Breitwisch Farm

See it if you enjoy a thinking-person's exercise with talented performers on current issues with a plot from an earlier playwright.

Don't see it if you cannot endure sitting on a folding chair for two hours or do not like actors whizzing by you within reach.

See it if you want to not care for a solid 2.5 hrs before hearing a surprisingly spirited rallying cry on DACA at the very end

Don't see it if good intentions aren’t enough; the play must be at least remotely entertaining

Also Weirdly enough, I can see this being a passable screenplay since it recycles so many movie plots/characters. These, plus soundbites on organic farming, fracking, deportation, and bigotry are awkwardly grafted onto The Cherry Orchard to make the show both unwieldy and deeply unoriginal. It’s another one of these well-intentioned but not very entertaining plays that tacks on lots of paint-by-numbers melodrama to inject human interest into a plea for political/social awareness. Committed cast but the play is boring.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see a well-written new play that grapples with important issues. The acting was good. Well worth your time.

Don't see it if you prefer fully staged productions rather than minimalist sets. You dislike plays that deal with political issues.

Also There are major plot holes/mistakes. An annulment wouldn't permit marriage to a divorced man in the Catholic Church.Nor can a single priest grant an annulment & certainly not on the grounds suggested by the plot.That part was just plain silly to anyone who knows Catholic rules regarding marriage.Another example--at the end the suggestion is made that it's 1 character's credit card debt & another's student loans which caused the farm's financial problems & the farm itself is financially viable.There is no way the bank foreclosing on the property could be caused by credit card debt of a person who doesn't own the farm & the 2nd is unlikely--esp because then the character w/ the loans would be aware of the finances before he discovers them in the play. There are also blocking issues. There are very few seats from which you'll be able to see all the action.These are minor quibbles though. It's good!... Read more Read less

See it if You like terrific family dramas and modern Chekhov adaptations. This one works really well - great writing and acting.

Don't see it if You dislike small, intimate venues with somewhat difficult sight lines, or cannot tolerate a few untranslated passages in another language.

See it if Unsympathetic, cliche characters. Weak script. Amateurish production.

Don't see it if ... you don't have a friend in the production.

See it if The minimalist staging brought front and center the acting abilities of the performers. They had a wonderful score by Jeremy J. Kamps

Don't see it if you enjoy more elaborate stage shows

Also to work with. The acting was superb; each character was rendered as an individual and relevant to the storyline.... Read more Read less

See it if you want an eerily accurate portrayal of rural Wisconsin and the associated politics/relationships.

Don't see it if you're looking for something light.

Also As someone who grew up in Wisconsin near a lot of farms, holy shit did this hit home. From the accents, to the style of dress, the geography, the references, and the character types, it was a damn near perfect representation of the people I knew growing up. And it shows a lot of what's cruel about the people I grew up with. I'm glad it breaks the pattern of shitty white men being redeemed at the last minute by a twist of fate - there's nothing redemptive about them, and this play shows that really well.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see something deconstructed and great acting

Don't see it if You prefer linear plays

See it if You want to see a relevant subject developed in a very creative way by talented artists.

Don't see it if You only like big productions.

See it if you like great character portrayals and story. great performance space well staged. great ensemble group of actors.

Don't see it if you only like musicals.

See it if you like Chekhov, want to know how Trump got elected, love great acting, the old school family dramas.

Don't see it if long family dramas aren't your thing, you don't like adaptations of Chekhov, you want lasers or verse or musicals in your plays.

See it if You don't mind shows that wander for a while before getting to a point

Don't see it if You are looking for a thought-provoking, tight production

Also I had high hopes for this show, but it grabbed WAY too many eggs to put into one basket. It took 45 minutes to even get to the main tension - possibly losing the farm - of the show. If there has been a hot-topic item in politics in the last 10 years, they tried to put it in.

I appreciate their attempt at filling the entirety of the unique, challenging space, but the direction was very lacking. A good chunk of the action was obstructed due to poor blocking, and there were several character choices (random bouts of enthusiasm anyone?) that were completely out of character and broke the believability of the world.

There is a good concept at the core of this - specifically, the bits about immigration/deportation and DACA were strong - but the playwright needs to go back to the script and tighten it up a *lot*. This could easily be 90 minutes, not 2 1/2 hours.... Read more Read less

See it if you're up for a clever blend of OUR TOWN and THE CHERRY ORCHARD while speaking directly to the social climate of the day

Don't see it if You're looking for an over-the-top spectacle - though the stagecraft is inventive

See it if You enjoy plays that grapple with current issues in a thoughtful and insightful way.

Don't see it if You only like big productions, musicals, or light material.

Also This play was a fascinating commentary on the current state of America . The play centers around an organic farm in Wisconsin and the people who live on it, as well as the larger issues pervading their lives: immigration, fracking, and big business.
The play was smart with characters that were fully fleshed out. The larger themes of the play really served to show how these grand issues that we read about can affect every day people. While fracking and immigration often feel like they become soundbites on a politician's platform, in this play, they really hit home.
I found this play to be deeply moving and the characters to be incredibly human and relate-able.... Read more Read less

See it if You like complex, layered exploration of important current issues with outstanding ensemble acting

Don't see it if you only like feel good musicals

See it if You are not from the Midwest or have never been, and enjoy depictions of the Midwest as racist, uneducated, and ridden with substance abuse

Don't see it if You're from the Midwest, or don't buy into the false narrative of left-wing politics

See it if want to see nuanced characters brought to life on stage.

Don't see it if small intimate theaters aren't for you.

See it if You're paying attention.

Don't see it if You just don't care about the world around you.

Also A wonderful work, beautiful acting.

See it if you can.

Don't see it if you want to regret missing it.

See it if You enjoy sparse, symbolic, topical theatre that opens up a number of issues we face in today's society, and leaves you feeling moved.

Don't see it if You enjoy a lot of flashy song and dance without a lot of substance, or don't care to think about where you stand on some current events.

See it if you want to see a show provoking real conversation all while not hitting you on the head with the subject matter. See it if you love subtly.

Don't see it if you are not a fan of seeing a relating to diversity or women speaking up for themselves.

See it if You are interested in a well-written, humorous, and well-acted and produced commentary on contemporary American society.

Don't see it if You don't want to be challenged intellectually or have an aversion to different American truths.

See it if You care about the earth, immigration policy, like strong female characters, want to be pulled into an alternate reality for awhile.

Don't see it if You don't like good writing or genuine, heartfelt art.

See it if you want to be moved by a piece that is so relevant to the current state of various cultural issues affecting the U.S.

Don't see it if you hate life, or can't stay seated / still for more than an hour at a time.

See it if You want to see some of the city's best actors beautifully take on a new work (that feels especially timely) in a really cool downtown space

Don't see it if n/a