Prinze: The One-Man Show

See it if As far as one person shows go, it’s hard to find much better. Jose Sonera completely embodies Prinze. Riveting performance. Tad slow at end.

Don't see it if You don’t like one person shows.

See it if you are familiar with Freddie & liked his comedy - much of it is shared here from remembered appearances and done well in this one-man show.

Don't see it if you do not like plays that bounce back and forth between funny onstage performances and mostly troubled offstage real-life situations.

See it if Peek behind the curtain of the personal & performing reflection of the genius taken & forgotten too soon.Sonera's delivery rivals subject's.

Don't see it if Structured to showcase live routines, but w/o a fledged-out play, a solo piece can't do justice to the artist's ultimate demise. Gen adm.

See it if A look at Freddie Prinze’s life through an exceptionally absorbing solo performance.

Don't see it if Do not see if you are not a fan of solo shows or the realities of a difficult life.

See it if you enjoy one-man shows plus stand-up comedy. Based on Prinze's incredibly short young life, unprecedented rise to fame, & meteoric fall.

Don't see it if you offend easily. It's a biopic play that includes much of 1970s Hollywood/TV reality: racial humor, profanity, recreational drug use, etc.

Also Because he acts them out...

...we went home & watched 2 particular youtube videos: Prinze's 1st time on The Tonight Show, & the 1st episode of 'Chico & the Man'. You'll want to as well, whether you're a Prinze fan or not.

Jose Sonera ("Prinze") wrote a strong play, & pours his heart into this performance. He does some stand-up, MC'ing & introducing other comics, while running backstage to talk w/us about his life. Yup, meta, 4th-wall breakage, but it works. The back & forth might get tiring, but it's an opportunity to watch Sonera perform some old "Prinze" stand-up: the tag-lines, mannerisms, even some facial expressions are there.

We learn his dad wasn't supportive, he gives in to peer pressure, succumbs to his depression, his manager's lawsuit, divorce & order of protection (doesn't get to see FPJr), etc.

You're not going to SEE a physical replica of Prinze. Get that outta your head. You're going to see a passionate actor/playwright perform AS Freddie, to the best of his ability.... Read more Read less

See it if A brilliant, touching, funny tribute to an groundbreaking but overlooked comedian. Sonera is nothing less than phenomenal.

Don't see it if You’d rather see a musical or a big splashy show. Even so, consider seeing this remarkable one man show, I loved it!

See it if you enjoy solo portraits. Reveals a singular, terrific talent whose path was inspiring & heartrending & who so deserves to be remembered.

Don't see it if prefer splashy set design or brisk pace. Actor's exits/entrances flow awkwardly; at times you feel embarrassed if you don't clap or laugh.

Also PS: Ignore playbill—oddly overrun with typos.

See it if you are a Freddie Prinze fan, want to learn more about the late comedian, enjoy well-acted stand-up comedy

Don't see it if you aren't interested in the life of Prinze, don't care for one-man stand up comedy, are offended by profanity and racial jokes & drug use,

Also Through stand-up comedy sets and backstage talks with the audience, Prinze tells the story of his brief life and rise to fame. After watching the show, I watched some clips at home of Chico and the Man and his stand-up club routines. This was an extremely well-acted show. I enjoyed the actor's portrayal of Prinze better than I did watching the real Prinze.... Read more Read less

See it if If u interested seeing a great solo performance about life of famous comedian,who discusses race,culture, rise&fall of an Hollywood persona

Don't see it if You are not a fan of solo play, small theater, shows about 70s, culture crash

Also Stellar performance about 2 hours, with so much action, different character play, dramatic show about the life of Puerto Rican/Hungarian comedian Freddie Prinze. His rise to fame and fall from it. Extremely dramatic and yet superb acting.... Read more Read less

See it if ... you're a Freddie Prinze fan. But be prepared for repeated annoying mannerisms and shallow writing.

Don't see it if ...you don't like solo shows, or not a Prinze fan

See it if if you're a Freddie Prinze fan & miss him. Jose Sonera's portrayal is mesmerizing. Wonderful acting & an intimate black box is ideal for him

Don't see it if you want to UNDERSTAND Prinze; his 1hr. 45min. show skims the surface; if you want to laugh at funny jokes vs corny stereotypical skits

Also At 1hr 45mins, this solo show is both too THIN & too long. It either needs to be tightened up -- or to add heft.

Despite its long length, we did not come away feeling we understood Freddie Prinze, portrayed as having a happy childhood with a supportive Mom, who taught him how to turn bad times into laughter.

We're told he met his cocktail waitress wife in Lake Tahoe; we never find out what their problems were nor why she filed for divorce.

We don't understand why he turned to alcohol, pills, cocaine. It's implied he was "under pressure" -- but other stars have pressure, too, and stay sober.

