tobiko

See it if You're into American history, the 60's, the Kennedys, presidential campaign politics, Boston accents, or want a jolt of political idealism.

Don't see it if You're not.

See it if Powerful acting, American history, civil rights movement, being black in America, queerness, love, God and faith, honesty and deceit, hope.

Don't see it if You have no empathy for the lived experiences of black people in America.

Also The actors, particularly DeWanda Wise, are just outstanding. This is taut and extremely moving stuff, performed in an intimate setting. Must see.... Read more Read less

See it if You're interested in a telling chapter in American history, von Braun, and/or dives into ethical and moral gray areas.

Don't see it if You're not into history, ethics/morals, or if seeing a swastika is triggering.

Also A deftly written and performed play. I first became aware of von Braun's role in the U.S. space program when work took me to Huntsville, AL, and on a late-evening walk I found myself in a park named after him and wondered why a park was honoring a Nazi. Even in the deep south that seemed pretty extreme. This play answers my early question but raises many more. The cast is wonderful. Very highly recommended.... Read more Read less

See it if Great acting by Edward Gero, really. If you love all things SCOTUS and constitutional law.

Don't see it if You don't like "wordy" plays, constitutional law/history or politics, or you're expecting either a hagiography or a hatchet job on Scalia.

Also In my opinion it's far too kind to Scalia, but your mileage may vary. The arguments are sometimes facile and dialog stiff, but it's a strong piece of work nonetheless.... Read more Read less

See it if See an earnest and committed young Asian-American ensemble, you like musicals, the history interests you.

Don't see it if Scenes of gun violence, depictions of systemic rape and other violence against women.

See it if You're interested in stories about strong African-American women, US history, powerful ensemble performances beautifully staged.

Don't see it if You can't follow a large number of threads at the same time, black history bores you, you don't like period pieces.

Also Lynda Gravátt and Harriett D. Foy give tremendous performances!

See it if Star power, great ensemble performances, clever staging, a brave and powerful play in its time given lovely homage here.

Don't see it if You're a homophobe, obvs.

See it if Issues of white male rage, and identity politics in Ireland are in your wheelhouse, or if you want to see Steven Rea at work up close.

Don't see it if Graphic depictions of violence, very strong language.

Also first, an ambitious piece of work, and the cast is all in. Most of the characters seem to just be foils to keep Rea's character talking. There's a point in the play where things get a bit glib and it feels like the playwright is just putting on a show with clever writing, but it doesn't derail the work.... Read more Read less

See it if you want the complete package: wonderful writing, great acting (Glenda!), perfect direction, and brilliant staging.

Don't see it if The thoughts and feelings of women bore you.

Also I sat in the very last row of the mezzanine and still felt deeply immersed in the performance!... Read more Read less

See it if You get a cheap ticket, you want to see Anthony Edwards (here in a relatively minor role), you want to see the talented Lauren Ridloff.

Don't see it if It's closed now, thankfully.

See it if You want to see two great actors working wonderful material, you want to see firsthand why this play is considered a masterpiece.

Don't see it if Issues of addiction bother you, you don't like longer plays, you need a happy resolution.

Also Lesley Manville is excellent, and Jeremy Irons is great in a role that channels his weaknesses into strengths. In particular I loved watching Irons when he wasn't speaking -- he was always adding to the scene without stealing attention. The performances of Rory Keenan and Matthew beard were less strong.

I feel the production is undercut by the beautiful set, which looks like it was lifted from Architectural Digest. It's lovely in a way that makes Mary's ongoing complaints about James's miserliness and the shabbiness of their living situation seem completely delusional. Likewise, the wardrobes of the characters didn't support Mary's descriptions of their financial circumstance. It colored the way we were asked to look at Mary and James, and not for the better.... Read more Read less

See it if You like intimate performance settings (two rows of seats surrounding the actors) and challenging moral and emotional investigations.

Don't see it if Minimalist staging and non-stop dialog between two characters aren't your thing, or if you need clear tidy right/wrong resolutions.

See it if Great acting, diverse talented cast, a few modernist winks, fine stagecraft, and Shakespeare -- all in an intimate setting.

Don't see it if A wordy 3.5 hour production is too much for you.

Also Very engaging and entertaining. More humor than I'd expect in a Lear, but I enjoyed this interpretation. Antony Sher is a treasure.... Read more Read less

See it if Eighties nostalgia and cliche dating horror stories are your comfort food.

Don't see it if You're looking for even an iota of fresh insight into dating and coupling. This is the story of a Princess seeking her Prince. Zzzz.

