" plays. The other 3 plays in the series are fine but, as issue plays, are often operating in the territory of the "known" and falling into the preachy. Amanda Quaid's The Extinctionist has some good ideas that she pushes in interesting directions but the pace is way too slow--the actors were speaking slowly, not picking up their cues, and wallowing in every pause, so it was hard to get a real sense of the play. The Guard Will Escort You to Ruff-Ruff has a nice theatrical element in the form of a Chinese factory inspector and the cast is great. Privilege is well-acted and has a thought-provoking set-up but doesn't have the time to build it into much.... Read more Read less

See it if You need to have a taste for Greek theatre, meta-theatrics, chamber opera, poetic language, and/or experimentation to appreciate this play.

Don't see it if The stylish, noirish atmosphere created by the talented set & lighting designers sets the tone for this work, in which the Euripides version

Also of Helen (the one where she's not even in Troy but off in Egypt) bumps up against the Marilyn myth. A screenwriter (the brilliant Ben Whishaw) with a Kennedy-esque accent dictates a script, stage directions and all, to a stenographer (a perfect Renee Fleming) whose gorgeous singing takes over some of the storytelling from both the script and the story playing out in the room, an office in LA, New Year's Eve 1963. This is not a perfect work, but in these days of too many easy, on-the-nose issue plays, the ambition of these creators is admirable. The climax lacked some clarity and the ending was what one might expect, but overall, the stylishness and intelligence of the production, and the music, language and acting made NJBoT a resonant journey to lean in to and experience. The Shed is a big venue, and I felt like I was watching the dimly-lit proceedings through a window, across an expanse of night, adding a voyeuristic element that made sense, given the world's gaze on Marilyn & Helen.... Read more Read less

See it if Fine acting and a mostly strong script by Kessler made this an absorbing evening of theatre. That said, you do have to overlook some uneven-

Don't see it if ness of tone and some unlikely events and go along for the ride. At its best, it's tensely entertaining and moving. Feels like the script

Also needs more work and streamlining but there are flashes of brilliance to be brought out and some preachiness to be toned down.... Read more Read less

See it if NASSIM is more theatrical than dramatic. It has good momentum, some funny moments, some touching moments (veering into the sentimental)

Don't see it if and some educational moments. The high wire act/gimmick of the unrehearsed actor gives the piece immediacy. Reed Birney was superb; a treat.

Also That said, the stage environment was very controlled--the actor was not going to fail/fall. Not that the audience wants them to, but the unrehearsed-actor-thing--performance-wise and emotionally--seemed somewhat low risk. Still, it was an interesting show and a chance to learn about Nassim Soleimanpour's real struggles and creative solutions for getting his work seen, although not in his homeland. And see him employ language (and tomatoes...) as as bridge between people. Also a chance to see some of our best actors navigate a one-time performance of a role which is scripted yet they're largely playing themselves.... Read more Read less

See it if The play had some riveting scenes and some moving ones, too, but overall the docu-style made it less theatrical than you would want, despite

Don't see it if some interesting choices by the director. There's an inherent predictability in this kind of play that wasn't fully overcome. Characters

Also were underdeveloped; there to serve plot. As a shocking, lesser-known piece of America history and history of science/medicine, it's an important show. But when you're at the theatre and a largely predictable narrative is at the forefront of what you're seeing, you start to feel like maybe you should be reading the New Yorker article instead. That said, there's talent here, and Charly Evon Simpson is an emerging playwright to watch. Kudos to the Sloan program for supporting important stories that may not otherwise be seen. EST as always does a fine job and punches above their weight, with a stylish set, strong lighting design and other tech aspects, excellent performaces by the female actors (the men came off as a bit caricature-ish but perhaps that was on the page), and robust, interesting directing.... Read more Read less

See it if You can get a ticket or if it extends...it's a zeitgeist-y, sexy ride of a show that takes chances and is provocative and entertaining. It's

Don't see it if sort of Octoroon, Barbeque and Small Mouth Sounds all shaken up to yield something that's its own thing. Superb...watch this playwright.

Also That said, it's not a perfect play and has its longueurs, especially in the middle act, but I'd rather see something that takes chances than the half-cooked issue plays that many of the Off Broadway theaters are programming in order to be "relevant" and part of "the conversation"...... Read more Read less

See it if you like comedy, brilliant acting, strong directing. Two actors play several roles, keeping pace perfectly with Hindman's clever script

Don't see it if The play is a love letter to the theatre and has a lot of heart and humor. If you love the theatre you'll have a lot of fun at this show.

See it if The relationship between German painter Franz Marc and bohemian poet Else Lasker Schüler is at the core of this wildly theatrical play

Don't see it if written and directed by Ran Xia. The language is robust, surprising, and poetic, and the staging is full of inventive flourishes that

Also complement the play's expressionistic style. This is a play about an intense friendship and two people connecting through art, and across time and space. It's also about war, being the Other, and needing to feel secure and be seen. You may not follow every nuance of the action but it's a gorgeous experience regardless. It's also really funny in parts. The actors, Finn Kilgore as Franz and Alyssa Simon as Else, do superb work here. Musician Luke Santy provides a beautiful, rich live score, and set, lighting, and costume design are very well done.... Read more Read less

See it if Martha (Stewart) as a deity with the power to recreate Sodom and Gomorrah in a fruit basket and a recent urge to flood the earth--this time

Don't see it if without a heads' up about an ark--and just start over? Why not? This clever, absurdist play by Wendy A. Schmidt imagines the possibilities

Also and tosses in some yoga, accountancy, Jim Morrison and Lot's wife, too. Actor Amy Gorelow shines in a range of roles in a play full of ideas and some sharp theatrical flourishes, with strong writing by Schmidt and fine directing by Jeri Frederickson. For fans of absurdist theatre, it's a good thing.... Read more Read less

