Bent

See it if you want to immerse yourself into 1930's Germany with Nazism on the rise with Jews and gays being persecuted with a young, athletic cast.

Don't see it if you want to isolate yourself from the horror and the truth of the mistreatment of people, then and now.

Also Costumes were excellent.
Expressions of Bethmann and Popa were heart-rending.... Read more Read less

See it if Persecuted fluffs are snuffed out of Berlin and sent to Dachau. Great "Max" by Bethmann. "You can be arrested for having fluff thoughts"

Don't see it if No effort re-creating 1935. Nine blocks from metro. "He's not bent, make him a Jew/Remember cocaine?/You should be wearing a pink triangle"

Also "I love you, what's wrong with that?/Don't love me/We were real, we were human/I'm going to stay alive/It's a lie, it's a smart lie/We save ourselves/You know you're sexy/He's a bit bent, he can't""... Read more Read less

See it if Powerful revival of gay men, love, despair and extreme violence in 1930s Germany. See life inside concentration camp and the horrid Hat Game

Don't see it if The terror of watching what happens is too much for you. Beatings, murders, screams and chilling final moment. 2hr10min.

See it if You’re interested in Nazi insanity and a view of Gay life in 1930’s Berlin.

Don't see it if If you’re not looking for a hauntingly painful experience.

See it if Gay men trying to stay true and live in a hateful world then a Nazi camp. Mostly the same as the film, from what I remember.

Don't see it if Nazis or Holocaust are triggering. Dislike gay men stories. Lower production set.

Also Diversity: all White male actors. Gay men characters.
2 hours with 10 minute intermission.
I watched the 1997 film many years ago but hadn't watched a stage production of it.
Ticket from Show Score for $5.... Read more Read less

See it if You're up for a tight, deeply felt, powerfully acted, sensitive, stripped-down production, with a beautifully cast ensemble.

Don't see it if You're homophobic, dislike Holocaust stories (however important), nudity, violence, torture—or stories with all those plus humor and love.

Also Ok, so the opened curtain in Act I should have let in daylight, and spilled blood could have had some sort of red ribbon or petals to satisfy the eye, but those quibbling details aside, this is an intense, hugely successful effort by a young, passionate and extremely talented group of actors.

Emma Coulter's direction is crisp, smooth, subtle and unforced, finding much humor in the dark script. The tight staging and stripped-down production adds much, as do the light and sound. The ensemble cast, which includes Steve Coulter, Ms Coulter's dad, is uniformly fine, but Wil Bethmann and Josh Popa, especially, give defining performances of difficult and charged material.

It's rare to see work this solid, good, honest and truthful right out of the gate and across the board, and so all involved—many of which are UNCSA alumni—should simply get to it and form a Company. Pulling off this Bent is a terrific start, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next. Kudos to all.
Go.... Read more Read less

See it if Pink triangles and yellow stars, never to be forgotten. Keep moving the stones.

Don't see it if Denial

See it if You want to see a live production of the play even if it's a stripped-down version.

Don't see it if You don't like male nudity or gay themes or stories set during the Holocaust.

See it if powerful intelligent well acted play worth seeing.

Don't see it if brief nudity and LGBTQ issues bothers you. 2 hours and 20 minutes.

See it if How gay men struggle to survive in Nazi Germany; Refined acting from “Max” & his closeted uncle; Intimacy successfully created;

Don't see it if Cheap props & set helped little with the make-believe; Loud gunshot; Nudity (super hot tho); Pace can pick up a little;

Also One wonders why “Max” lives through the play, when everyone else has been easily killed... Read more Read less

See it if You’re interested in seeing a mostly young, enthusiastic team stage a classic play about gays during the Holocaust.

Don't see it if You avoid bleak works. You need high production values. You can’t forgive slightly uneven acting.

Also The enthusiasm of the actors and director, who spoke beforehand, was evident. The sold out performance must have been gratifying for them, and I’m happy this production was a success. While 1979’s Bent is an important work in the gay canon, it feels a bit dated. I preferred Act 1, which has the element of suspense as Max and Rudy flee Berlin, and features the captivating drag queen Greta, to Act 2, which focuses on Max falling in love in Dachau. During Act 2, I never became completely immersed in the story. I never forgot I was watching a play. Perhaps the performances were a bit too “actorly,” or the dialogue as written just didn’t feel natural. Max’s final act of embracing his gay identity was also more novel in 1979 than it is now. Even so, Bent is an affecting and resonant work, and I’m glad to have seen this heartfelt production of it.... Read more Read less

See it if The theme of Nazi persecution of gays interests you.

