Terezin

See it if A Topic that must be presented again and again... Interesting use of the stage and props. At least 3 in the cast must thank N.Y.U..

Don't see it if When upstage several of the actors do not project enough. A presentation not for the faint of heart.. My partner had to skip Act 2.

See it if You like plays set against historic events. You want to see the Tolkien play. You know someone involved in the production.

Don't see it if You want a Holocaust play w/something new to say. You want multi-dimensional characters, good storytelling & acting skills.

Also Don't be fooled by the theatre or the playwright's name. This is a non-professional company in a professional house. Also, Nicholas Tolkien didn't inherit his great-grandfather's writing talent. This was a disappointment.... Read more Read less

See it if You're up for a concentration camp evening.

Don't see it if If you don't like dark concentration camp settings

See it if You have a desire to see any and all productions about the holocaust; want to hear a lesser known story

Don't see it if You want a tight plot, compelling writing, or strong direction; however, the actors are committed to this very flawed play

See it if you are interested in a theatrical recount of generally real events at a lesser known Holocaust concentration camp, profound poetry/ insight

Don't see it if you demand perfection in plot and play structure, tight writing, dramatic tension, stark/shocking realism & no anachronisms/tired metaphors

See it if You're somehow compelled to see all plays that deal with the Holocaust, regardless of quality, intent or reason for existing.

Don't see it if You value your time, or want something more than simplistic melodrama.

Also To be fair, there is in fact a play—very likely quite a compelling one—in Nicholas Tolkien's Terezin. There's something of a bait & switch here though, since that particular drama unfortunately never appears onstage—it only shows up in the visuals of the striking poster for the show, & even more so in its brilliantly written synopsis/blurb.

No deep dialogues here or death-camp Death and the Maiden explorations of captivity, control, art, freedom or loss & spirit between the Nazi commander & the young violinist that might have been revelatory. No actual violins, in fact, or actual playing, just a hokey strumming-on-a-schmata simulacrum.
Much of the direction is laughable: the girls’ endless discussion of goldfish& reincarnation; the stage rearranged & set for one or two lines; numerous dead bodies inching themselves offstage; the murdered Mama reappearing so often one wished for a wooden stake to finally give her rest.
Leigh Cook & Petrovic are fine and would have been best alone, solo... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of smoltz.

Don't see it if you were hoping for the musical stage adaptation of the film Sophie's Choice.

Also From the moment, I walked into the theater,and saw the physical set, I knew that this was NOT going to be the theatrical experience I was hoping for. Theresienstadt concentration camp was a concentration camp established by the SS during World War II in the garrison city of Terezín, located in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. This poorly constructed play does a huge DISSERVICE to the real lives lost at this very real place at a very SHAMELESS time in our world history.... Read more Read less

See it if you are all about seeing Holocaust related shows.

Don't see it if you don't already know a lot about the Holocaust.

Also I really wanted to like this, but it doesn't work. It's missing key explanations of motivation. It also is very uneven. Some of the actors are pretty good, a few are not. There's elements of experimental or avant garde theater, but only some. There doesn't seem to have been a real cohesive idea behind this production. The set was beautiful, but very under used.... Read more Read less

See it if Bravo to a cast that is fully on-board to a relentlessly bleak play from start to finish; choreo has occasional moments approaching beauty

Don't see it if Difficult to endure; so dark as if reality of Terezin history couldn't allow for any redemption

See it if You want to experience what life was like in a concentration camp. Acting, staging and set design were stupendous. Tearful, heart-wrenching

Don't see it if If you want to smile and laugh. You don't like painful topics or stories about the 3rd Reich

Also It is a tough show to see yet worth the sadness you endure to see it. The actors come out after the show... Read more Read less

See it if you can't get hold of Diary of Anne Frank, Schindler's List, The Pianist, Judgment at Nuremberg, or the like.

Don't see it if unless you buy into goldfish being the reincarnation of parents savagely killed by Nazis.

See it if well acted story about this infamous camp. story could have been a bit tighter.

Don't see it if you don't like sad shows about death and the holocaust

See it if The writer/director Tolkien, and the very talented cast have depicted the cruelty, deception, and the annihilation of Jewish adults and

Don't see it if you can handle play about concentration camps.

Also children by the Nazis, with such realism, and emotions that touch me to my core.
I have not seen as many plays on the subject of concentration camps as movies, perhaps because the theater medium can be more restrictive in terms of movement, scenic decors, etc. This play is not at all curtailed by its medium; on the contrary, it is powerful, complex, and deeply moving.... Read more Read less

See it if J.R.R. Tolkein's magnetism is so powerful for you that you'd even attend a deeply flawed drama by his great-grandson.

Don't see it if you've ever seen Jerzy Grotowski or read Elie Wiesel or heard Felix Mendelssohn. There are plenty of other options on this same block.

See it if Terezin is the story of the Jews trying to survive in a concentration camp. Very well-acted and staged, but grim..

Don't see it if you want a comedy. The posters show the girl playing a violin; onstage a long scarf replaced the violin. Since it is such an important

Also prop, I really wanted a violin in her hands.
I am also a writer and have adapted a novel to a play. My first draft, I was too respectful of the author's words and some of it was repetitive.
I'm sure, in a few months time when Tolkien returns to the script, he will mold it into an intense, beautifully crafted script.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see great acting. Actors all do a great job showing the horrors of concentration camps

Don't see it if If you want to see a happy like show

Also The show is not a happy fun show but worth the see. Actors all do a wonderful job. It's not a happy store but no stories about the Holocaust are.... Read more Read less

See it if You don't know the history of Terezin.

Don't see it if Want a production on a high school level.

See it if you like convoluted plots about WWII Germany and a violin player thrown into the mix

Don't see it if just dont see it...

See it if you know someone in the show or working for the show

Don't see it if You have the option to watch anything else

See it if History, the Holocaust, identity, the roots of madness, big ideas presented in an innovative and metaphorical way interest you

Don't see it if You want a fun, light evening of theater

Also This is an extremely well-presented play in all respects, but in the end, it's the script that comes together only loosely.... Read more Read less

See it if If you are interested in holocaust and like innovative direction of plays

Don't see it if You are quite knowledgeable about holocaust and are looking for some unknown information .

See it if You are writing a research project about Holocaust-themed theater. Otherwise, don't. From start to finish it is cliched and poorly written,

Don't see it if You value your time or the dignity of the theater. I was shocked that Playwrights Horizons let this in the door.

See it if You like long drawn out plays about nazis and concentration camps

Don't see it if You want an uplifting theater experience

See it if You want to see a unique story played-out. The production was a bit experimental, if that's something you like. The writing was scattered.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy tragedy.

See it if you appreciate Holocaust stories and art.

Don't see it if you have no interest in the Holocaust, and are not moved by typical Holocaust dramas, even though this is more powerful than most.