Fefu and Her Friends

See it if literally stepping into theater history excites you. An early experiment in interactive performance has been updated with multi-ethnic cast

Don't see it if you expect to nap in your seat. They make you get up to see three small scenes in intimate spaces! You leave with a lot to think about.

See it if shows women in 1935 terrified by men, w gun-toting Fefu @ center; scene of friend in bed voicing her paralyzing fears makes u shudder

Don't see it if u don't like strange plotless avant garde plays; some characters extraneous; rotating diff parts of audience 2 see diff scenes a distraction

See it if you enjoy a piece of avant garde theater that is as near to a normal play that one can get, great characters, costumes

Don't see it if a linear play that requires you to stay in your seat is what you prefer

See it if 8 intelligent but very different women gather to discuss their roles in a charity event, chatting & philosophizing with some surprising*

Don't see it if Want more of a plot and don't like avant-garde, surrealistic works or if movement is difficult.**

Also *remarks. A wonderful Fefu is especially off-center.
** for 2nd act the audience is divided into four groups to see 4 different scenes (other rooms in house & garden) that are mostly behind the 1st drawing room scene. So movement between the areas is necessary. Groups will see the rooms in different order.
Masterful logistical staging. Fairly seamless although it makes the play 2 hours as opposed to 90 minutes.
In each scene there is always a little action that appears in another scene. (like making & delivering soup). Depending on your group it may not be linear. But the timing of the actors is amazing.
Great period (1935) costumes and set down to the wonderful wallpaper.... Read more Read less

See it if a more access Fornes play that is never done. all actors were excellent. staging is great and fun. audience is very much into this

Don't see it if like a simple definitive narrative. need to know the full story. some things are never answered.

See it if Why would you want to miss seeing this amazing avantgarde genius' show resurrected for 2019 in a fascinating​ dollhouse performance?

Don't see it if It's a wonderful cubic- no hexagonal show inverted and turned inside out and flipped around-- yet still tied up in a beautiful giftbox.

Also Wonderful costumes, great background music all throughout, crazy experimental fun, beautiful actresses-great acting--wonderful set--bizarre plot-- strangely dated but so poetic and atmospheric.... Read more Read less

See it if You have curiosity about this rarely staged classic of the 70's underground.

Don't see it if You like plots, fully realized characters, staying in your seat, naturalism, and coherence.

Also I've been chewing on this one all afternoon. Points given for the innovation of herding the audience around so as to more fully immerse them in the drama. Points taken away for the fever-dream monologues that stream from an untethered id.
I think all eight women in this feminist drama are facets of the author's psyche
Unfortunately, her powerful speeches are often incomprehensible and opaque.
Great sets and costumes, and good job of ushering the audience from station to station. To me the play will remain a curiosity.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see 1936 women terrified of their shadows but who pretend to be bold & original. Amazing acting, sets & costumes. Interesting.

Don't see it if you don't like avant garde, dislike feminism & women's rights, don't want to see a 1978 Doll's House.

Also I had to see what all the fuss was about, and took in the production on the last night (including the extension). Glad to have gone. Still digesting.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a cast of remarkable female actresses. They were each phenomenal in their roles! The set, costumes & staging were also A+!

Don't see it if You aren’t able to be flexible and go with the flow of the participation part of the play. This unique experience was so fulfilling.

See it if You want to see a great play by one of the great writers of the 1970s. You’re interested in women writers and women’s issues.

Don't see it if You want to see something traditional. You can’t walk around well (you move around the theater). You want something straight forward.

Also This is one of the finest productions I’ve ever seen.

Dramatic and funny; well acted. Amazing staging.

After watching the first act, the audience is divided into 4 sections and each section walks around watching 4 small scenes in different parts of the theater. Then we return to our original seats for the final act.

It’s almost indescribable - surreal yet realistic. Was marvelous.

It was one of a handful of plays I’ve seen where immediately afterwards I wanted to read it. Just superb.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in Fornes and her influence on experimental playwriting and feminist thought. You can see the "mother of the Avant-Garde"

Don't see it if you want to stay in your seat in the audience and watch a linear play. Not for those who want action rather than talky and intimate stories.

