Our Dear Dead Drug Lord

See it if When they hand you a paper after that says “Didn’t understand Pablo? Visit www...” you know it’s bad. Absurd, poorly written.

Don't see it if Please don’t waste your time.

See it if A play about 4 girls in high school and pablo Escobar. Story is in itself okay.

Don't see it if Climax of play is in Spanish. Ending is not that good, could have been better.

See it if Astonishing play about adolescent girls seeking more power over their lives. Full of symbolism, magic, rituals, gore, & physical energy.

Don't see it if You prefer a more literal story, rather than one where the meaning is presented through symbolism. Blood sacrifice, sex, drugs, abortion.

Also (Spoiler alert) Read further for my interpretations of some of the symbols.

Pablo Escobar = powerful adult

Blood sacrifice = sacrifice of childhood innocence

Dance that gets crazy = stage-of-life transformation

Abortion = claiming power over the female body

Pablo shows up and speaks Spanish = a blessing that confers power onto the girls. He takes a child (=their childhood) away with him when he leaves.

The play is about female empowerment. As it is not literal, there is no actual abortion, just as Pablo Escobar doesn't really appear in the flesh. The girls are claiming their power to have an abortion if they choose, and the power to be an adult who can pursue her self-interest without having to be "good".... Read more Read less

See it if u want to spy on a coequally funny & sinister ritualistic society of unfettered, unabashed adolescents coming to terms w/female empowerment.

Don't see it if u expect this to be akin to Fey's Mean Girls (whereas it's more akin to King's Carrie); ur sensitive to onstage violence, gore & drug use.

Also The ending [no spoilers here] didn't work for me, and is likely to be polarizing, but I admire Alexis Scheer's imaginative and bold choices for her first major work.... Read more Read less

See it if wild enthusiasm, silly romance & general lunacy of teenaged girls appeals. The treehouse is perfectly magical & the actresses are charming

Don't see it if you fear that sudden unexpected violence or a weak ending will wreck your experience. Most of the play is delightful.

See it if Four girls seeking to who want power and control over life. They are all lost in way thinking dark magic or ? is the answer.

Don't see it if Blood and the abortion on stage and the killing/murder of the cat on stage.

Also I was turned off with the killing of the cat. But still watch the show to see what happens. Have no feeling or caring for any of the characters. As time went on I dislike all of them. The abortion scene was very disturbing.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to support the Woman's Project and the...good...work they do.

Don't see it if You don't want to see a home abortion on stage. I shouldn't have to go do research after the play to understand a character's entire scene.

See it if An engaging story of 4 high school girls playing what they think is a game, but turns out otherwise. Mostly watchable.

Don't see it if The climax of the play is mostly in Spanish - an incomprehensible choice. I did not know or understand what was going on.

See it if you enjoy a play about teenage girls dealing with their fears and fantasies and coming of age.

Don't see it if adolescent drama is not your thing, It vacillates between brilliant and trite

Also The show has some violent/adult oriented scenes and there is a lengthy scene with one character speaking exclusively Spanish untranslated. The play has a young feminist overtone and features 4 fine actors.... Read more Read less

See it if you like stories about young women, the occult, and high school.

Don't see it if you're bothered by seances or famous drug lords.

See it if You want to see something that will in many ways push you past your comfort zone as an audience member. You enjoy supernatural-thrillers.

Don't see it if You don't have the stomach for some pretty strong violent content.

Also “All empires are created of blood and fire.” -Pablo Escobar

Blood and Fire would be quite an apt subtitle for this heart-pounding thriller of a play. Equal parts sugar and blood, it dances between high-school dramedy and psychological thriller.

The performances are all stellar. Alyssa Gold, as Zoom, perhaps gives the most memorable performance, but it's a very strong ensemble.

Part of what makes this play work so well is that none of the characters are really stock characters, even when you might try to place them, at first glance, into categories. Just as in life, these characters contain multitudes.

ONLY THE MILDEST OF SPOILERS AHEAD

While the ending is bound to be divisive, I enjoy plays that dare to take their plot to its furthest logical extreme. Dear Drug Lord certainly manages to do just that.

SPOILERS OVER

Our Dear Dead Drug Lord is one of the finest examples of making effective tonal shifts within a play and, for anyone who is a writer, is very worth seeing.... Read more Read less

See it if Adolescent teenage girls are simply fascinating complex creatures & this group of upper-middle-class girls at a prep school in Miami are it!

Don't see it if lots of super taboo topics explored reverently and freely with some violence and a large passage entirely in Spanish may not be for everyone

Also A brilliant exploration of young passionate girls trying to making sense of life, death, ​and love--- very dark and passionate and very creative. Worth seeing just to see something outside the box and utterly novel--and some great acting.... Read more Read less

See it if A smart, funny, intelligent play that is well written & directed, with an excellent cast of young actors. Feels fresh, relevant and timely.

