Angel & Echoes

See it if Two plays about women seeking their identity amidst the war and chaos in Syria. Powerful performances, relevant to current events.

Don't see it if You prefer lighter material, or more subtlety. These people are forced into desperate measures.

See it if you believe personal stories are political. These three women will touch your heart and expand your world.

Don't see it if if you are afraid of strong women who are willing to die for what they believe is right.

See it if You want to see a powerful production about women in the Middle East. You want great acting & superb storytelling.

Don't see it if You don't like plays about stories in the headlines. You want a comedy.

See it if You like intense solo performances by strong woman in political situations. Care about conflicts in the Middle East.

Don't see it if You do not like political themes, strong women or want to see only light fate.

See it if you have an interest in seeing an historical view of women being treated badly merely because men can do so; highly emotional and gripping

Don't see it if you don't like being subjected to the horrors of women in war, seeing men mistreat and degrade women. You want a light, happy night out.

Also This was one of the most emotionally charged pieces I have seen this year. Audience members were sometimes in tears. The horrors depicted were disturbing and frightening; the acting superb. If this is not too much for you to deal with, it should be seen.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy strong female actors in amazing roles telling heartbreaking stories that need to be told.

Don't see it if You need a lot of pomp and circumstance. Minimalist set design and lighting to tell beautiful stories served best by the talent of the cast.

See it if you're interested in 2 simple but intense plays about women dealing with war and oppression. The acting is top notch for a small production.

Don't see it if you're not interested in the plights of various women, you're looking for a show with a fancy set, you dislike monologues

Also Both plays are very well-written and deal with timely issues. All three actresses were fantastic in their roles. The actress for Angel especially wowed the audience with her powerful performance.... Read more Read less

See it if intense solo shows about strong women in areas ravaged by war (both in Syria), actors telling their moving stories directly to the audience

Don't see it if don't like bare sets, graphic descriptions of violence; want something light and happy; don't like solo shows*

Also *one of the shows (Echoes) actually has two actors who alternate their stories that parallel in many respects although over a hundred years apart
Other than a general overview of British colonialism, I knew little about the historical figure's background so it was harder to get into the story.... Read more Read less

See it if You like all the Brits at E59. Angel is the better of the two plays-excellent acting by Avital Lvova. Interesting story.

Don't see it if You find accents difficult. Echoes, the two person play, boring, slow, repetitious. No scenery in either play.

See it if you enjoy great acting and writing about the plight of women in the world.

Don't see it if you don't want to hear about man's inhumanity to man

See it if This will leave you in a darker place but it's worth it to see the world through these women's eyes and feel their hearts from their souls

Don't see it if If you want a light night. It will take you to the depths of places you may not want to go

See it if You want to see two relevant and well written plays with terrific acting. Extremely moving and intense.

Don't see it if You are not interested in the plight of women in war torn countries. Heartbreaking to see the struggles.

See it if “Angel” play mesmerizes me, with its powerful and tragic story.“Echoes” play was equally powerful and dramatic. It brought us face to face

Don't see it if are not interested in the equal rights of women here and abroad

Also with the fate of Middle Eastern women, in their fight for human rights, or peace in their countries.... Read more Read less

See it if Brilliant, tough-minded, raw. Great writing and acting. If you're not a feminist going in, you'll be one coming out. Amazing a man wrote it.

Don't see it if If your machismo needs maintenance or you don't get choked up about social injustice. And I wouldn't recommend this for a date night.

See it if you love intimate profound plays.

Don't see it if you are looking for a big production just for the shake of being entertaint.

See it if you like gripping, thoughtful well-crafted intimate no-frills productions that tackle current topics with universal themes and kickass women

Don't see it if u want splendid sets (there r only black walls), you don't like war stories or feminist strength in funny/riveting 1 & 2 person productions

See it if Liked Cry Havoc-this will make you rave-cry-think-feel anger-think and be grateful you were privileged to see this before its run is over

Don't see it if Heavy heavy drama's, thought provoking virtuoso drama's depress you

See it if Individually each play is interesting. Together it becomes repetitious. All are strong actresses..

Don't see it if Angel: Rehana is a sniper who successfully kills ISIS for over a year. This is barely examined. I wanted to know how she survived so long &

Also who helped her. Would have been so much more involving.

Brits Off Broadway has been using the same format for many years, i.e., the cast is either 1 or 2 people who perform their character and narrate everyone else. Makes it cheap to produce - no need to pay 5+ characters, but sometimes this shortchanges the actor and audience.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see stories portrayed by women

Don't see it if You do not want to see extreme minorities portrayed.

Also AT this time of difficulty for so many immigrants, Echoes does not help the cause of the majority.... Read more Read less

See it if you like stories of women coming into their own, or want to better understand what's happening in Syria (to locals & foreign women recruits)

Don't see it if you don't like serious plays. You abhor described violence (nothing is shown, fyi).

Also I really hope this show finds a wider audience. ANGEL alone is worth the ticket price.

First on ANGEL: Amazing writing & acting. The only person onstage (Avital Lvova) keeps us fully engaged the entire time whether the scene is funny (a dad singing Beyonce) or horrifying (war crimes).

She switches quickly, seamlessly, & clearly between multiple characters. It's a really demanding role w/no one to fall back on or support her, & she pulls it off brilliantly. Go see it!

Now on ECHOES: I saw it last year in its 1st run at 59e59. It was memorably moving & very well-done then, & this version (w/new actors & a new director) retains much of its original power, though it's shorter to fit into a show w/ANGEL.

What was trimmed were a few early scenes introducing the two characters & giving more context for why they made the decisions they did. Those extra few minutes helped me empathize more w/the characters & made the play as a whole stronger, but even w/o them ECHOES is still worth seeing.... Read more Read less

See it if If you are interested in women's issues of ALL cultures. Well acted. Disturbing subject matter.

Don't see it if If you are prejudice or mysogynistic. But I guess you wouldn't really know or accept if you are. ;)

See it if You want to be immersed in a world about which we know too little and ought to know more.

Don't see it if You need a belly laugh.

Also The honesty of the acting was captivating. On the barest of stage sets I was transported to places and times that I couldn't begin to imagine.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see excellent acting and get drawn into some pretty compelling stories.

Don't see it if I can’t image why anyone wouldn’t want to see this show.

Also Wow. I mean it. Wow. From the moment it started, the actors grabbed our attention and transported us to other places and times. I saw what they saw, and felt what the felt. Drawing us in with a nice set and a stage full of characters is a very cool thing, but when there is no set - only 3 women, telling their tales, separately, and being able to draw us in like they did - it’s truly incredible. I was absolutely blown away tonight.

The show is in Theatre B at 59E59. They stagger the seats nicely here so everyone has a good view. I overheard a few people opting to move from the first row to sit further back. Bad move. Sit in the front so you can and take in as much as you can from this incredible show. With ample legroom, they truly are the best seats in the house.... Read more Read less

See it if Powerful stories out of the playwright's Arabian Nightmares trilogy showcasing the heroism of 3 women living in disparate places and time

Don't see it if Not lighthearted subject matter; gruesome accounts of violent deaths in war zone; bare stage, heavily leaning on light design/direction

See it if You can prevent yourself from exasperated shouting to the characters (Echoes) "how can you be so stupid? "

Don't see it if If the very high price of female innocence is of no interest to you.