BAROCOCO (2022) NYC Reviews and Tickets

71%

(65 Reviews)

Positive

78%

Mixed

11%

Negative

11%

Members say

Clever, Entertaining, Quirky, Funny, Slow

About the Show

This NYC premiere flaunts 18th-century finery and the excesses of Rococo in a unique physical comedy.

Happenstance Theater invites you to experience the charade — from parlor games to pantomime, from the exquisite to the revolting — in this delightful comedy of manners! Wigs, panniers, gestural styling, elaborate ornamentation, and more help the six-person ensemble bring the indulgent aristocratic lifestyle (precariously perched on the edge of its own extinction) to life!

Member Reviews (65)

Excruciating, Confusing, Disappointing, Dizzying, What was that?

See it if you want experimental theater, you have a seat close to the exit and can laugh at really cheap physical comedy.

Don't see it if I'm not sure what was the point of anything. This was not was a commentary on upper class indulgence. This was indulgence itself.

Boring, Pointless

See it if You enjoy watching people play "parlor games" like charades, hide & seek, etc. Playing instruments & making funny faces.

Don't see it if You want any semblance of plot. I sat thinking "what am I doing here? what is the point of this?" Didnt find it funny & I laugh @ everything

Quirky, Relevant, Funny, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if you enjoy pantomime, bawdy talk, harpsichord music, cello used for sound effects, silliness, good costumes, and with a relevant message .

Don't see it if if you expect a traditional play or musical - this is a lot of absurdity in about 70 minutes.

Indulgent, Clever, Thought-provoking, Funny, Ambitious

See it if you enjoy British theater, original unusual works that mystify, tragic & symbolic stories, clever costumes

Don't see it if you are easily confused by what appears to be a meandering, secretive plot (but is not), laughter in the face of tragedy, or British accents

Ambitious, Subtle, Charming, Creative, Entertaining

See it if for the extraordinary costumes and the hilarious food fight.

Don't see it if short performances are not worth your time or you dislike having to extract plot information from details.

Disappointing, Funny, Clever

See it if you like a spoof of wealthy aristocrats with nice costumes but with no plot or storyline. Amusing at times, especially the cello at dinner..

Don't see it if you like some sort of storyline or plot. I enjoyed the spoof of characters but I would have like some meat to this show.

Great acting, Entertaining, Quirky, Funny

See it if Evening with boredom aristocrats who do any thing for entertainment.

Don't see it if Around 70 minutes, no story plot.

Mix of feelings, Boredom leavened with ecstasy, Dull as a knife, Sharp as a knife, Youcannotstarvethepeople andexpectnottopay

See it if Willing to wait for it, excellent food fight mimed dinner scene, plotless melange of self entertainments are enuf 4 U, want 2 figure it out

Don't see it if no patience, cannot wait for revelations, need plot and words to sustain your interest, excellent visuals, mime, & clowning R not enuf

Critic Reviews (4)

"Like most devised theater, 'Barococo' is driven by the performances...With so much going for it, it is a pity that 'Barococo' doesn't really go anywhere, persisting for 70 minutes as a live diorama of the ancien régime. Theater doesn't always have to have a story, but this show seems to really want one...Then again, this hour of conspicuous consumption and confrontation (complete with a table flip) contains about as much substance as your average episode of 'Real Housewives.'"
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"A delightfully giddy hour of 18th century-styled frivolity speckled with just a twinge of satire...Filled with ennui and hindered with short attention spans, this collection of pampered pantaloons, dressed to the nines in period costumes, engages in childish games of hopscotch, hide-and-seek, riddles, charades, and the like...If all of this sounds light as a feather, it is. But the members of Happenstance Theater are so adept at what they do that they turn tomfoolery into an art form."
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Each of the actors’ performances are as unique as their costumes. Grastorf gets many laughs from her wide-eyed, innocently naivety (or just plain dimwittedness), and Mark Jaster’s puffy bravura and expressive face are delightfully campy. Mandell’s cantankerous bawdiness is perfectly chosen for her character, and Thomas plays the narcissistic Dauphine with laughable presumptuousness. Vernon’s pretentious, foppish roguery is spot on for his role, and Caleb Jaster as the simple musician interacts perfectly when called upon. Each actor’s facial expressions, gestures and gaits are very distinct and in line with their characters.
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"Directed with panache by the company’s co-Artistic Directors Mark Jaster and Sabrina Selma Mandell, the impeccably researched and performed pièce de resistance captures the late Baroque era of the Rococo...I can’t imagine that anyone who appreciates excellence in theater would not find this piece, theme, ensemble, and design highly entertaining, intelligent, masterful, and evocative."
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