My Parsifal Conductor NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (73)
See it if Want a great show that’s both funny and touching. Definitely exceeded my expectations- great acting and creative staging.
Don't see it if You don’t like historical plays or exploring the topic of antisemitism. The play drags a little, but overall it’s worth it.
See it if You like plays that take a look at the deepest feelings of the characters and how these feelings can change the lives of these individuals
Don't see it if You want to see a play that doesn't deal with religion and and anti-semitism.
See it if You enjoy a drama loosely based on factual events regarding a highly sought after music conductor.
Don't see it if You are sensitive to shows with anti-semitism or don't enjoy shows loosely based on factual events.
See it if Masterful rendering of complicated history intrigues you.
Don't see it if Opera bores you, no matter how good.
See it if To learn more about the Wagners and also Herman Levi and their friendship over the years despite the Wagner's anti -semitism.
Don't see it if You are not interested in historical plays albeit this is more of a comedy,
See it if You are interested in the history surrounding Wagner, and can tolerate anti-Semetic views expressed to emphasize their wrongness.
Don't see it if I was rather shocked to hear the viewpoints spouted by some characters, but understood why it was done. Read more
See it if You like or are intrigued by Wagner, you enjoy plays about historical events, you like a play that is unexpectedly thoughtful
Don't see it if Discussions of anti-Semitism bore or offend you, you need to be wildy/loudly entertained
See it if you're an opera fan, esp. Wagner, curious re: history of Bayreuth & King Ludwig's role, & the Wagner's anti-semitism & Cosima's influence
Don't see it if you're not an opera fan or of Wagner specifically, have trouble with anti-Semites as main characters, don't like surreal situations Read more
Critic Reviews (5)
“'My Parsifal Conductor’ is billed as ‘a Wagnerian comedy,’ and while Leicht's script may contain a few more laughs than there are in 'Götterdämmerung,' it's director Robert Kalfin's light comedic touches played by a terrific cast that make the evening fly. The current Off-Broadway production...is the play's world premiere, and if the intention is to make serious points through laughter, both aspects need to be strengthened."
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“Not only ardent Wagnerites should be appalled; the trouble isn't the decision to mine their lives for laughter...But there's a difference between low humor and second-rate clowning, a distinction that is apparently lost on everyone here...Silly as it is, at least Act I has a conflict to dramatize; Act II is an exercise in marking time. And, throughout, the jokes are tired...A tiresome, trivializing work that diminishes its characters while failing to engage with the very ugly issue at its heart.”
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"'My Parsifal Conductor,' subtitled 'a Wagnerian Comedy'...Except for a few low key chuckles from a few women in back of me at the press preview I attended, that subtitle was apparently as much a misnomer for my fellow viewers as it was for me...Leicht's researched facts do indicate that 'My Parsifal Conductor' could be interesting enough to offset a theater-goer's resistance to a play with unlikable main characters...Unfortunately the way the story is structured comes off awkwardly."
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"Deals with a powerful, artistically-inclined woman evaluating her past, but does not go very deep into the complex issues it raises...The subject is potentially gripping, but Licht...fails to significantly explore Wagner’s work, Cosima’s relationship to it or Levi’s, or the roots of European anti-Semitism. We never even learn why 'Parsifal' is considered so magnificent and why it was important that Levi interpret it...Kalfin’s direction is too broad as are the performances."
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“A broad comedy based on the true story...The comic turbulence is over-extended and the writing could use more wit. But there are very funny sequences...It could use some trimming, but delving into the true situation and giving it a broad comic interpretation is imaginative and mostly entertaining. There is an abundance of acting, writing and directing skills in this colorful production.”
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