Mourning Becomes Electra NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (9)
See it if Crimes, curses, guilt, longing, jealousy and hatred pass through the generations destroying a family. Riveting staging of the finale.
Don't see it if The first segment of the trilogy (2 hours out of 6) is a bit slow and distant. The intensity picks up from there. Read more
See it if U like O’Neill, stylized & creative acting & direction, VERY different theater experience, long plays well worth your time/ PLUS U R FED!
Don't see it if DONT LIKE LONG PLAYS/ are NOT willing to go with the flow. YES you are part of the show.. and travel with it.
See it if you have a tolerance for lengthy drama and a taste for the primordial. Or you want the chance to see a rare O'Neill epic (in the true sense)
Don't see it if you don't have a tolerance for avantgarde experimentalism, bizarre acting, or shifting perspectives on great-if-dated text. Read more
See it if You are a serious theater person, a minor in O'Neill, ready to spend 5 quick hours fixated on this severe & mannered postmodern presentation
Don't see it if You aren't willing to eat your spinach, though it is good for you. While this keeps your attention & gathers power, it gives faint pleasure.
See it if you want to see rarely staged O'Neill, avant garde staging, and impressive design & performances. When upclose & personal, it's riveting
Don't see it if you're short on time & long on tradition. When distancing, seeming to mock O'Neill's condescension & affection for melodrama, it's wearying.
See it if you want deep takes on Eugene O'Neill. The move from the balcony to the stage parallels the intensifying experience of the central character
Don't see it if you aren't able to stay focused for five hours or expecting a traditional production.
See it if ..want to see a rarely performed Eugene O' Neill epic. Well staged by the Target Margin Theater.
Don't see it if A 6-hour marathon from a plywright that may not be aging well.
See it if you want to see this rarely performed O'Neill play by a superb experimental theater company. Terrific acting and staging but pace yourself
Don't see it if you hate long long plays and don't care for experimental theater.
Critic Reviews (11)
“I didn’t check my watch once in the five hours of David Herskovits’s bold, astringent revival…A lucid and astonishingly intimate production, which makes a strong case for the enduring fascination of the Mannons of New England…This remarkably fluid production is faithful to O’Neill’s text while relentlessly questioning it...The surprising result is both Kabuki soap opera and vivid clarity: an interpretation of this play that feels alive right now.”
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"Arch, seriously clever and very, very long...It’s a series of design and staging coups; for this alone, people (with long attention spans) should see it...Herskovits carefully amplifies that insistence by forcing us into increasing proximity with it. It’s a smart way to build the event—and although it’s not actually a flattering approach to the play, it showcases the company gorgeously...Ultimately, 'Electra' is Wong’s show. She’s great."
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“Innovative staging and strong performances bolster this experimental production, but several awkward directorial choices muddle the execution and make this pared-down version of the work a wobbly, lugubrious affair…Some of these experiments can be exciting...Other stagey theatrics pepper some serious scenes with unintended comedy and make us wonder whether we're witnessing a parody of O'Neill's work…The actors...often appear to be buckling under the weight of Herskovits' vision."
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"If you're tickled by experimental theatre more than narrative, you're in for a treat. But If you're looking for a more naturalistic staging of the play, there are a few things to be aware of: While faithful to the text, this is nevertheless an odd production, and it is stylized in some perplexing ways...It's possible to have one too many high-concept elements...All things considered, 'Mourning Becomes Electra' is a satisfying experience. Each of the actors gives a breathtaking performance."
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“Eunice Wong delivers a raw performance as Lavinia Mannon. Her use of mask is exceptional, and every word she speaks emerges from a deep, visceral place…If the jarring nature of the stage picture leaves you baffled, the consistent quality of the delivery of language will keep you impressed by the depth of O’Neill’s understanding, and the fresh ability of Target Margin to keep theater and theater-making relevant and compelling.”
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“The marathon production peels back the layers of this immense trilogy with dynamism, humor, and a dinner break…Through distance, sound and space, Target Margin keeps the marathon moving forward without feeling like a scourge…The production, directed by David Herskovits, boasts an incredible performance from the Target Margin ensemble…Suffice it to say that 'Mourning Becomes Electra' will leave you digestively and existentially satisfied.”
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"A style that can best be described as a parody of a bad soap opera...All of Target Margin’s peculiar choices seem purposeful. But rather than elucidating 'real truths' in O’Neill’s script, the production proves heavy-handed and overwrought...Expressionism falters and crumbles over the course of more than five hours, and we are left wondering why these people seem so distant and inaccessible."
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"They employ every avant-garde trick in the book...Here, I fear, they remained resolutely random and without impact...When these sorts of gambits are done well, you don’t question them—they have a ritualistic power...Instead, all we saw was a mad, silly scramble...The frustrating fact was that when the actual drama hove into view, I was eager to hear more...Despite all the demands and distractions, the cast for the most part acquitted themselves well...An ambitious but confused effort."
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