Party Face

See it if You like television sitcoms. This is just believable enough to be a fun bit of fluff to escape in for a bit that ends up with some depth.

Don't see it if You’re looking for a show with great meaning or that will change your life.

See it if you seek an easy, feel-good (& sober, at times) sitcom-on-stage, featuring nice performances, especially from the ever-charming Hayley Mills

Don't see it if you expect a laugh-a-minute comedy or you expect any heft from this rather predictable, broad, run-of-the-mill family dramedy.

See it if Nothing really gels in this "feminist"- styled comedy (?) Well appointed & acted but the serio-comic situations fail; an extended sketch

Don't see it if Always sad to see a talented ensemble (esp Mills & understudy Cimmet) flounder at sea; even sadder when the lack of laughter is palpable

See it if you are a boomer & as a kid Hayley Mills was your fantasy British big sister.

Don't see it if you can take a pass on seeing an agreeable play that goes down as smooth as a sit-com (albeit one with a serious subject).

Also For every grade-school kid of my birth year cohort (1951), Haley Mills, star of several Disney flicks, was an adventurous, very British, big sister. Fast forward about 57 years (I can’t believe I wrote that!) & Mills is delivering a strong performance on City Center’s Stage 2 in “Party Face” (with 4 other women, her fellow partiers, who also give strong performances). Written & directed by 2 TV veterans, the play lacks a certain dramatic heft, though it deals in part with a woman recovering from a nervous breakdown, at times with an honesty rare for comedy. And the whole package has lots of panache & scores many laughs sending up the pretensions of the globalized privileged class. Towards the end it moves deeper into the messy stuff that it skated over earlier, & is richer for it. For millennials wishing that boomers would at last step aside & give you a little more room, well, maybe next year. Part of this year belongs to Hayley Mills, singing, dancing & (yes!) passing out drunk.... Read more Read less

See it if to cheque in on the radiant Hayley Mills, otherwise, there's not much here for 95 min of comedy fluff about a daughter sprung from the bin.

Don't see it if lighthearted treatment of mother/daughter relationships or recovery or mental health are of your concern.

See it if you enjoy TV sitcoms with typical characters: the overbearing mom, the mousy sister, the strong sister, the crazy friend, the sexy neighbor.

Don't see it if you hate sitcoms, you dislike attempts at humor which fall flat. You may find yourself chuckling in spite of it all, but play has no depth.

See it if You want to see Haley Mills. She still has it. Otherwise a few good laughs in a sitcom like plot.

Don't see it if You want anything more than light weight entertainment.

See it if you enjoy family-centered comedy-dramas, you appreciate female-driven stories, you’re a Hayley Mills fan &/or you enjoyed the film Lady Bird

Don't see it if reliving all the times your mother’s praise came w/a stinging criticism tacked on the end would be too traumatic. Actually, see it anyway.

See it if If you like Hayley Mills in a comedic role with a tragic note revealed in the second act. An entertaining evening.

Don't see it if Do not see if you do not like comedies or sensitive about the loss of a child.

See it if you like intimate, unglitzy work that is mostly fun and frothy but with fierce human longing beneath the surface; invested in women's lives.

Don't see it if expecting truly rousing, groundbreaking work; seeking only froth; cheating spouses / broken marriages and nervous breakdowns are triggering.

Also In many ways, Party Face isn’t anything too special, although the kernels of something greater—human loss and longing—lurk beneath the sometimes-safe façade. I daresay that Hayley Mills is the biggest appeal here, and she is charmingly perfect as an over-controlling mother. But the other four actresses in this female-driven play are equally talented and the quintet act flawlessly through a play staged to actually mimic a party in someone’s (extended) living room / kitchen. This play may not exactly pass the Bechdel Test but, with some reworking of the latter half, it could come alive better as one family’s way of handling grief—particularly when interloping others strive to manipulate the scene and everyone is forced to put on that “party face.” For a play of under two hours, each of the five actresses developed her own personality and made us feel invested. The women could have been reduced to clichés but there is always an element of pain or harsh truths bringing them into life well.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to laugh at funny characters doing silly things. Not much substance but a fun evening.

Don't see it if you want to challenge your intellect.

See it if you are a Haley Mills fan. She's adorable, and a believable archetype. Standby Alison Cimmet played Bernie and was wonderful!

Don't see it if You are looking for a funny, light comedy. This was a dramady, a long winded one. Most of which was predictable.

Also Due to both the direction and the acting styles (or perhaps casting), I felt like the two sisters were in a different play, than the rest of the cast. The other 3 actors were trying to find the humor in the material.
There was also very little journey or arc for the protagonist, or where there three protagonists? Not sure.... Read more Read less

See it if you like obvious and farcical humor, satire on present middle class society and satisfying endings.

Don't see it if you like subtle humor, non-stereotyped characters, serious treatment of human relationships and coping mechanisms.

See it if want an old fashioned comedy that feels more like a classic sitcom

Don't see it if want any substance

See it if You have a dysfunctional family--or part of your family is dysfunctional--or you know a controlling mother.

Don't see it if You don't like shows about family dynamics.

See it if You would like to see Haley Mills in person today. She looks great and is a good actress. Most of the cast is good.

Don't see it if The story of a critical, orverbearing mother mother is so familiar. And it starts from the first line. You can almost fill in the blanks.

See it if You’d love to see Haley Mills all grown up.

Don't see it if Worn out subject matter will leave you grumpy.

Also Good actors don’t have much to work with here. What makes this Irish?

See it if An all female production displaying all of the stereotypes—gossipy and caddy, all trying to impress one another. Truths are uncovered.

Don't see it if If you want real substance in a play. Interesting, well executed, and entertaining, but no real story.

See it if you like 'chick-flick'-type sit-coms with all stock characters and nothing to challenge your brain; are curious to see Hayley Mills on stage

Don't see it if you have no patience for outdated, female stereotypes, babbling, bantering & battling

Also Klea Blackhurst & Brenda Meaney each had a few snarky one-liners that held my interest. The second act was better than the first, so I was glad I didn't bolt intermission..... Read more Read less

See it if You are a fan of Halley Mills, can relate to having to put on " a party face" , want a funny show, like dysfunctional themes.

Don't see it if You expect a cutting edge show, are. It patient, don't like dysfunctional themes.

Also I enjoyed this show, but sometimes it seemed to drag a bit, and at other times I didn't understand some of the things going on...why it was Halle inglorious overall, the cast worked great together. And the times when it was funny...it was really funny.... Read more Read less

See it if You like snarky superficial chatter that dances around serious subjects superficially

Don't see it if Serious drama and a developed plot is what you want. It seemed Slow despite Some good acting

See it if you want a polished play with good acting. A lot of humor masks the underlying drama.

Don't see it if you don't like shows about family angst. Also, Irish accents can be hard to undrestand.

See it if you enjoy an all female cast with family problems, mainly revolving around a controlling mother, and lots of girl talk

Don't see it if you want a show with more depth, don't enjoy a chick-show with lots of family drama

Also Even though there was some action, and featured a former star, the show didn't really go anywhere... Read more Read less

See it if you want an entertaining show with strong performances, especially by the charming Hayley Mills.

Don't see it if you want a more complex production; this isn't a particularly deep show, but it is well-acted and entertaining.

See it if you are a fan of Hayley Mills or want to see a great ensemble of female actors.

Don't see it if you don’t like plays with Irish accents or don’t care for female relationship dynamics or dramas.