Don't see it if If your theatrical tastes are drawn to more traditional works.

See it if You know I had this on my list of plays to see. If you’re a feminist, educated in political/ worldly culture, pro-women, pro-LGBT, non-pious

Don't see it if Not offended by seances, blood, sacrifices, sexual topics, drugs, and know some Spanish- you’ll like this. It was VERY entertaining. All the

Also Gore, sex, political, and racial talk was entertaining and relevant to the overall story. The audience -mostly- was quite entertained. It’s just the “surprise twist” near the end of was jarring, at first, then confusing... because of the extended Spanish dialogue. A translation was handed out, at the end of the show, I guess not to give up the twist- which I understand... it just took me out of something that I was really into... HOWEVER, the acting by the 4 main ladies was superb and well-written and choreographed....... Read more Read less

See it if you are intrigued by the dark and kooky premise.

Don't see it if you'd be triggered by an abortion on stage. Not to be messed around with.

Also a period piece set in 2008 made me feel older than I cared to, but the political metaphor therein was rad.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that is teen femininitiy when it is cleverly and sympathetically presented,

Don't see it if There is sacrificial blood,voodoo,cocaine, some Spanish (untranslated) and a finale out of "Carrie" and more. Beware the last 10 minutes.

Also I really enjoyed this play and production, but I was not comfortable with the "conclusion" the playwright presented me with. I'm just a wishy-washy old white man with dated liberal beliefs, but compassion, understanding and doing unto others still seems like a fine path to follow even in an age that says "I'm not going to take it any more" and "it's about me and doing things My Way", The play asks a question I don't like the answer.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in stories about teenage girls dealing with all kinds of issues. The dialogue is glorious and feels totally real.

Don't see it if You would be upset by depictions of drug use, or discussions of difficult topics, or depictions of violence.

Also This was compelling and captivating from start to finish. I never, even for a second, doubted that I was watching teenagers in their clubhouse.

The writing was wonderful - the way people actually speak. Talking over each other, full of passion and excitement. Each girl has a great back story, full of real girl issues - parents, dealing with guilt, sex, dating, identity, politics.

While it was definitely challenging at times there was also a lot of humor. And the acting - these women are each exceptional.

If you are interested in experiencing the best of young women playwrights, you must see this. If you want to be challenged but still entertained, you must see this. If you want to be shocked and moved and exhilarated, you must see this.

It is without a doubt one of the best pieces of theater happening in NYC right now.... Read more Read less

See it if Dark comedies, teen girls world

Don't see it if Graphic allusions to violence

See it if You want to see a new play driven by 4 great performances.

Don't see it if You want a play that is strong throughout.

Also The first and last scene are great, but so much of the middle felt like filler. The ensemble does make it work.... Read more Read less

See it if outstanding premise, excellently executed. the writing and production was so precise, the absurdity of the premise went over some heads.

Don't see it if irony frequently goes over your head. i'm not entirely in love with the ending, but since i respect the playwright and the production, okay.

See it if Complicated story that presents as fluffy simple ones. Layered motivations. Good young performers. Well-staged & realized new dramatic voice

Don't see it if You like crystal clear story-telling or it bothers you that some is performed in Spanish and you don't speak it. On stage violence/blood

See it if you must see everything on the boards in NYC.

Don't see it if a poorly written play with an incredibly violent scene will disturb you.

Also I cannot believe the Woman's Project would present a play that portrays young women in such a violently bad light. And what was the lesson learned?... Read more Read less

See it if acting okay, but part was in Spanish and you were left to try to get an understanding from context, dramatic

Don't see it if big minus if you don't speak Spanish

See it if Interesting look into minds of teenage girls that goes from amusing to cruelty to surreal. Holds interest. Never saw Wolves.

Don't see it if Have trouble when characters all talk at once. Don't speak Spanish and would rather not have to look up what was said on website.

See it if you like plays with strong female roles or like supporting new plays/playwrights

Don't see it if you are sensitive to gore/gruesome imagery, strong language and sexual situations, or aren’t interested in stories about teenage girls

Also A promising NYC debut for Ms Scheer as a playwright. Beautifully designed. Strong/messy/tragic/funny/layered characters that were believable and very well acted. It’s certainly a powerful and thought-provoking play. However, it was almost ruined for me within the first ten minutes. I found the murder of the stray cat completely unnecessary. Only seriously deranged people murder animals. By introducing this element right at the start, Ms Scheer sets her quad of beautifully complex teenage heroes up to fail. It’s hard to rally behind young sociopaths, and I personally found it difficult to move past this moment and get behind any of the characters until much later in the piece. Also, putting the animal sacrifice at the start of the show takes the oomph out of the gruesome ending act. It might have been more effective to save all the gore until the end. This detail aside, it’s a show worth seeing and I look forward to what Ms Scheer will write next.... Read more Read less