[PORTO]

See it if you are a single millennial woman

Don't see it if you are confused easily

See it if This show has a "voice," literally. It has something to say. The production couldn't be better.

Don't see it if The show may appeal most now to port-drinking Brooklyn millenials. It's of its time and place, but I believe it'll age well.

See it if you'd enjoy a wry take on how hip, straight, not-so-young anymore Brooklynites meet, sniff each other out &, when the planets align, mate.

Don't see it if you want a piece that transcends the local & the everyday, or have an aversion to mild challenges to traditional dramatic form.

Also Across the board–writing, directing, performing, design–this is an impressively polished, integrated production. Playwright Benson knows her hip, soft-edged, low-key sexy, mildly frustrated, occasionally passive aggressive but ultimately good-hearted Brooklynites (the cast rocks!) & their artisanal milieu (a hip bar with “interesting” cuisine) to a T. She brings her diffident, conflicted couples together for a happy ending without a hint of strain & a lot of self-aware humor. The playwright’s ear for her characters’ speaking voices seems to me pitch-perfect. When she plays with dramatic form the result is consistently tasty. Breaks from the straight-on plot never uproot us from the very particular world she & her collaborators have worked hard to establish. Director Lee Sunday Evans, coming off two knockout productions already this season (“The Winter’s Tale” for the Public’s Mobile Unit & Geoff Sobelle’s “Home” for BAM) continues to prove herself one of our finest young directors.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy format-busting plays full of ideas. You like being consistently surprised and delighted.

Don't see it if you don't consider the issues facing young urban women to be worth exploring

See it if If you want to see the stereotypes so prevalent in dramas set in bars updating for current times, and an example of how feminism failed.

Don't see it if you don't like plays centered around a bar, or if you are tired of plays about women and their plight in modern times.

Also Porto translates from Latin as I CARRY, and knowing that, you understand more immediately the emotional baggage these people are dealing with. The gimmick of having the playwright occasionally narrate the play becomes a bit irritating, but it's worth it to see the internal debates the main character has with herself. Particularly interesting is the faux discussion between Steinem and deBouvoir, and how the character ultimately follows their advice rather than listening to her own heart.

It is enjoyable, but rather sad to see these young people in a bar at night rather than doing something meaningful, especially in Brooklyn!... Read more Read less

See it if youu like some good acting, a great set, a theater that you be "there"and some interesting ideas to ponder.

Don't see it if if you cannot handle a double set of stairs after the elevator .... altough, if you indicate a problem, there is an entrance on level 3

See it if Slightly meta update of a girl & a guy in a bar with plenty of literary references & affectionate mocking of Brooklyn hipsters. Great set...

Don't see it if smart writing, comfortable actors. Maybe not for those who love a big play or musical, but off-Broadway excellence.

See it if you often find your inner monologue to be your worst enemy. You think Brooklyn hipsters are both funny and annoyingly precious.

Don't see it if you don't like plays with no intermission. You're an easily offended Brooklyn hipster millennial.

See it if looking for a well-written romantic comedy with a pessimistic view set in a trendy Brooklyn bar.

Don't see it if you believe love can survive or your perspective is not female-sensitive.

See it if The perspective of millennials is of interest; you appreciate a unique theatrical presentation; you value a beautiful and unique stage set

Don't see it if You would not respond to a more intellectualized approach to an emotional subject; you want something conventional

Also This play resonated for me more deeply after it was over rather than when I was actually there in the moment. It takes an intellectual approach to an emotional subject and it felt more cold and detached than it should have been considering its subject. I appreciated the female protagonists' voice being so central and I was rooting for her to triumph over herself.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoyed Lena Dunham's GIRLS or other plays/movies/TV shows about single professionals in Brooklyn.

Don't see it if you're hoping for new insight or an intense theatrical experience.

Also Lots of creative and clever parts don't add up to a satisfying whole. The play is too unstructured and there is no real climax. Some threads, such as one character's alcoholism, are simply dropped. Julia Sirna-Frest is engaging and sympathetic in the lead role, but knowing more about her (her job, her family, her marriage) would have helped. The play deals with important issues but still feels slight. Various pairings among the characters seem random; more nuance in the acting would have helped with that.... Read more Read less

See it if Usual 'single, intelligent woman in urban jungle' tale gets a funny, hipster spin Comic situations with a dark ironic twist in boho Brooklyn

Don't see it if Omnipresent vocal consciousness (the author) may not appeal to some; dark tone at times harsh but lovely Sirna-Frest gets us over bumps

See it if you want to see a millennial-ish commentary on millennials.

Don't see it if a millennial-ish commentary on millennials would leave you with little deep insight.

See it if You are interested and off and off off Broadway productions. And/or modern dating.

Don't see it if You prefer big Broadway production productions.

See it if you like new plays, clever writing, excellent set.

Don't see it if you don’t like plays about superficial life problems.

Also The play was entertaining and I loved the set and staging. The actors were very good, but the point of the play was lost on me and I didn’t have any empathy for the characters.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a play with a unique structure and storytelling format. Feminist themes. Jokes about Brooklyn. Nice set!

Don't see it if if you want a coherent play. I enjoyed the first half of the play much more than the second half.

Also I try to see everything at the WP theater. I am a big fan of their work. Always interesting.

The high point of this play for me was a speech by Ugu Chukwu in the middle of the play. Very funny!
All the actors did a good job.
It started out strong, but as the play went on it just got a little tedious and disjointed.... Read more Read less

See it if Enjoy absurdist interludes (by far best parts) with your hipster self-mocking. Like shows about real-world, "average" protagonists

Don't see it if Looking for representational show presented straight, with characters that inspire more emotion than sardonic recognition

See it if you like urban hipster angst.

Don't see it if you hate self aware pretentiousness.

See it if you like Benson's quirky voice (literally: she speaks the voiceovers that direct and describe the action); you appreciate light surrealism

Don't see it if you find Boho Brooklyn and its habitués annoying; you find whimsicality wearing

Also Lee Sunday Evans directs this material with a sure hand that keeps the preciousness under control, no mean feat in a play that features both a Chorus of Dumb Bunnies and Simone de Beauvoir giving a morning-after analysis of a first date. I'm an admirer of Benson's plays, and am hoping her next is driven by a character rather than authorial device.... Read more Read less

See it if something modern and edgy and you like characters that are honest. Clever staging as well.

Don't see it if a story like that makes complete sense or you don't like direct address.

See it if you love artisanal food, brooklyn-insider humor, and maybe-mocking millennials

Don't see it if you're a stickler for linear narrative, you don't like a voice-of-god narrator

See it if You're interested in heterosexual dynamics and the different alliances young women have to older waves of feminism.

Don't see it if You're annoyed by outdated hipster stereotypes onstage, noncommittal acting, or men playing Gloria Steinem and Simone de Beauvoir.

See it if you want to see a great set, good actors, enjoy a few interesting and thought provoking moments but more of a meditation not dramatic

Don't see it if you hate narrators controlling the action or lack of action. Way too much narration with actors standing there looking out.

See it if you like new writers and have been to a bar in BedStuy

Don't see it if you prefer traditionally old stories

See it if you support the Women's Project & new work, enjoy the inner voices of women dealing with contemporary dating scene & societal expectations

Don't see it if constant narration (live by the author!) turns you off, don't like repetitive anxieties & humiliations about relationships or self-loathers