Summer Shorts 2017: Series A

See it if you enjoy a varied program of short plays that are well-performed. I liked it better than Series B.

Don't see it if you prefer full-evening works.

Also The evening is a big improvement over last year's series. A nice blend of touching, comic and intellectual. Solid cast.... Read more Read less

See it if you like to see new works, especially short plays that create an entire world in a very short time. 2 of the 3 plays were wonderful.

Don't see it if you aren't willing to suffer through a dud play (the last piece was a bore) in order to see 2 gems. Loved the first 2.

See it if you’ll sit through two tedious shorts in order to get to a third, really well crafted one in which Ayn Rand spars w/ intellectual inferiors

Don't see it if you won't google Rand before the show. First 2 shorts are negligible so if the subject of the 3rd doesn’t interest, don't go

Also Surprised it's a NYT critic’s pick. Only 1 of 3 shorts in Series A is worthwhile. Acolyte does pack a punch, but Series B is a better time at the theater & a broader display of playwriting talent.

Jack: like a scene from a standard Katherine Heigl rom com. Shrill, anxious killjoy of a woman nags the long-suffering Paul Rudd-like other half of a failed relationship. Man has epiphanic outburst and reveals vulnerable side. Woman learns her lesson.

Playing God: like it was written in half an hour. So juvenile I felt embarrassed for the actors who at least do their best to swagger through eyerolling jokes and a completely unoriginal premise.

Acolyte: Deft and dizzying. Don't need to like Rand's philosophy to enjoy. The arguments are accessible but quick. Ratchets up suspense & seems to fit 2 climaxes into the short format. Well written, acted, directed but can still be a bore if you’re not up for a verbal wrestling match of obscure ideologies.... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate the craft of the short play that still provides full dramatic experiences.

Don't see it if You want full-length plot intricacies.

Also Two strong offerings--one emotional, the other thought-provoking. Even the slight SNL-like sketchiness of the other offering was funny. Overall Summer Shorts is still the most developed and satisfying of the various Shorts festivals.... Read more Read less

See it if You like small "in-the-works" theatre. "Jack" was the most decent of the 3. "Playing God" was funny, but, could be tweaked... The 3rd felt

Don't see it if Dated and pretentious... Overall, decent work, but, the 90-min felt dragged... I'll be seeing "Series B" next week.. We'll see how that goes

See it if you like plays that personify God; you want to see the top notch Yale Sch of Drama MFA '17 grad Bronte England-Nelson in a meaty role.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy short plays; you don't want to see 3 plays that aren't connected

See it if You enjoy seeing new work, short play format and excellent acting. All three plays were interesting, original and wonderfully performed.

Don't see it if You don't like dramatic or off Broadway theatre.

See it if You like small theater environment with 3 short, but absorbing plays. An inexpensive evening of really good theather.

Don't see it if you want the pomp and circumstance of a big production.

See it if you enjoy one-act plays with widely divergent topics, from serious to humorous; each is unique and has its own merits/faults.

Don't see it if you dislike short plays without a central theme; you are a dog lover who cries easily; you are a staunch Catholic; you avoid philosophy.

See it if You have an evening to kill. It is summer, and you want diversion, but don't require meaty powerful unforgettable theater.

Don't see it if You expect to spend dinner afterwards ruminating over what you just saw.

Also They didn't even bother to list the actors in these shows, just the production teams.... Read more Read less

See it if your prerequisites are early start, early exit, no intermission, and a little variety. Graham Moore's "Acolyte" will make you glad you went.

Don't see it if you'd like your evening of one-acts to have a thematic through line and be made of short plays more than skits or mini-sitcoms.