Reborning

See it if great dark comedy. Well acted, written and staged. Bit of a thriller.

Don't see it if you don't care about trauma, coping mechanisms and consequences.

See it if Loved the 2009 production at the Public and wondered "Where did it go?". It is here at Soho Rep. Fascinating Concept

Don't see it if If you need hilarity and laughter with no thinkin involved this is not for you.

See it if you want to see convincing acting in a somewhat unconvincing & overlong psychological thriller focused on the mother-daughter complex.

Don't see it if u suffer from pediophobia; u expect this dark comedy about a woman & her dolls to be merely a charming send-up of a girl & her Barbies.

See it if You like good acting, but a script that needs more character development

Don't see it if You want a tight story line

See it if you like to see unusual plays out of the box. The acting is what shines here too. It wasn’t perfect but it evoked human feeling.

Don't see it if you want a cookie cutter plot. I wouldn’t read too much about this play beforehand. Set expectations aside.

See it if You have a sense of humor and appreciate darker storylines.

Don't see it if You have a sensitivity to jump scares.

See it if Really enjoyed the story and performances. Show is fast paced with a bit of intrigue and mystery.

Don't see it if You aren't interested in themes regarding motherhood, overcoming the past, trauma, etc.

See it if Artist w/damaged childhood & menopausal client both become obsessed with baby doll. Actors did their best. Thematic ending.

Don't see it if The more emotional the characters got over the plastic doll, the more ridiculous the whole thing seemed.

Also It would have been more compelling if the writer had gone to the even darker place he threatened to... but then he would have lost the theme of mother-daughter disconnection which was his main idea.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like a pychological thriller. Well acted and nice direction. The writing was decent but not great.

Don't see it if If your not into psychological thrillers or need a show that is not so deep. A bigger production is for you.

See it if You like heightened drama plays dealing with a subculture. You enjoy intense dramas. You want to see a very talented cast.

Don't see it if You want a storyline that makes dramatic sense: begins in realistic mode & abruptly spins into telenovella zaniness.

See it if you're a fan of Emily Bett Rickard, enjoy dark, but frequently funny, mysteries, stories about broken people resolving past incidents

Don't see it if not interested in stories about dollmakers, don't like quirky mysteries that go in unexpected directions or short one-acts

See it if you like off-beat characters involved in unusual professions dealing with psychological problems that are influencing their work.

Don't see it if you are triggered by drugs, alcohol, mental illness or do not like sexual situations. There is a lot to like here, but it needs more tension

See it if Artist who makes Dolls, but get to attached to one. People have a lot of different reason ? they want a Doll, or need a Doll.

Don't see it if Not a Happy go lucky show. Drugs, abandonment, loss of a child

See it if You want to see a well acted play that has all the elements to be great. Small, intimate theater, great design. Some great MOMENTS.

Don't see it if You want the story to really work out. The idea is great, and some of the execution teeters on brilliant. However it doesn't quite pan out.

See it if You appreciate new plays about interesting subjects.

Don't see it if you want a well written play that makes sense

See it if You want to see a play that deals with a woman who makes doll babies to help grieving people cope with having lost a loved one

Don't see it if What I described above sounds interesting because it lacks in many ways

Also Sometimes we all sit around with friends and talk about this great idea that we have for a movie or a play and everyone in the room agrees that it’s a great idea. The problem is it takes a gifted person to take that idea and turn it into a well rounded and entertaining play. This is a good idea but it lacks in every way possible. There is a somewhat similar play called “TheWeekend will end” which I saw last year that does an incredible job showing how people use doll babies as a substitute for real babies. That was an incredible and well thought out play. This is the exact opposite. Sometimes I think about what could have made a play better in this case I’m not even going down that path because other than the idea nothing else works... Read more Read less

See it if Lovely central couple, well acted. Felt connected. I believed them and rooted for them.

Don't see it if You dont like unusual plots dealing with death and memory. Didn't believe the third character at all.

