Life Is But a Dream

See it if you think a contemporary production of a classic play remains most faithful to the original when it discovers today’s world in that play.

Don't see it if you prefer your plays naturalistic.

Also If you live in the NYC area & love classic theater, treat yourself to the work of Spicy Witch Productions. Each season SWP, an avowed feminist troupe, stages 2 plays in repertory, 1 a classic & 1 a response from a contemporary woman playwright. 2 years ago SWP thrilled me with Middleton’s “Revenger’s Tragedy,” & last year with Schiller’s “Mary Stuart.” And today this shoestring troupe delivered the best production I’ve ever seen of Calderon’s “Life Is but a Dream,” infrequently performed in the US even though it’s on the short list of greatest plays ever. As usual with SWP, the production remains faithful to the original by failing to treat it like a dead text, but mining from it new delights for a new time. Shawn Morgenlander’s fluid, witty, philosophical & touching new translation made that effort feel effortless—even though it’s rhymed! All the cast triumph; Dani Martineck pulls off the rare feat of playing a clown from a classic play that gets real laughs!... Read more Read less

See it if you love new translation of old works, really committed ensemble work, quirky staging

Don't see it if older styles of dramatic plotting and characters irritate you

See it if you enjoy a fresh, modern, feminist, comedic translation of Life's a Dream.

Don't see it if you're not up for a fast-paced comedy.

Also The translation of this play is exquisite. Sharp, fun word play and comedic beats balancing out the heavy material beneath. The writing and directing are what made this play shine. They had clever ways of indicating setting and character. Done in the round, the play also spins around itself with overlapping plots. But I thought the writer and director handled it well, and the actors were good about indicating different characters through changes in physicality and voice.... Read more Read less