for all the women who thought they were Mad

See it if you want to experience a vague evocation of how an African woman can lose herself when she leaves her village for a career in the big city.

Don't see it if unclear plots, superfluous characters, or failed poetry in the theater leave you frustrated.

Also No theater in NYC has a higher batting average than Soho Rep in presenting exciting, challenging new plays. But “for all the women who thought they were Mad,” for its script, staging & set design, is not 1 of the successes. An evocation of how an African woman loses herself when she leaves her village for a big city career, many of its plot points are vague to the point of confusion & several of a full chorus of supporting women characters—family to the central lost woman or villagers—have the most tenuous of relationships to the central character. That character remains in a plexiglass booth until the end, & the women mostly run around, argue & cower up against the walls, not a good use of their talents. The most successful bits are the most realistic: a smarmy, smirking male boss (later a doctor), a cleaning woman, the mother, in concrete encounters with the central character when they invade her booth, pull the script into focus. Most of the rest remains would-be poetic haze.... Read more Read less

See it if If you’re a fan of modern non-linear work with a lot of powerful women. It’s very intense, but worth it. The staging is very interesting.

Don't see it if If you’re not up for the intensity or don’t like having a feel for what you’re going to see. It was rather overwhelming and daring.

Also It’s a very complicated play and to be honest I think I missed a huge chunk of the plot. But by the end, I heard much of the audience go, “Oh.” So I think it was me. Also, Soho Rep is general admission. Get there early. I’d give a CW for playing with the boundaries of “sanity” too.

Fun fact: Zawe Ashton is currently on Broadway in “Betrayal.”... Read more Read less

See it if coherence is less important than strong symbols, emotions and themes. Startling moments, magic realism, and a multigenerational chorus.

Don't see it if you want a linear plot rather than heavy symbolism from start to finish. Hard to follow. Muddled, dreamy, and disturbing. What happened?