See it if you're interested in a unique play that demands unconventional staging techniques, is well-acted, and is aesthetically exquisite.

Don't see it if you need a show's meaning spelled out for you (honestly, I still don't know what I saw... but somehow I still enjoyed it?)

See it if If one is dedicated to women's rights and standing .

Don't see it if If you were expecting the touted mind- changing and revolutionary play you might be really disappointed.

See it if you are looking for something unusual. A mix of traditional character study w/ some experimental flourishes. Very entertaining & provocative

Don't see it if you need everything to make sense. This is essentially an avant-garde work from 1978 that was way ahead of its time.

See it if I've read and seen it a couple of times- and still don't "understand" this play, but nonetheless find it extraordinarily affecting.

Don't see it if Other than the jaggedness of the play - a strength for me - the only real downside in this production is that the cast seems *too young*.

See it if Great period wardrobe and styling of actresses. I felt like you could see Fornes in the characters. Loved the audience participation.

Don't see it if There were a few monologs that I was not so sure the meaning. It took longer because you saws 4 scenes by group. Interesting technique.

Also This was an exciting way to see this very specific piece of theater. I would like to see the documentary about the playwright. I also really enjoy Blain-Cruz's work so didn't want to miss this. I would like to know a little more about some of the monologs. I LOVED the costumes. Sitting on the floor was not always so easy. I would like to know more about the character in the wheel chair.... Read more Read less

See it if A luscious astute revival of Fornes' landmark play about women's roles in society. Beautiful staging, design, acting.

Don't see it if If you are not drawn to stories about women this may not be for you

See it if Want to see a valuable piece of theater history, well made and even containing bits and pieces of a good play that lurks in there somewhere

Don't see it if Overindulgent exercise

See it if You want to see this important abstract and feminist theatre piece being revived

Don't see it if You prefer plays with clear plots

See it if You want to see a masterwork by a forgotten master. Like theater that features a diverse, all-female cast.

Don't see it if You're some kinda misogynist, don't like walking around the theater, need something straightforward.

Also Someone once described FEFU AND HER FRIENDS as a "metaphysical murder mystery" and it feels very much that way. It's very very weird when it gets there and operates in a way that lures us into a sense of "quirky?" but then quirky becomes outright horrific when the final few minutes kicks in and makes you question just what we saw.

All hail Fornes, may this be the first of many revivals of her work.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Fornes's work or you've never heard of her immense impact on the contemporary theatre scene.

Don't see it if you should just see it. But if you only like musicals, this might not be your bag.

See it if You wish to see an important play by a woman playwright that hasn’t been revived since 1978. Studied in grad schools but unseen.

Don't see it if You don’t like immersive theater.

See it if A suprbly performed and executed production of a difficult work. Fornes is avantgarde, feminist and creative, possibly absurd. Memorable

Don't see it if you have no patience with ambiguity, paradoxes and making your sense of seeming nonsense, or dont like having to get up and walking around

Also Having never seen a performance of Fornes' work I jumped at the chance to see TFANA's production of Fefu. It was amazing. Superbly acted, directed and staged, it executes smoothly a difficult work involving moving the audience around different locations. I am not sure if Fornes' play is one of the earliest examples of a show requiring the audience to physically follow the actors, but her work is certainly innovative, provocative and avant garde. This is a play with eight female characters, no male, and puts a new spin on the three unities of Aristotle: there is a single event on a single day in a single place, but we the audience follow and inhabit different characters in that space/time. TFANA's production highlights this vividly (dispite distraction from competing sounds from the other stages).
I would love to see this production again, but sadly it it is all but sold out for the rest of its short run. I hope it gets extended or some other intrepid company treads this turf... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate absurdist narratives that don't necessarily have a plot, but pierce some of the most vulnerable feelings of being human.

Don't see it if You prefer a traditionally structured plot (and/or staging).

See it if You love funny/dark mixed together. Great female character. If you don't mind moving around to see different scenes upfold. Crackling words.

Don't see it if You would rather stay in your seat the entire time. This play has the audience split into four groups and see different scenes unfold.