See it if You want to see one of the best plays of recent decades, you want to see Nathan Lane let loose in dramatic fashion.

Don't see it if you aren't up to the 7.5 hours, you're expecting uplifting comedy, you find magical realism confusing.

Also Excellent staging. Nathan Lane is a force as Roy Cohn. I'm less sold on the other major performances, particularly James McArdle as Loius and Denise Gough as Harper. Even so, it's a powerhouse work. Some say it could be edited down to be more focused and stay at a consistently high level for every moment, but the same has been said of the Beatles' White Album and I think they're wrong in both cases: The abundance of ideas and themes, major and minor, makes the work fuller and creates more flow, even as it runs longer.... Read more Read less

See it if You love old-school Broadway entertainment, star power, solid songwriting and choreography, boffo delivery.

Don't see it if Your tastes hew strongly toward the contemporary and/or away from white-folks-in-small-towns good-old-day nostalgia.

Also Bernadette was clearly under the weather the evening we went but she dug deep and still gave a strong 100%. I wouldn't be surprised if she collapsed the second the curtain came down (and was right back on stage the next night).... Read more Read less

See it if You buy everything Dead-related, including Jerry Garcia neckties and wine.

Don't see it if The subtlety and emotional nuance of GD songs is precious to you or if you're hoping for Dead-level musicianship.

Also First, I have to admit I left at the intermission. I just couldn't take it. I felt bad for the performers who were working really hard playing a very bad hand.

The musical is organized around a very flimsy story-line built from names and places popping up in Dead songs. The dialog, in exaggerated and corny southern accents, is entirely forgettable cliches. The actors give it their all, maybe even too much: Most every moment is oversold to the audience. There are many dead (no pun intended moments) where the timing and flow of the dialog is flatter than flat.

The music is Dead-lite: vanilla, blanderized, dumbed-down. Think a hootenanny "New Christy Minstrels in Branson, MO" lite. The emotional nuances of the songs, the melancholy that would pop up in the lyrics and Garcia's playing, are stripped out in favor of trying to be crowd-pleasing and entertaining.

If only the creators had trusted the songs and the audience more and fashioned something richer and with more depth. Oh well.... Read more Read less

See it if Good ensemble acting by a talented all-female cast, civil rights and racial justice issues, or issues of Catholicism resonate with you.

Don't see it if You're hearing-challenged, issues of racism turn you off, a bare-bones set isn't your thing, you find church pews uncomfortable.

Also Great and sadly timely subject matter but marred a bit by some less-than-three dimensional characters and a too-tidy story resolution. This production is performed in a church with minimal staging, sitting in the pews, and unfortunately poor acoustics that can make it difficult sometimes to catch every word.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a fan of punk, proto-punk, rock criticism in general, or Lester Bangs in particular.

Don't see it if You're not, of if depictions of bipolar behavior disturb you. Or if you love the band Styx.

Also An affectionate but unflinching take on on the life of a die-hard lover of rock, a gifted writer and critical thinker who foresaw the impending demise of the music he held dear -- performed with gusto, enthusiasm, and tenderness.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see powerful acting, inventive staging, and difficult, honest, brave, frank, and direct depiction of drug addiction recovery.

Don't see it if You're triggered by strobe lights, loud industrial noise, themes of drug abuse and addiction.

Also Denise Gough is simply incredible. The play itself is great and to my ear is pitch-perfect in presenting the mindset of the addict and the challenge of recovery. The ending, while excellent, felt a bit too compressed to me, but that's a quibble. Another must-see.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a powerful new playwright, you're interested in the Civil Rights movement and issues of race and class privilege.

Don't see it if You aren't interested in the issues and lives of black Americans, you don't like plays with almost no action, or history bores you.

Also Must-see. One of the best plays I've seen in a long time. Beautifully and intelligently written. No cookie-cutter moments, all honesty. Not a single misstep in writing or pacing. The playwright never betrays a character for the sake of plot or a moment. The actors are truly outstanding, uniformly excellent and bring full commitment to the work.

When the play ended I thought, "I wonder if this is how it felt after seeing the first production of August Wilson's first play?" Jiréh Breon Holder is most definitely a playwright to watch and I look forward to seeing whatever he does next.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a big fan of Nia, of Cheryl Strayed, or advice columns.

Don't see it if You don't like weepy stuff.

Also The play's text is completely derived from Cheryl Strayed's early Dear Sugar columns and tries to trace the arc of her working through personal issues even as she helps those seeking her advice. It was beautiful to read and watch as each column was printed, but here it felt too compressed and smug.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a great ensemble of women actors deliver strong immersive performances about women's experiences during and after serving.