Also There were plot holes here and unbelievable "coincidences" that didn't fly, but I still liked the couple and stayed mostly in the story. This definitely didn't feel like everything else I've seen so I appreciated it. Ms Rickards backstory seemed a bit out of the blue, but again the acting and likeability of these actors kept me in the game.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a well acted, decently written psychological dark comedy.

Don't see it if you need something straight forward with a clear conclusion.

Also if you saw the 2009 production of this at the Public with Greg Keller, Ally Sheedy, and Katherine Waterston you'll want to remember that before you go to see this production. I was deeply disturbed for most of this play by not recalling where I had seen it before and whether or not it was the same title.

Zayd Dohrn had the opportunity to end the play with an incredibly dark moment about 3 or 4 scenes before the end. Instead he plays with the audience, moving toward a "positive" ending only to pull the rug from that ending in the very last scene. It is not an inherently bad technique, but in this case it adds about 15 minutes of meaningless "fluff" before an ambiguous (maybe not so ambiguous) ending.... Read more Read less

See it if You're a fan of Emily Bett Rickards because I think she's the main draw here. Or if you want a good idea that's sloppily executed.

Don't see it if You're expecting a play that's really creepy (this isn't) or really funny (not that either).

Also One of my biggest pet peeves is when a show runs longer than advertised. The house staff said it was 75 mins when it reality it was 95 mins. They could certainly cut 20 mins but don't lie about the current running time.... Read more Read less

See it if you like offbeat stories about a profession/hobby you may not know much about. You like dramas with a little levity thrown in.

Don't see it if Child abuse or infant mortality are triggwers for you. You don't like stories that get a little creepy.

Also I was lucky enough to hear a talkback with the playwright, which fleshed out some of the details and motivations in the story.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in how different people react to trauma, you like profound plays that make you think

Don't see it if You want a rip-roaring comedy, you want a musical, you are turned off by people's suffering

See it if you wondered why folks create or buy customized dolls; you're up for something different; trauma & loss's aftermath would interest you

Don't see it if the cramped seats of SoHo Playhouse get on your nerves; if serious topics such as drug use, a child's death, or early trauma are triggers

Also Though "Reborning" has an interesting set-up, its pay-off goes astray, alas. About halfway through this 75-min. drama, the narrative wanders, losing energy & purpose.
[No spoilers! See it for yourself.]

BEST moment: Emily [actress Lori Triolo, who also directs] arrives to pick up Eva, a doll that resembles her dead child. Not realizing a customer has arrived, Daizy [Paul Piaskowski] enters the room wearing a huge rubber penis he designed.

As Kelly, a troubled alcoholic, drug-taking dollmaker, Emily Bett Rickards has some stand-out moments. Kelly's back-story: Abandoned in a dumpster & stabbed, the newborn was rescued & raised by a wealthy family. Drug habits signal that grown-up Kelly still yearns for rescue -- & we wait for the match that will light her fuse. We WAIT!

Aside from Rickards' performance, the acting is uneven.

Go early & grab an aisle seat. Even if you're slim, SoHo Playhouse's seating can feel under-sized -- like dollhouse furniture.... Read more Read less

See it if you like intense small cast dramas about synchronous trauma and artist beginning to become too invested into their work.

Don't see it if you mind humor breaking some of the dramatic tension, some staging issues, and a plot that is almost completely psychological.

Also Biggest mistake I would say was showing the doll up close. The doll doesn't look like a work of art or a near perfect representation of life, it looks like a cheap doll, that may break the suspension of disbelief that you have an artist having her energy sucked into an object by a codependent relationship with a women who has shared loss. The ending doesn't fully resolve, but was moving. I thought the actors were excellent and I was into what they were doing and what was going to happen to them. I like the concept of psychic vampires for artist and this is a good more feminist take on an ur-plot.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a short but intense play that feels longer than it is in a good way.

Don't see it if It's a little creepy, I guess? TBH, while this isn't essential viewing, it's very good, & if you think you might want to see it, you should.

See it if You’re into doll-related horror films; this is not horror, but close - disturbing, bit horrifying, kept me alert for 1.5 hr; strong acting

Don't see it if You don’t want to deal with infant death, child abandonment.. dark issues; uncomfortable seating & strong AC & long queue for toilet;