Good Grief

See it if you appreciate a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that's staged with imagination and acted with honesty.

Don't see it if you want your plays quick, funny and forgetable.

Also I wouldn't change one word or one moment. This is a simple, coming-of-age and dealing with grief story told beautifully.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to experience another profoundly moving and exquisitely written play by Ngozi Anyanwu. See it if you enjoy loose structure.

Don't see it if You may not want to see this if you have experienced a recent loss -could be reaffirming about the necessity of grief or could hit too close

Also Anyanwu again shares the Nigerian-American experience but this time from the perspective of a young American woman / sometimes a girl - whose immigrant parents don't really understand the world view or way of being of their first generation daughter. The story line and narrative are considerably looser than The HomeComing Queen - but like that play - Good Grief - flashes back and worth to relate past experiences to present day emotions. The characters are also less fully developed but that doesn't hurt this piece rather it lends a more dream like quality. The lead character wanders through her memories in a haze of grief. A plot line about grief could of course be oppresively depressing but Anyanwu finds humor and joy as she shares growing pains & attachments.

Solid cast - I loved the performances by Oberon K.A. Adjepong, Patrice Johnson Chevannes as her parents and Ian Quinlan as her lost love.

Very Cool Staging

Warning: Tears were streaming down my face

Put this on your list... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy coming of age sagas with interesting twists and charming actors.. (sometimes confusing, and gladiator scene was unnecessary)

Don't see it if You prefer plays which are strong on intellect rather than emotions

See it if You would enjoy a chamber piece that allows a unique voice and perspective to emerge

Don't see it if You want an big production and focus

Also I went to Good Grief because I had seen Ngozi Anyanwu's The Homecoming Queen at the Atlantic and I loved it. The perspective is the same here - a young second generation Nigerian woman looking for meaning and purpose in her life in America. The focus on this work - in the form of a memory play - is on a significant loss that the protagonist experiences at a crucial time in her life. The play becomes a meditation on grief and how it is worked through and how we make sense of it. That is hard to dramatize - just as Didion's Year of Magical Thinking probably worked better as a written memoir rather than a one woman play. The characters are intriguing enough and likable enough that you will care about what they are experiencing but I do not believe it says anything new on the subject. I was more interested in the protagonist in the here and now and her struggle - why exactly did she drop out of college and I wanted to see even more of her relationship with her parents (who I loved).... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the subject of loss and relationships that could have been and were but were limited. Good acting good staging strong

Don't see it if you are put off by pain and loss and want to be entertained by lighter fare. This is a relatively minimalist staging that emphasizes feeling

See it if new writers creating complex but interesting stories with an excellent cast intrigues you; moving, funny, sexy at time. Often confusing.

Don't see it if you prefer a well-made play where all plots and sub-plots are fully and clearly written.

See it if Some very nice language - dialogue and monologues. Beautiful set and lighting. Somehow not quite as powerful as the material seems t promise

Don't see it if Think I would have gotten more involved w/a different actress (other than the playwright) in the lead-not strong enough a performer.