Happy Birthday, Wanda June NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%

(271 Ratings)

Positive

88%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Relevant, Quirky

About the Show

Wheelhouse Theater Company offers a return engagement of famed novelist Kurt Vonnegut's rarely produced satire. A searing and darkly comedic look at American culture.

After being presumed dead for eight years, respected war veteran and big game hunter Harold Ryan returns home. He brings with him an old way of thinking, celebrating a Hemingway-esque machismo and American exceptionalism. Harold soon discovers that the society he returns to has made attempts to progress into a more modern, enlightened cultural narrative. 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June' is a dynamic and often comic meditation on toxic masculinity and a capitalistic America's failed attempts at progress cloaked in honor and morality.

Show-Score Member Reviews (271)

Clever, Entertaining, Ambitious, Dizzying

See it if Your a Vonnegut fan and love absolute absurdity

Don't see it if You hate a farce, this is an absurd farce

Clever, Funny, Quirky, Slow, Refreshing

See it if you like the fourth wall broken, like quirky characters and historical time frames-and curious outside the box staging and zingy politics.

Don't see it if don't like a show carried by one actor--can't stand too much bombast, uneven performances and long drawn out plots.

Confusing, Quirky, Raunchy, Thought-provoking

See it if it is a very intense drama about an evil man who destroys everything around him. It gets you thinking, but not in a good way

Don't see it if It is slow moving and depressing

Ambitious, Great acting, Intense

See it if You enjoy intense dramas. It would be nice if more soundtracks were introduced in between time to fill the voids. Wanda J. was not seen much

Don't see it if You prefer something light and entertaining.

Great acting, Intelligent, Intense, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if you are a hard-core Vonnegut fan.

Don't see it if you aren’t a hard-core Vonnegut fan. His work is often cynical, but this is one is unflinchingly angry.

Delightful, Great acting, Edgy

See it if you enjoy work by the author

Don't see it if need a play that's very realistic.

Hemingwayesque figure returns from the jungle after missing for 8 years: wild absurdist comedy by vonnegut where macho-aggressive culture returning figure represents runs head long into post-woodstock culture

See it if inventively/w humor reflects macho aggressiveness in set, characters mimicking animals, songs of the '50s/60s: "you belong to me"

Don't see it if dated satire of Hemingway machismo; frenetic and overacted (other than by fine K McCluggage), more cartoon than sharp social criticism Read more

Great acting, Funny, Disappointing, Indulgent, Unique

See it if you're a fan of Kurt Vonnegut stuff...you love absurdist type theater...you're comfortable with some vulgarity.

Don't see it if you have a headache...you like things that make a bit more (obvious) sense...you aren't into pushing boundaries.

Critic Reviews (18)

Trailer

Creative team

Wheelhouse Theater Company

Colonel Looseleaf Harper