Raison d'Etre: An Evening of Pirandello NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (16)
See it if Pirandello is of interest to you. Three of his plays are mashed together. His ideas and language are clearly represented.
Don't see it if you are a purist about these three works.
See it if you'd like to see 3 Pirandello plays that have found an author to put them together into a compelling, insightful evening of absurdist drama
Don't see it if you don't like absurdist or meta-theatre; you need high production values [tho it's wonderful to see what this co. does with a small budget] Read more
See it if It look like a few stories in one. One looked aliitle punk. They want a real story told.
Don't see it if If you want a easy story to follow and makes you think. Read more
See it if you'd like to see a smart retooling of 3 plays by an Italian precursor of the Absurd into a delightful evening of quirky but engaging drama.
Don't see it if you don't like to think in the theater. Read more
See it if you like rich metafiction without the pandering of metatheater. 4th wall happily intact.
Don't see it if Uneven cast tethers a script that could fly. Some subtle & commanding performances, but some others are tiresome or so-so. Read more
See it if you are a literate theater maven who enjoys & can debate off-center, avant-garde plays & characters from the like of Beckett, Ionesco;
Don't see it if you're looking for a straightforward, play with an easy to understand storyline & characters; don't like off-beat productions Read more
See it if You are interested in classical plays shown in new ways, great costumes and acting. Well worth a trip to the UWS.
Don't see it if You aren't interested in Pirendello or are looking for a fully staged spectacle.
See it if you'd enjoy seeing 3 shorties by Luigi Pirandello remixed with minimal staging; if you're OK with comedy mixed with deep sadness + farce;
Don't see it if if you need a big budget show; if Pirandello is not your thing; if you like musicals; if you prefer a linear narrative played to the end Read more
Critic Reviews (2)
"Judging by the applause at Theatre 71, this bold stroke succeeded with members of the audience, some of whom were perhaps meeting Pirandello for the first time...The show-stopping moment when the 'six characters' interrupt a rehearsal of 'Chee-Chee,' advancing onto the set from backstage, looking almost as morbidly attired as the Addams Family, was wonderfully executed and memorable...Alas, the cast’s ability was uneven...Some puzzling choices popped up."
Read more
"It’s a mash-up: the brilliant conceit of 'Raison D’Être' is that six characters in this case manage to intrude on two, otherwise unrelated works by Pirandello...A ninety-minute performance that skillfully combines Pirandello’s off-kilter comedy with his puzzling irony and sudden bursts of affecting drama...With great aplomb Linden, Allouche, and the rest of their ill-starred family make it seem entirely reasonable that their misfit Characters belong exactly where they are."
Read more