About Love

See it if you like coming-of-age stories. Joys/woes of 1st love. Gr perfs fr 2 leads. Clever adaptn. Modern songs underscore timeless emotions. Go see

Don't see it if you only like political focus; this is ABOUT LOVE (tho social status matters). Untradl story-telling. Gr band. Effective barebones set/costu

See it if You enjoy great storytelling. This is an engrossing story, made even more enjoyable with the addition of music. Great acting/costumes.

Don't see it if You don’t like bare bones staging. Six actors playing multiple roles and using mostly only an assortment of chairs for a set.

Also I loved this show. Masterful storytelling. Enough twists to the plot that just when you think you know how it’s going to go it takes an unexpected turn to keep you glued. Must see!... Read more Read less

See it if If you like Russia stories [ literature]. Well acted and each has multiple roles. A play of awakening.

Don't see it if If you do not like a time piece that takes you on a journey. Russian literature. Bare bones staging.

See it if 16 y.o. boy falls for 21 y.o. beauty surrounded by suitors in 19th c. Russia. Ecstatic highs & lows. Wonderful direction, acting & music.

Don't see it if You aren't interested in a surprising romantic tale that will evoke memories of your first love. Alternates use of narrative & dialog.

Also This artistic, understated play conveys depth of feeling without the actors doing a lot of overt emoting. The playwright uses multiple characters to speak the main character's narrative, as if to say, we have all shared this experience.... Read more Read less

See it if u want a charming (& tragic), well-acted, simply (but effectively) staged, uniquely told memory play about the joy & anguish of first love.

Don't see it if you will be as bothered as I was by a jazz score to accompany a 19th C Russian drama.

Also I actually liked Nancy Harrow's original score, but the style was completely incongruent with the material. Aside from that, this was a surprisingly delightful adaptation of Turgenev's short story. The two stars (Jeffrey Kringer & Silvia Bond, both making their Off-Bway debuts) are two of the most engaging performers I've seen on stage anywhere lately.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Russian lit or great writing & are OK with the Story Theater genre.

Don't see it if you want to see a play, as distinct from a story told onstage.

Also This staged telling of Turgenev’s story “About Love” is about as accomplished at the Story Theater genre gets. I would have rated it higher if I, at this date, found staged narratives more stirring than I do. The handsome wood set (evoking the Russian forest) with moving furniture & peripheral trees is highly atmospheric & deeply practical; unfussy period costumes enhance the mood without slowing things down. An engaging cast of 6, 4 of them playing multiple roles, share narration as well; the young hero is especially charming in his fitfully impassioned inexperience. Things move swiftly through many scenes & a few different eras. Turgenev’s prose keeps its poise & polish even when the story burrows into sexual territory not often touched by the great 19th century fiction writers. And this particular writer’s insight into the dark human heart & his sympathy for us all makes a good case for Turgenev’s enduring greatness.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a story well-told by an energetic, small cast, many speaking for the main character, occasionally bursting into song w/a good band

Don't see it if you want full staging - here clever use of minimal staging and props, some just motions, don't fail to enhance the story. Hard seats up frnt

See it if you feel like you need a vacation in a foreign place where romance suggests improbable possibilities that may never come again.

Don't see it if Russian class issues irritate you. Youthful romance depresses you. Small casts doubling & tripling confuse you.

See it if You love Russian lit and want a staged "novella" with characters narrating the book while playing multiple roles. Not for everyone.

Don't see it if Don't want fiction w play w music mashup. Kate Hamill-lite staging, jazz, bare-bones set only bored me, but delighted maj of audience.

Also Clearly, I'm in the minority here but this never gelled for me. The choice of contemporary jazz was the most jarring of all, despite the capable musicians.

Saw this at the black box small theater at the Sheen Center, end of March, still in previews.... Read more Read less

See it if interested in adaptation of Turgenev's First Love with jazzy musical score; has charm, plot twists,manipulative female leading on young man.

Don't see it if impatient. Takes a while to get in gear. Gets more interesting as it progresses.

See it if you enjoy boy not maturing stories of obsession

Don't see it if you believe stories about a woman's whordom and boy blinded by an infatuation should not be on stage, unless nonfictional, in 2020.

Also Will Pomerantz tries to make this an everyman story by having every character, from time to time portray the protagonist. Often this construct is abandoned as he realizes it does not work. Eno could not quite pull off this idea and Pomerantz is no Eno.

Nancy Harrow jazz/blues songs are wonderful, but never push the story only supplement it and therefore are superfluous. This is aggravated by Silvia Bond's singing. Bond has a beautiful voice. But it is at this point is more suited for lullabies, than the throaty, emotionally invested sound needed for jazz or the blues.

The story of a boy who is set on rescuing the beautiful young prostitute certainly still happens, but in 2020 one party or the other should grow out of it - at least on stage. This show, as fictional, demeans women by showing them as manipulative creatures needing a man's support to survive. The protagonist mother, who is strong, is discounted by both her male family and the author.... Read more Read less

See it if Smitten boy does stupid things for a manipulative woman he's into. She makes him and 4 others do things for her but they don't seem to mind.

Don't see it if Problematic notion of romance/love: falling for manipulative people and coming out of it still feeling smitten 🤮 1 hour 45 minutes no inter

Also Diversity: not. All White cast, story of rich people.
Ticket from Show Score for $5.... Read more Read less

See it if Beautifully told story of a 16 year old boy’s awakening of love, awareness and family betrayal. Stylish music with hypnotic voices.

