Operation Crucible

See it if Relationships among 4 steelworkers before, during, and after they are trapped. High speed choreographed movements and utterances.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy theater that is part dance & performance art. You are looking for more than a relationship and survival story in wartime.

See it if you'd enjoy a gritty, compelling, evocative, sparsely staged 4-hander about surviving UK working class life & the Luftwaffe bombing of 1940.

Don't see it if you have no interest in WWII and/or Britain; you have an allergy to stage smoke/fog; you're looking for something lighthearted & undemanding

See it if Time passes for four Brit blokes trapped in a steelworks after a bomb strike. Nicely choreogrphed foundry. Ensemble works well together.

Don't see it if Blokes in a black box. Working-class accents. Monologues. Darkness. No props or set. Bomb strike hits midway through 75 min. running.

See it if you're interested in survival in England during WW2 & life/friendship in a steel factory. Beautifully performed, choreographed and written.

Don't see it if small, dark spaces make you feel claustrophobic; you are looking for a feel good play or a musical. This is an intense, well acted play.

See it if you want to see a superb ensemble in a taut drama about a WW II event in England

Don't see it if have trouble with British accents

Also I am glad this Brits Off Broadway hit is back for a well-deserved encore run.... Read more Read less

See it if You are familiar with a Sheffield accent. The 4 actors do a great job of entertaining but the story is hard to grasp

Don't see it if If you’re looking for something that is easy to follow.

See it if You enjoy beautifully told stories about a moment in history that isn't discussed a great deal. Great acting and movement on a small stage

Don't see it if You have trouble with accents or plays that jump between moments and force you to keep up.

See it if touching story of steel workers in an English town during WWII, their trauma when the town is bombed; high-energy as they act out their jobs

Don't see it if have trouble with British accents, don't want war stories, don't like minimalist staging with no props

Also There is a point in the play where it gets slow & dark & seemingly claustrophobic....But that is the point.
A wonderful group of actors & a very touching story. I teared up.... Read more Read less

See it if you’d enjoy a crisp, taut, sometimes funny drama about the fallout from a WWII airstrike and the lives of several steelworkers affected.

Don't see it if you have trouble understanding Sheffield accents.

See it if you like a story about the impacts of war as told by the common person (4 factory workers in this case). Amazing non-dance choreography.

Don't see it if Heavy accents, war-related, dark stage, flashes, etc affect you. Only downside was the actor's heavy accents, hard to understand sometimes.

See it if You like intimate theater. The four excellent actors brought the audience into their world in Sheffield.

Don't see it if You need a splashy production. This was quiet and intense. Highly recommend.

See it if You like shows based on true events, and enjoy good writing, detailed choreography and terrific acting. I felt like I was there.

Don't see it if You can't tolerate heavy British accents, small theatres, or scenes done completely in the dark.

See it if You enjoy British dialects. It's a wonderful aural treat. Have any interest in World War II era plays.

Don't see it if You dislike shows that narrate the action onstage. Don't like shows were you might have to listen a little harder than usual.

Also This play moves like a freight train, frenetic and powerful. It is well staged and terribly acted.

Its only real shortcoming is that the play never achieves that real feeling of claustrophobia it desires because as the characters are trapped underground, we get to escape into their flashbacks.

The lighting and sound design are deeply effective. The sine wave at the beginning of the show is just perfect. Ditto for the lighting of the furnace.

I mentioned that accents above. They're just a pleasure to listen to. The playbill mentions that this show is being developed for the BBC as a radio play, and I think it will transfer seamlessly. You could certainly close your eyes for this show and simply listen and have a wonderful and moving experience.

Personally I found the breakneck speed of the show a little dizzying, but better rushing than dragging, right?... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see great acting and some very clever staging and storytelling.

Don't see it if You want an idea that sustains itself for an entire show - it does wear thin and falter at times.

See it if you’d enjoy a war survival story of 4 ordinary steelworkers in Sheffield, UK. Strong ensemble cast performs on an intimate stage.

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy war stories or will have trouble understanding heavy northern British accents.

Also Humorous at times but very moving stories of 4 men as individuals as well as friends finding ways to survive through WWII. There are some loud noises and darkness throughout the latter part of the story.... Read more Read less

See it if WWII, Britain, Steel-making, Brits Off-Broadway, Theatrical Collage, and Ensemble shows interest you.

Don't see it if you require a linear plot, single protagonists, and American accents.

See it if you enjoy World War II dramas.

Don't see it if you need a more nuanced and less predictable script...the writing is pretty strong despite being several steps ahead of it.

See it if intimate and kind of intense!

Don't see it if small play with big accents

See it if you enjoy terrific acting and particularly like a ​drama about World War Two. An important play about bravery during The Blitz. Mesmerizing.

Don't see it if you have trouble understanding thick British accents and do not like being in complete darkness. Otherwise, no other reason not to see it.

See it if You thrill to great performances by well-trained actors working together like an outstanding Chamber Orchestra. That this play, which has

Don't see it if You can’t make it before June 3rd when it closes.

Also been written by one of the actors and already been summarized by countless other reviews, is, to me, a promise for the future health of the theatre. The direction is superb. Real Immagination, so often missing from many productions, is here exalted. You will become involved in the lives of four men you would never meet in real life and wish you could.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in a well-written, powerful, wartime slice of life drama.

Don't see it if You have trouble with thick accents or non-linear plot presentation.

See it if you want to enter the world of four people whose lives are probably very different from yours, and discover what you have in common.

Don't see it if loud noises upset you, or if you're claustrophobic or afraid of the dark.

Also The program includes a glossary of British terms that it's useful to read before the performance starts. I'm familiar with quite a few obscure British expressions, but there were several in the glossary that I had never heard before, and knowing their meaning in advance helped me to make sense of lines in the play that would otherwise have been confusing. (I did think, however, that it was unnecessary to tell an American audience that, when Brits say "football", they mean what Americans call "soccer".)... Read more Read less

See it if Taut, compelling, and intense. Performances top notch. Choreography of steel processing work and claustrophobic set enhance overall effect.

Don't see it if Tiny theatre and minimal set really put you in there with the characters. Direction, sound, and lighting work together perfectly.

Also Sparse audience (including one irksome phone-checking woman) wasn’t worthy of the production and made me feel bad for the actors, so tell your friends and go see this British gem now!... Read more Read less

See it if Lovely snapshot of specific lives at a particular time in history, which winds you deeper into emotional stories. Well deployed flashbacks

Don't see it if Can't understand heavy Yorkshire/Sheffield/Irish accents (and if you go anyway, do NOT spend the whole time hissing, "What'd he say?"!!!)

See it if you are interested in WWII, great British theatre, new plays, nontraditional storytelling. The powerful story of four steel workers.

Don't see it if You are uninterested in history, intimate black box theatres, small casts, non-linear storytelling.