Mayakovsky and Stalin

See it if You like torturously long stories that are historically inaccurate.

Don't see it if If you don’t like confusing gibberish coming from actors who tend to emote.

See it if Lack of cohesion, too much aggrandizing rhetoric and ideological fury. Difficult to follow.

Don't see it if You do not like historical plays

See it if Only if you must to support someone from the cast and she/he will not forgive you if you skip

Don't see it if Just love yourself and save 2 hours of your life by simply not going. You will not learn anything or see something worth seen

Also First preview and...tradition, tradition: 20 minutes delay because of "technical problem." Can it be checked in advance?Definitely! Some pieces of the old chronicle mixed with kid's level computer design projected on the back wall. All characters are on stage and Chorus calls them to do their part. Two the most often used phrases :"bad teeth" and "Jews". The show is not trying to show the connection or similarities between Stalin's wife, Nadya, and Russian poet Mayakovsky suicides, they just mention it several times during first part and have Nadya look and walk zombie-like style.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to Stalin's wife repeatedly commit suicide in act I; Stalin ponder the need for a strong future; & Maykovsky fool himself. A mess.

Don't see it if you want to learn something about Stalin or Mayakovsky. Wikipedia has more on them & their cohorts than this play.

Also As a longtime student of Russian history & poets I thought this would prove interesting. It wasn't.

While some of the roles were well played--e.g. Soviet movie star Lilya Yuryevna Brik (Laura Liguori) & the narrator, or Chorus (Max Faugno), the others left as much to be desired as the script, which tried to present the thoughts of Stalin, his 2nd wife Nadya & Mayakovsky, but failed, because really we know little about what they thought to themselves.

The play ends up a sophmoric mess. So sorry I can't recommend it more highly, but the play was an undramatic bore.

One could just as well ask "What was he thinking" of the playwright & director--as his script asks about Stalin & the artists & other figures who orbited around him. By the look of this piece, they all fruitlessly chased their tails.

Actually, though, in Stalin's evil empire, 10,000s orbited him, & a great many were tried on phony charges & shot. In all, Stalin ordered perhaps 60 or 100 million murdered.... Read more Read less

See it if IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT JOSEF STALIN AND HIS WIFE.IT WAS INFORMATIVE ABOUT THEIR LIFESTYLE AND THEIR THOUGHTS.IF YOU LIKE HISTOR

Don't see it if IF YOU WANT ELABORATE STAGING AND GREAT DIALOGUE.

Also ICAL FACTS AND A INSIDER'S LOOK AT THE MAN NAMED STALIN.

See it if Very disappointing play. I found it long, tedious and boring agreeing with most of the reviewers so far. The acting however was okay.

Don't see it if You're looking for a somewhat fast paced, cohesive, and understandable play.

See it if interested in the Stalin era

Don't see it if impatient

Also This one offers a limited glimpse into Russia in the early 1900s and serves as a great vehicle for its actors.
Unfortunately, it is not as accomplished as a play:
- it stays flat; there is a lack of development in general and many individual scenes could have used a "yes, and" rather than portray such basic conflicts.
- for such a potent era, very little is actually said. Many moments are mundane, offering little insight or context; they might as well have been overheard at a local Starbucks.

The author is a veteran of the stage. I am surprised that while his love for this project and his sure hand in directing were on display, his skill as a writer failed him.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a play with an interesting premise, written about an interesting historical period that is in need of serious editing

Don't see it if you want to be enlightened or entertained.

See it if sorry cannot think of any reason. walked out at intermission.

Don't see it if if you expect an interesting, well-performed, lively story.