Don't see it if You're not interested in Vietnam, women-centered dramas, if frank discussion of severe war injuries and deaths is too much for you.

Also Very powerful work and production; raw, honest, passionate, harrowing, deeply immersive and believable; very strong work by all the actors; simply but very effectively staged. Must-see!... Read more Read less

See it if You want a long hour of opaque, self-indulgent, wanna-be avant garde dribble.

Don't see it if No if.

See it if You're despairing over the current state of affairs and feeling powerless.

Don't see it if You're still supporting/rationalizing Trump.

Also Not a satire at all. It's a cross between a Mike Daisey monologue, a dinnertable chat, and a pep rally. The core message resonates and Moore, despite some humble-bragging here and there, delivers it with heart.... Read more Read less

See it if Caretaking and end-of-life care issues resonate with you.

Don't see it if You don't care for women-driven plays or you find health and end-of-life matters hard to deal with.

Also I hadn't seen any earlier production of this play, nor have I seen the film version. This production felt flat to me, in its pacing, lighting, staging, and especially acoustics. It felt like a play that had been produced for a more cozy space had been transported to an enormous stage, losing all its intimate charm and floundering in the vastness of the larger venue. The effect was to drain the play of its strength -- the energy of small moments of interaction get lost in the huge room. The net effect was a rather drab experience, despite all the talented cast brought to the work.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see non-stereotypical Asian immigrant characters and inter-generational trans-cultural stories.

Don't see it if You're offended by frank discussion of race including racist stereotypes.

Also A play with a lot of heart, much of it on its sleeve. Generally well written but overall it has the flow and form of a pilot for an alternate-universe Norman Lear '70's All in the Family-like sitcom -- social commentary mixed with humor and a bit of poignant drama. I learned after seeing the play that in fact that's exactly where this work went; it's been adapted for television in Canada and is currently filming its second season.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoys crackling dialog, great comic performances, tight pacing, seeing a comic master (Kevin Kline) at work

Don't see it if unless you have a time machine, because it ended its run today.

See it if You really like generational dramas, seeing an all-female cast, dark feminist themes, and/or voodoo/curses.

Don't see it if You're looking for something lighthearted and uplifting.

Also The acting was uneven. The actress playing the older daughter is excellent, the actress playing the younger daughter is very good. The grandmother's accent was perplexing and the actress playing the mother fluffed her lines more than once. A powerful revelation launches and establishes the trajectory of the second act, but it comes out of nowhere.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see excellent performances, rapid-fire dialogue, or you really have been wondering what happened to Nora et al.

Don't see it if See below.

Also Four excellent performances in service to a middling concept, a bit too much self-indulgent cleverness in writing and production, and, at the end of the day, nothing particularly insightful. It's a fun experience but kinda empty calories, at least for me.... Read more Read less

See it if You like abstract work that takes chances in form. Or you like anything dystopian.

Don't see it if You're not turned on by near endless opacity or you prefer a strong payoff at the end. Warning: there are strobe lights.

See it if You never met a musical you didn't like. You somehow know nothing about the Jim Crow era, in which case this might be revelatory.

Don't see it if You set the bar a little higher than that. Seriously, the songs all blur into one another and the lyrics are so on the nose it hurts.

See it if you like powerful drama flowing from the major political and societal issues of our time.

Don't see it if politics bore you, you're white fragile, or you need a happy ending.

See it if You're a fan of strong writing, layered storytelling, and strong female lead characters.

Don't see it if You see the world in black-and-white, you need happy endings, or you're anti-feminist.

See it if You want to see Harvey Fierstein. Even in service to this lukewarm play he's very good, and when things take a serious turn he's outstanding

Don't see it if You're looking for depth or a deeper view into why a gay man of a certain age might have strong feelings about commitment.

Also I don't want to spoil the play, so I'll just say that I find it incredible that the shadow of AIDS never comes up in a story that spans decades.... Read more Read less

See it if Absolutely one of the most beautifully staged productions I've ever seen. Takes fantastic advantage of the Armory space and scale.

Don't see it if Seriously, just go.

See it if You like shadow puppetry. Unfortunately it was only a brief part of this work.

Don't see it if unless you're just very hungry to see anything involving puppetry.

See it if You'd like to see the amazing Cate Blanchett in action.

Don't see it if Otherwise, it isn't much of a play.

See it if You love August Wilson's writing, you're interested in black history, you love great dialog.

Don't see it if You need action and large dramatic arcs.