Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

See it if a few genuinely funny lines can compensate you for the loss of 3 hours & the fact that the play is a mess

Don't see it if you would be as offended by a series of uninterrupted transphobic rants as I was, or if you care about realistic dialogue in general

Also I can't imagine who let this play hit the stage without sitting the playwright down for a heart-to-heart "Dude, you need to kill some of your darlings" talk. Many of the performances are superb. There are some funny lines, and even a few poignant moments. But it wanders all over the place; the characters are stereotypes; too many loose ends are never tied up, and the play is just - well - sloppy. And Sarge's transphobic hate-speech attacks against Venus literally made me feel sick to my stomach. All in all, a distressing three hours; I wish I'd spent it doing something else. I saw and liked "Hat" and "Riverside," and I don't dispute Guirgis' talent, but this play is a self-indulgent mess.... Read more Read less

See it if Must see the latest from Guirgis. Have 3:15 to spare and have a lot of patience. Like NYC-based settings and stories.

Don't see it if Want to see a finished product ready for the stage. Are easily offended by language, nudity, sexual situations.

Also I like this playwright and his previous work (Riverside, Hat, etc,), but this one is not well-constructed nor is it edited or trimmed for public consumption.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a super-fan of stephen adly guirgis no matter what he writes

Don't see it if you hate screaming & cursing & (fake) cigarette smoke

Also unfortunately, this is a HOT MESS. perhaps it can be salvaged during previews, but it should've been workshopped more extensively before mounting a full scale production. there are a dozen potential plays packed into this over-stuffed, melodramatic, soap-operatic, disconnected series of vignettes ... some of them worth developing, many of them not. all the more unfortunate because the cast is so passionate & talented. patrice johnson chevannes is achingly poignant as she speaks of her wish to die; victor almanzar's confusion about his love for a trans-woman is a tragi-comic tour de force; esteban andres cruz & kristina poe will break your heart in their touching scene about body acceptance; liza colón-zayas is ardent, fiery, & honest; viviana valeria's agony at separating from her mother is nearly unbearable to watch; & elizabeth rodriguez's tirade about a goat is momentous because her performance otherwise was a model of restraint. they all deserve a much better play than this.... Read more Read less