Don't see it if Russian vintage story are not your kind of show.

See it if you like storytelling;like jazz;want to see something new & interesting,but based on a classic novella; want to see some NY acting debuts

Don't see it if you dislike storytelling w/as much narration as dialogue w/ multiple characters serving as narrators; find jazz & Russian folk music jarring

Also I enjoyed this, but it's more storytelling than play. I disliked the use of multiple narrators. I found the use of jazz in this odd; I like jazz but not in what is a thoroughly Russian story set in the mid-19th Century. I don't "get" why they changed the name of the central character & Americanized it. Finally, while Kringer did a fairly good job as "Peter," he is MUCH too old to play a 16 year old. He did not come across as much younger & less sophisticated that the target of his affection, which makes the audience suspend belief a bit too much.

.... Read more Read less

See it if you like adaptations of Russian stories. Like small intimate shows. OK with multiple actors reading main character's lines.

Don't see it if I honestly don't understand the raves for this show. I just didn't connect to it and found it hard to stay engaged. Very slow moving.

See it if You enjoy the idea of Russian lit mixed with Spring Awakening with a jazz score rather than indie-rock. You enjoy Brechtian plays.

Don't see it if You dislike plays that have a layer of artifice over the events. Don't care for jazz.

Also "In youth my wings were strong and tireless,
But I did not know the mountains.
In age I knew the mountains
But my weary wings could not follow my vision—
Genius is wisdom and youth." -Spoon River Anthology

About Love succeeds in transporting your heart back to a time in your youth when every moment was of the utmost importance. That time when your heart breaks in large and small ways, seemingly, ever day.

I wasn't completely sold on retaining the text as narration, spreading it out over a very capable ensemble, but it's a beautiful piece in spite of its artifice.

At the heart of this play is the mesmerizing Zina, portrayed by Silvia Bond. I can't remember being so beguiled by a character since fawning over Great Expectations’ Estella in middle school. Bond's manic highs and depressive lows would be painful to see, if they weren't also so enchanting.

The music is wonderful though I wish there were a few more full songs. Alphonso Horne's arrangements are excellent.... Read more Read less

See it if you like vintage Russian family in the country tales (i.e. Chekov) about a young man coming-of-age, finding his "ideals' are quite flawed

Don't see it if you're looking for something heavy & intellectual; object to incongruous musical genres ( torch song, musical theater songs) in the story

Also I really liked this play a lot; I found it absorbing, well-played & charming. I liked that there was a live band but choosing a 'jazz-lite" style in an 1800s story was very distracting. Fortunately, there were only a few songs. Would've been MUCH better if the music was just instrumental in the background.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a fresh new play done in a unique way - keeping the tenor of the underlying Russian story. The male lead is excellent!

Don't see it if You want anything 'big'. You don't like Russian [themed] plays.

Also This was truly a lovely night out at the theater - nothing big, just beautifully written and played. The score represents what it is - not to put it in the same category as 'Comet of 1812'. Bravo to casting appropriately-aged actors.... Read more Read less

See it if a good old fashion love story with music...good acting and great staging.

Don't see it if if you want something more musical.

See it if U like good story telling and a fine ensemble cast in a play that has a difficult premise to get behind or find plausible.

Don't see it if U don’t like small stage productions, want a story that is at least plausible or prefer traditional musicals.

See it if You would enjoy a well-executed adaptation of a Russian novella with occasional musical interludes.

Don't see it if Like me, you are not a fan of third person narration in a play. The six actors take turns narrating the plot. Songs are short and few.

Also I can understand the good reviews About Love has gotten on Show-Score, as it’s a polished production of an affecting story with top notch acting from every cast member. However, I did not enjoy the constant third person narration at all. It prevented me from ever becoming immersed in the story. The effect was more like a book reading than a play. I’m an avid reader, yet I don’t attend shows hoping for the same experience. As well, the concept did not seem particularly innovative. It’s like watching a cross between Inheritance and The Great Comet, but less stirring or entertaining than either. The brief musical interludes are pleasant, but add little. I wish the playwright had fully adapted Turgenev’s First Love into a more theatrical-feeling work, as the story itself is profound and moving. Perhaps he aimed to be respectful by taking so much from the original text. To me, it feels like he played it too safe.... Read more Read less

See it if It's almost a fairy tale. Everyone in it impresses. The staging is minimal but effective, the story is great, the music suits the plot.

Don't see it if It's not wholly happy, but it's a Russian story, so you knew that, right? You should see this; it's remarkably good.

See it if Interesting play about about a young man's first love with multiple characters portraying the young man as well. The play includes some song

Don't see it if And dance with four musicians. Don't see it if you prefer a full Broadway production. The play is based on Ivan Turgenev's First Love.

See it if You are a fan of Russian literature, or tragic love stories.

Don't see it if You are expecting a musical or a play. It’s unsatisfying as either. If you want something that holds your attention.

Also The story is interesting and had potential for a powerful piece. It revolves around a sixteen year old boys infatuation with a fickle, attention craving young woman. The songs are melodious. The singing is excellent. However, the choice of the playwright to narrate the story in third person instead of having the actors fully inhabit their characters felt like a big mistake. It made the story seem far duller than it should have been. Sorry to say, I had trouble staying awake.... Read more Read less

See it if good simple professional literate adaptation of great story. good music, good acting, good singing, good adaptation.

Don't see it if perhaps a little too busy, a little too much movement for its own sake. don't expect a musical, don't expect a full production.