See it if Series C has some strong moments but there's not really one stand-out play. Kate Atwell's Jesus in Manhattan is the most ambitious and

Don't see it if interesting, but at times feels like a Caryl Churchill mash-up or homage and likely needs more drafts to get it to a place where the

Also playwright's own voice and also some clarity emerge. But it is powerful. Lloyd Suh's Mandarin Duck is charming, sad, and frustrating, hinting at something mysterious that doesn't materialize. i believe in a republic is entertaining and theatrical but, for all its satirical hijinks, should have been sharper. The Tourists is entertaining and uncomfortable in equal parts, with fine performances but doesn't seem to know where it wants to go and ends up in a sentimental, yet sort of satisfying, heap. Fall is also a sentimental play, or call it "moving," if this is your cup of tea. Well-calibrated performances and controlled direction in a play about a mother with dementia, her daughter, and a caregiver. It seems churlish to say anything negative about such a worthy enterprise, and the daughter has a strong although expedited arc, but I do get a bit weary with the aging parent/Alzheimers/caregiver set-up. The title and its use in the play provides a nice homonymic/metaphoric resonance.... Read more Read less

See it if Two of the plays are knockouts--well-written, acted, directed: Rosie by Lily Houghton, who scored Danya Taymor as director and Tricycle

Don't see it if Backflip by Dan Giles, crisply directed by Matt Dickson. Amy Fox's I'm Sorry is cleverly conceived and has its moments but the start is

Also stronger than the finish. The other two plays didn't land for me--both issue plays that are earnest and may resonate for some. On balance, Series A is a strong grouping, and anyone interested in new writing and in supporting emerging artists should check it out.... Read more Read less

See it if This is an experimental, immersive piece created in the room with the audience a crucial part of the show. It's audience participation-lite,

Don't see it if led by the theatre company members in a respectful, positive way. During the show, community is built, a story is hinted at, and it makes

Also you think about how we care about the people around us--friends and strangers--as well as ourselves. It's quite moving--a thought-provoking experience. Of course it also shows how easily most of us are led but the show didn't much explore the dark side of that phenomenon.... Read more Read less

See it if Strong acting all around, especially from Danielle Skraastad and Mia Barron, who had the best-written parts. Some great comic moments and

Don't see it if monologues. You had to take it on faith that Diane is making things happen because you don't really see her in action. She should have

Also been the strongest, most compelling character and she comes across as the flattest. I suppose you can argue that that characteristic allows the "girls" to project onto her what they want or need to see but I would have liked to have seen some of that vaunted "charisma" in action. Because the play is schematic and because Diane announces her intentions in advance in numerous monologues, there's a predictability, and the playwright seems slightly hamstrung by her concept. There's a climate change theme. I don't know what else to say about that...the recent glut of issue-driven plays continues. The play hits its sweet spots in the comic moments and also in Mia Barron's final turn. These are where George's writing really shines and her intelligence and clever, observational humor are on fine display. Strong direction, nice light and sound, and great set, sort of wish we could have seen the urban jungle beyond the French doors...... Read more Read less

See it if You like earnest feminist theatre. A soupçon of irony would have helped. Interesting ideas here but not fully realized. A bit too schematic.

Don't see it if Maybe a rewrite short of being ready. It's a good looking production, mostly well-acted.

Also Worth a look for some of the performances, especially a superb Brittany Anikka Liu as Tina and a strong Lisa Ramirez as Wilma, with all credit to the playwright for creating these interesting characters I wanted to see more of. A relationship "reveal" was not all that surprising.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a masterful playwright's talents on display in three short, powerful plays. LaBute's dialogue is mind-blowingly good, as

Don't see it if always, and he continues to provoke us--dare us--to see the darker side of human beings on earth. The atmosphere in the audience was

Also especially tense during the first monologue, styled as a speech by a mild-mannered Hitler devotee. The piece is sharply directed by John Pierson and flawlessly performed by Eric Dean White, keeping it all under control while fielding a few audience heckles. In the middle play, there's crisp LaButean dialogue and very good, winning performances by Brenda Meaney and KeiLyn Durrel Jones. The third piece, a monologue with a lot of layers and strands, was well-shaped by LaBute's direction of a strong Gia Crovatin (in a weirdly dowdy costume). Otherwise, costumes, set, lights, sound all well-done, especially for a low-key production. Nice touch re the use of flowers in each play; in the third one, on a Marimekko mug... The show's three plays were pulled together by the themes of art and truth. LaBute can be polarizing, but even if you have your issues, there is much to admire in the boldness, precision, and talent at work here.... Read more Read less

See it if Donahue's directing and Laffrey's set really make this play, it's a very strong production. The play itself is clever and funny and shows a

Don't see it if lot of writing talent that sometimes lands and sometimes falls short. Except for Verson's Betty, the characters were pretty type-y, perhaps

Also on purpose, but that made it hard to engage on an emotional level. The insistence on saying "pussy" at every turn seemed more juvenile than shocking. The acting is fine across the board with Dana Delaney, Ana Villafane and Adina Verson as stand outs. And that prop delivery system is da bomb.... Read more Read less

See it if you like theatricality, poetic language, strong writing, acting and directing.

Don't see it if you prefer plays with a linear story.

Also This three-character play by Michael Landes, with three strong performances, is riveting, while at the same time challenging, but the power of the symbols, plus strong writing and acting, make it worth it. There's a dystopian, apocalyptic vibe that's cool and compelling in this abstract piece, augmented by impressive radio effects and a stark and evocative set. The character with the flute seems to come from the edges of the female character's consciousness. Deft directing adds shape to the piece.... Read more Read less