Must

See it if Fan of Billy the Kid.

Don't see it if Your not open minded to someone else's thoughts and demons.

See it if You're looking to see something new, avant garde, and with a fresh take on a well known subject.

Don't see it if You want something more conventional; the play is a little confusing.

See it if you like great acting.

Don't see it if you cannot follow different story lines at the same time.

Also story is clever.

See it if you want to see a short play that seems too long.

Don't see it if you want to see good actors working with a poor script.

Also Repetitious, redundant, superfluous...
I am surprised that Bruce Willis endorsed this play.... Read more Read less

See it if you like the topic of Billy the Kid and want to see a story showing different aspects of this historic time.

Don't see it if you prefer modern or linear stories.

See it if you are really into Billy the Kid.

Don't see it if you like high energy shows.

See it if like a well-acted play, short in duration. Or a historical piece with only a vague connection to actual events. It is an introspective piece

Don't see it if you need action. This is an introspective piece and not meant to be taken on any realistic plane.

Also If you wanted a drinking game, where you would end up HAMMERED at the end, take a shot every time the word "horizon" is mentioned during Charles Cissel's MUST.
To be fair, it's not like the play was awful. The acting was pretty good with Brendan Dooling (Billy the Kid) and John Clarence Stewart (Pat Garrett) shining. The lovely Meredith Antoian (Louisa) brings the softer emotions out of the outlaw, and parents (Sally Ann Triplett and Mark Elliot Wilson) the specters that haunt Billy on his last night of life. Simplicity is the key, with an elegant western set and spare staging. Billed at 90 minutes, I think we barely got over 60. Intended to explore the spiritual side of the Kid, adherence to established fact are also scarce. He is presented as a tortured soul, a victim of circumstances pursued by friend turned executioner, Pat Garrett. I would have changed the characters to complete fictions, thus losing the stigma of inaccuracy and opening potential "horizons" in storytelling.... Read more Read less

See it if you like an interesting staging of someone's life. The acting except for role of sheriff was good. Some moving moments with parents.

Don't see it if you want a fully developed story about Billy's life. Program says 90 minutes but show under an hour.

Also I liked the staging and the idea of going back and forth in Billy's life with his parents, girlfriend and sheriff was good. It needs to be more fully developed. The moments between Billy and each of his parents were very moving but the sheriff role needed a better actor and better dialogue.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to know how generous Bruce Willis is to put his money in a really bad show. Good set and good lighting

Don't see it if You want something good and or entertaining.

See it if the writer is your friend or husband.

Don't see it if you have something better to do with two hours.

See it if you have time to kill ...& willing to sit on a slow play that can put you to sleep - as the dialogues & sunset stage lights set that mood.

Don't see it if you actually want to enjoy and learn more about Billy in an interesting way. The staging, lighting, costume and cast were promising though.

See it if Like plays without a purpose.

Don't see it if Don't like plays without a purpose .

See it if You want to see a new play with the substance of a very good play. It had all the elements I hoped for when I read the description.

Don't see it if Poor stage instructions by the author and poor direction make the production difficult to enjoy. Dooling is less than than engaging

Also The play has very good potential. The author has combined a "Christmas Carol" and a devolving Bob Cratchit (Garrett) with a straight from the Bible crucifixion story of Judas (Garrett) and Billy (Jesus). The playwright's stage instruction would best be ignored in the future and the director has done a very poor job of allowing his characters to interact. Brendan Dooling isn't up to the task of playing Billy.

I imagine that I would have given this an 85 in a reading or a workshop, but the production was severely lacking.... Read more Read less

See it if You like rustic western background mixed with highbrow philosophical metaphors and great acting. Finding story behind confusing dialogues.

Don't see it if You're looking for a light, relaxing and entertaining show that doesn't need much thinking. This show is a lot of work to perform and follow

See it if You are interested in Billy the kid. Like plays that are slow and not quite linear. An interesting semi historical story

Don't see it if You prefer something linear or fast paced and a bigger production. Have no interest in Billy the kid or philosophical takes on history

See it if you know story of Billy Kid or enjoy plays with ghosts.

Don't see it if you are expecting conventional historical play or are unfamiliar with this figure.

See it if you have to see every play ever written about Billy the Kid, curious about how the church will have an easy time using this set for service

Don't see it if you don't like repetitive dialogue with little actual & often contradictory content, want to learn about the outlaw, need action & character

Also Despite the play's nebulousness, it does boast a nice piece of eye candy in the role of Billy the Kid, who is on stage the entire time... Read more Read less

See it if good acting; nice staging; good premise

Don't see it if too talky; not as coherent as it could be

See it if You're if you can enjoy wandering plays. I enjoyed the actors and the set.

Don't see it if If you like plays that tell a story with a clear plot.

See it if you want to see a show about what someone could have thought.

Don't see it if you want interactions that don't feel like 2 monologues. Maybe that was the point, but the "conversations" were overlong for me.

See it if You want to know more about the personal life and family of Billy the Kid in a show performed by a very good cast with a nice stage setting.

Don't see it if You're expecting a play with a good plot. This show is slow moving, excessively talky, and confusing. It's difficult to sustain interest.

Also "60" may be a generous rating for "Must" but the cast is very good, the stage setting is nice, and the costumes are well-done. However, there's not much of a plot to this as the play is overly ambitious in trying to portray Billy's family life and showing how Billy got to where he ended up.

It was sad to hear how Billy's father abandoned the family early in life and how Billy's mother passed away when he was a young teenager in the southwest. One can empathize with the character if one sees life through his eyes. One can also feel for his girlfriend who will be left behind as Billy's imminent death at the hands of Sheriff Pat Garrett approaches. However, the implementation of this ambitious project really goes astray as it's very talky, confusing, and, as a drama teacher sitting next to me in the theater said afterwards, "incomprehensible" at times.

I love American Wild West stories but I must say that "Must" is a "Bust". With some work, it could have been a heart-wrenching tale.... Read more Read less

See it if You like shows with a historical basis, nonlinear script, committed acting

Don't see it if Like linear stories, need big sets, are unfamiliar with the Billy the Kid history

Also I was a little confused throughout, knowing nothing about Billy the Kid when I arrived. I had a very cursory look at the plot outline, but without that, I would have been more confused. The actors definitely were committed to their characters and gave good performances. The lighting and set were creatively realized without a lot of items. But, for me, I couldn’t really follow what was going on in the play, and my mind kept wandering. That factor has to take a portion of the blame as to why I was a little lost. But I would like for the script to have drawn me in on its own and kept my interest.... Read more Read less

See it if Plodding fantasy of Billy the Kid with the ghosts of his parents and a made-up friendship with Sheriff Pat Garrett. Good acting, though.

Don't see it if First preview -- the actors expertly delivered some good dialogue that -- strung together -- did not make a play.

See it if you like experimental western historical fiction dramas in a historical off Broadway space.

Don't see it if you are looking for an entertaining evening with a linear plot.

See it if you want one hour to feel like three. Perhaps I just didn't get it, but Billy the Kid philosophizing with ghosts just didn't work for me.

Don't see it if You want a play with an understandable plot. I got where it ended up, but it took a very convoluted and incomprehensible path to get there.