The only "setback" we hear about is when he split with his NYC agent (who refused to move to L.A.) & this lawsuit for breach of contract.

If his monologue included more setbacks/ failures, maybe we'd understand Prinze better.

It's an uncomfortable balance: excellent ACTING paired with vastly uneven, slow material.
Many jokes are "meh" but Sonera's physicality & energy make them funnier.... Read more Read less

See it if you're interested in a cursory overview of the life of Freddie Prinze & a rehash of some of his humor.

Don't see it if u recall real FP (this pales in comparison). Your attention wanders during 1-man shows. You'd like 2 know more re FP - little insight here.

Also Jose Sonera, who is likable & seems sincere, works hard as FP, but it's a common problem with bio shows that the person portraying the subject is not as unique as the original (even when they repeat the same signature lines for which the original was known). Sadly, FP suffered from an old Hollywood story - depression, alcohol, drugs - & this show doesn't shed any light to allow the viewer to understand the missing details of his life to explain why. The most moving part for me was hearing a few bars of the original TV theme song of Chico & the Man - the most authentic part of this show; I'm still singing it in my head the next day.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to delve into a more personal side of Freddie than before. This story takes a lot of energy and courage to perform.

Don't see it if you don't like raw truth and one man shows.

See it if U like 1 man/woman shows, like to learn about diversity

Don't see it if You need multi-cast show, need a liner story line

See it if you are old enough to have seen Freddie Prinze, a cutting edge comedian , who died way too young

Don't see it if you never saw him perform at clubs or on television, or if you don't want to watch the sad demise of a shooting star

Also The solo show was quite masterful as I felt that Mr. Prinze was in the room. The routine on Johnny Carson was spot on ; just the way I remember it when I watched it as a teenager.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want to know more about his life.His ups and downs and the true love in his life.It had too many ethnic simplifications of Black folk

Don't see it if If you need a more opulent stage and more people in this play.This is a solo performance non-stop.Sometimes funny but many times kind of sad

See it if You are or were a Freddie Prinze fan, enjoy one-man shows, or want to learn more about Freddie Prinze.

Don't see it if You want to see a musical or play with many actors, want to see a lavish production or are offended by profanity.

Also The play was an hour and 45 minutes with no intermission: too long!

See it if you knew and loved Prinze, you lived through the 70's in NYC or you want to see what was groundbreaking, "ethnic" humor of the 70's.

Don't see it if you can not open yourself to this time period. Humor that was groundbreaking and inclusive at that time is now offensive.

Also Jose Sonera has done an incredible job writing and acting in Prinze's story. He provides both the humor and tragedy and captures a time when show business and addiction took out countless, promising stars, or locked them into court battles, preventing some from even working.

It shows the rabid culture of stardom still encountered, the uneven playing field, the FIGHT for a seat at the table, and the pervasive us and them-- especially toxic for people of mixed race.

Sonera's acting was spot on and his story-telling style a master class in solo performance.

It took me back to a time and place that younger New Yorkers will hopefully never know, some of which people of color still face.

It talks about the vultures of stardom that brilliant talent continues to collapse under today, and provides insight into the life of a comedian and the motivations of Prinze.

Stellar work and a wonderful way for young people to meet the outrageous and brilliant Freddie Prinze.... Read more Read less

See it if You like one man shows and was a fan of Freddie Prinze

Don't see it if If you want a lively musical

See it if U want to know more about Freddie Prinze, whose stand-up & TV career soared. Like Icarus, he flew too close to the sun & he was gone at 22.

Don't see it if U don't like 1 handers. Prinze made stereotypical jokes about Puerto Ricans-par for many "ethnic" comedians of the day. It felt flat...

Also ...like another layer of sound, perhaps audio and/or video of Prinze, would add depth. The convention of coming on stage from one side to represent the comedian's actual performances, and the other to represent backstage, where he confides in us, grew tiresome. The portrayal also did not give me a sense of how truly young Prinze was. It also relies heavily on his increasing alcohol and drug use to convey the downward spiral.... Read more Read less

See it if You remember "Chico and the Man" and want to know more about the tragic life and death of Freddie Prinze.

Don't see it if If you don't care for solo shows, about tragic characters brought to vivid life.

See it if You enjoy good acting and the life and times of Freddy Prinze

Don't see it if You dont like one-man show

See it if you were a fan of Freddie Prinze and want to have some more insight into him as a person.

Don't see it if you don't like one-man shows (though this will not disappoint).

See it if You are very into Freddie Prinze, like minimalist one-actor, off Broadway theater

Don't see it if you expect new insights or major revelations about Prinze's life

Also Jose Sonera does a great job in this sprint of a show. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.... Read more Read less

See it if you like cultural and ethnic caricature, and want to learn more of the life of a legendary entertainer.

Don't see it if you don't like solo plays, and are not interested in bi-racial struggles.