Hal & Bee
Closed 1h 40m
Hal & Bee
78

Hal & Bee NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%
(18 Ratings)
Positive
83%
Mixed
11%
Negative
6%
Members say
Clever, Great acting, Funny, Thought-provoking, Entertaining

About the Show

New Light Theater Project presents this world premiere dark comedy about love, addiction, and aging. 

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Show-Score Member Reviews (18)

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59 Reviews | 7 Followers
95
Great acting, Resonant, Ambitious, Clever, Funny

See it if you like dark comedies and great acting.

Don't see it if averse to violence.

53 Reviews | 14 Followers
86
A stylish romp with a deeper meaning

See it if You like strong performances that don't hold back, top-notch set and smart direction.

Don't see it if You don't want to see a play dealing with older characters. Read more

407 Reviews | 66 Followers
80
Great acting, Confusing, Quirky, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy shows with a unique twist albeit confusing at first, worth staying with it.

Don't see it if contemporary dramedy doesn't suit you considering you have to be a bit patient at first

286 Reviews | 23 Followers
80
Great acting, Confusing, Entertaining

See it if You want to watch great actors have fun with a wild show.

Don't see it if You want a play that doesn't stray into being repetitive - the core idea wears thin a little too early.

93 Reviews | 16 Followers
75
Thought-provoking, Quirky, Great staging, Great acting, Funny

See it if You enjoy shows that deal with the Baby Boomer generation, and NYC -centric family/comedies.

Don't see it if You are tired of plays/movies involving the Baby Boomer generation. You wish a show in a comfortable setting. Read more

444 Reviews | 79 Followers
69
Confusing, Quirky, Entertaining

See it if An absurdist drama about a college-age daughter trying to separate from aging, not so happily married, hippy parents as ceiling closes in.

Don't see it if You don’t like mixing real and absurd events and you don’t believe that a fantasy of killing is a solution for a problem.

1313 Reviews | 354 Followers
69
Clever, Disappointing, Overrated, Thought-provoking

See it if If you like good acting with a decent staging. If you like the 60's culture.

Don't see it if If you don't like a show that misses the mark, violence.

538 Reviews | 280 Followers
0
An unmitigated disaster

See it if you enjoy plays with characters you won't have any emotional involvement with.

Don't see it if just don't see it. Not worth anyone's time or money. Read more

Critic Reviews (11)

BroadwayWorld
March 16th, 2018

"With a stellar cast and excellent staging, this entertaining dark comedy is very thought provoking...Leading the cast are Broadway veterans, Candy Buckley as Bee and Jeff Hayenga as Hal who master their portrayal of aging hippies...The troupe also includes the talents of Lisa Jill Anderson who portrays Moon...Poake excels in his role as The Bug Man...This four-person cast delivers Max Baker's clever dialogue with perfect pacing...Humorous, surprising, and touching."
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Lighting & Sound America
March 19th, 2018

"Various acts of uxoricide take place in Hal's increasingly frustrated mind. These are meant to amuse, I guess, but they don't, in part because the joke, which isn't that strong to begin with, grows stale through repetition, and in part because...one can't help but feel that Hal and Bee aren't really worth one's attention...The actors throw themselves into every spat...'Hal and Bee,' the play, never makes a case for why one should care about Hal and Bee, the characters."
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Talkin' Broadway
March 14th, 2018

"This is a play that works by successfully capturing the nitty-gritty of the couple's lives, and, with the exception of the fantasy 'murder' sequences, the playwright has created a very realistic pair...Audience could be seen grimacing with apparent recognition at some of the more blistering lines...Supporting characters...Each of whom provides a welcome relief from the constant sniping, are smartly conceived and performed...Directed with a keen eye for detail."
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TheaterScene.net
March 23rd, 2018

"Baker's lines are spiky and colorful, often dark, sometimes banal, but his portrait of these two and the two lesser characters is always illuminating and full of real emotion. The fade-out, a quiet revelatory moment, is simply lovely-and sad."
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Front Row Center
March 15th, 2018

"These actors Candy Buckley (Bee) and Jeff Hayenga (Hal) are gripping…Anderson delivers her profanity-laced screeds with both conviction and a strangely charming aplomb…Director Sarah Norris gets what she needs from each of the actors...So — compelling performances, well directed and supported by production staff, addressing a subject we all struggle with — what could go wrong? There’s nothing wrong with 'Hal & Bee,' it just goes on too long. I’m glad I saw it."
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Stage Buddy
March 22nd, 2018

"Refreshingly witty...Hayenga and Buckley are perfectly matched as the feuding pair and trade barbs at a fierce pace that's both delightful and challenging to follow. We enjoy watching their tit-for-tat spats - littered with Baker's punchy jokes and fresh observations...Buckley and Hayenga also make their union understandable by showing evidence of a deep-seated affection that continues to endure despite their differences."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
March 18th, 2018

"In this allegorical extended metaphor, 'civilization and its discontents' camps at the doorstep of the scrapping couple’s apartment in a rapid-fire exchange laced with flights of fantasy and just the hint of buyer’s remorse...The plot, driven by the exaggerated (albeit authentic) conflicts of the play’s colorful and well-developed characters...Under Sarah Norris’s astute direction, the cast handily delivers Max Baker’s intriguing script with energy and determination."
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W
March 15th, 2018

"Unfortunately, both brutal violence and victims’ responses are unrealistically orchestrated…A good idea gone wrong. Differentiating script from production, I find the concept intriguing, speeches evocatively generational and character specific...The play should zip along and doesn’t. Jeff Hayenga’s Hal is irritating but we never see him uncontrollably angry, only the results. He’s credibly high, but otherwise one note. Candy Buckley (Bee) is more nuanced and grounded in her efforts.”
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