Don't see it if Sad plays set during the Holocaust are off-putting to you. You won’t travel to Brooklyn to a small, low budget venue.

Also For a small production, the actors are surprisingly proficient. Even if the audience is emotionally invested in the story, I found the play somewhat dated. The play would have benefitted from a few revisions, particularly during the second act, which felt rather slow. The director made a few strange choices, such as the lack of guns, but authentic looking costumes. If it was a question of being PC, why the swastikas? Due to the bareness of the set, it could have easily been shortened to one act. Still, the great acting made for an engrossing and moving production.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to be moved by a piece of theater. The performances are powerful.

Don't see it if you're looking for a pricey production. This show is being put on by a cast of relative unknowns in a black box theater in Brooklyn.

See it if Splendid work. Run! I was so impressed, l donated money on the way out! Great, tight acting.

Don't see it if It closes tomorrow. ;(

See it if you are interested in heavy dramas about the Holocaust.

Don't see it if you're looking for an uplifting story.

See it if if you enjoy edgy works. Theatre that is provocative.

Don't see it if if you only enjoy fluffy comedies or musicals. Do not care for nudity, even if brief, And do not care for strong sexual language.

Also Close to a terrific production. THe acting was good, but the director needed to be more creative since the budget was seemingly so small. No guns, which in this play are important. Use painted toy guns. TH prisoners never got dirty. Put make up or dirt on the rocks so that they could slowly grunge themselves. THe sound effects of guns are available online. Don't use the 'pop' nonsense.
Don't have actors in Nazi uniforms move the set pieces., completely takes one out of the moment. And on and on. But those things aside, the play was solid and I appreciate groups that do such works.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy small production put on by a few passionate people Most of the actors are doing a great job and pulled me into the story.

Don't see it if You want high production value or a very professional experience. The lack blackouts and professional sound effects can be distracting.

Also Know about the show a bit before you go in. There’s funny moments but this is a very serious and dark piece. Warning full frontal nudity.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy plays that address man's inhumanity to man.

Don't see it if you are anti-gay.

See it if you like a well written Holocaust drama that is, at its heart, a tragic love story of two gay men in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany.

Don't see it if you do not like nudity, violence, LGBT, holocaust, theater in general... I don’t know - this is a beautifully acted play- give it a chance!

See it if You like plays dealing with homosexuality during the world war 2 era and how Hitler and the Nazi's dealt with this issue.

Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with homosexual issues and nudity.

See it if you like great acting by two up-and-comers; creative story of gay relationship during Holocaust period; don't mind realistic sexual content.

Don't see it if you like large productions; dislike nudity and are uncomfortable with a very real portrayal of two gay men having a climax without touching.

Also The climax scene was amazing; so realistic and gutsy.

See it if like great acting and smart direction.

Don't see it if don't like small-low budget productions.

See it if You want to see how gays were tortured in the holocaust in a well written and well acted and even funny play

Don't see it if You are a neoNazi, homophobic or a friend of Mike Pence

See it if you want to see a moving and well acted but rather blunt tribute to gay victims of Nazi persecution .

Don't see it if if you do not want to watch explicitly presented acts of violence.

See it if You enjoy work that resides within the LGBTQ cannon.

Don't see it if You are not Interested in plot lines about homosexuality, concentration camps, or wish to bear witness to acts of violence/malice on stage.

Also This is a wonderfully written play, and you can tell that this ensemble is committed to telling this story. There are some wonderful acting moments by each cast member. With this production, I found myself asking, “If they did the most they could with what they had.” Their barbed wire fence that looms upstage for Act II looks penetrable and easily maneuvered. The final moment of the play, although sad, felt a bit rushed and lacked major impact. I appreciated the transitional work between scenes, and would liked to have scene more of that physical exploration informing the text based work, particularly at the end. It did start to enter, but I wished they took it further. Overall, solid work.... Read more Read less