See it if You're really interested in seeing yet another Wall-Street-is-bad play.
Don't see it if You didn't like The Big Short or similar films/plays.
See it if you don't mind keeping your brain engaged in your theatre going. It's a very smart script with a large financial world vocab. Accessible tho
Don't see it if you don't like lightning paced dialogue that involve concepts from the financial world. I was very pleasantly surprised. Great cast too.
See it if You would enjoy a well-constructed, superbly-acted play about morals versus corporate greed in the purchase of a company.
Don't see it if You want a light, fluffy fare, or have no understanding of finance, as much of the jargon will be foreign.
See it if you like intelligent theatre dealing with current issues, enjoy comedies with meat, are a fan of Clare Danes & John Krasinski
Don't see it if a complicated idea like leveraged buyouts makes you squirm, don't like business/economic stories, or aren't a fan of the financial industry
See it if you enjoy some complexity in your characters, and you want your theater to make you think.
Don't see it if you don't want to watch a play about finance or deal with difficult characters.
See it if you like passionate characters who will defend their values in a high stakes work environment. Also, a minimalist set in an intimate space.
Don't see it if you don't like fast, technical dialogue. Though I will say even though I don't know financial jargon, I didn't feel I missed any plot points
See it if If you like straight plays with snappy, thought provoking dialogue, are interested in finance, like the actors.
Don't see it if If you have no interest in a play about the world of finance. The play uses financial terminology and was not always easy to comprehend.
See it if you love a great compelling story line
Don't see it if high speed smart dialogue is not your thing
"Why do plays about high finance always seem to be set in a 1990s disco?...I had to wonder if the playwright has ever visited a contemporary Manhattan office...Swinton and Blanchett have given nuance to this kind of ball-busting gorgon. Danes does not...Azaria and Krasinski are far more relaxed on stage, to the point that a peculiar subtext emerges. Are Burgess and Kail saying that men wear power naturally, while a woman has to huff, puff, and flail to get her way?"
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"'Dry Powder' is altogether crackling, allowing us to cut through the jargon and delve into an engrossing power-play…The cast is top grade...Azaria is massively good here as the master of his universe; brilliant, powerful and rapacious…Danes matches him…Amping up the electricity of Burgess’s script is director Thomas Kail…The play—and the performers—crackle throughout, although they might want to do some trimming…'Dry Powder' absolutely sizzles."
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"The production values set a high standard for the play to match. It almost succeeds. Burgess has written snappy dialog for vivid characters…For most viewers there will be few surprises and little new information about high finance. The play also becomes somewhat cartoonish and repetitive at times. Nevertheless, with its outstanding cast and stylish production, it is often tremendously entertaining."
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"The 95-minute drama is just a minor addition to the capitalist-as-shark literature — less giddy with style than 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'Serious Money,' less probing than 'The Big Short' and 'Billions'...The Public Theater has devoted impressive acting and directing resources to this taut but talky and ultimately unremarkable work."
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"It's well-acted and not uninteresting in its detailing of high-finance deals, but you keep wondering: Why are you telling me this again?...The play's impact can be measured by its climax. Everything has been leading up to the Big Decision: Whose plan will Rick choose? When the answer comes, it's worth a shrug. Nothing has been established that makes the outcome matter."
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"'Dry Powder' finds humor in the intensely competitive elements of American capitalism...Burgess has written an interesting play. It’s mostly surface, since her characters are, for the most part, fundamentally shallow, whatever personal delusions they possess. It does, however, reinforce our fears of Wall Street’s easy betrayals. Her good fortune is to have such an expert cast deliver a well-honed message."
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"Business-themed drama frequently revolves around a clash between munificent optimism and greedy pessimism...Burgess thus trades depth of characterisation for intense realism. Under Thomas Kail’s low-key direction, the bargain is largely successful...And while the deluge of figures and acronyms can be overwhelming, this too seems to be in the service of authenticity...'Dry Powder' reveals such sub-Jobsian bombast to be just as hollow as its Wall Street equivalent."
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"You get plenty of bang for your buck with Sarah Burgess’ 'Dry Powder,' and that’s just when it comes to the leads...Watching Danes and Kransinki lob insults at one another for 95 minutes is nearly entertainment enough… 'Dry Powder' evokes films like 'Wall Street,' posing questions about whether we’re all just looking out for our own self-interest. The performances are good, and the simple cube-based set works nicely."
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