The Amateurs

See it if Very slow start which jump starts in a clever middle section. Lead actress is strong but shows is still a struggle. Very meta.

Don't see it if You need a clear linear plot. Not interested in slightly avant-garde shows.

See it if If you like good acting and 13th century type plays.

Don't see it if The show gets boring, confusing and slow. This piece should not have been brought to stage yet, needs a lot of reworking.

See it if Medieval theater troupe struggles with the black plague and reinventing themselves. Death and renewal in Noah's time, 1350, and 1985.

Don't see it if Act 2 (of 3) is a lecture where the "playwright" explains the historical context (why this play?) and how it relates to modern times.

Also Given the negative reviews on show-score, I almost didn't see this. However, I liked this play a lot! I got drawn into the medieval setting, the characters, and the morbidity. Plus there were many funny and touching moments, and powerful visuals.... Read more Read less

See it if see more

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Also caught the closing night . can easily see various viewpoints depending on background, attitude emothions that day etc etc
rating: partners 85 my 75
Very easy o see a 95 % and a 15 %... Read more Read less

See it if Highly conceptual & heady morality drama about past echoing the present & vice versa Excellent ensemble keeps it afloat when ideas balloon

Don't see it if Mid-section diversion a tad too post-ironic & clever; slows pace Some time - travelling metaphors fall flat yet overall often poignant

See it if you're interested in the how & why of theater, or what the evocation of a medieval plague might say to us about another, more recent plague.

Don't see it if quick tonal shifts in the theater give you whiplash.

Also A 66-year old gay male New Yorker, I lived through the plague years of AIDS at the epicenter of the epidemic. I found "The Amateurs" unexpectedly moving in its evocation of another plague, medieval & bubonic, & its unsentimental allowance of hope to survive even the bleakest of times. In the play’s basic story, a medieval touring company of players drags its pageant wagon from town to town to perform its mystery plays—until, about midway through the piece, the drama breaks open to allow for some “direct address” from the playwright & a performer, tying the plague onstage to AIDS & the process of acting to self-actualization. Then the play resumes & puts some flesh onto those words. As a lover of theater, I thrilled to the play’s final embodiment of theater’s wonderful paradox: It’s an artificial medium, & an assumed role, which permits these players to flourish as themselves. (All the performances are terrific; the set, charming; the script, quietly profound.)... Read more Read less

See it if you’re interested in seeing a meta exploration of character, and what it means to write a fully realized part—mixed in with a lot of quirk.

Don't see it if a traditional narrative is more your speed, or you prefer the fourth wall to stay in tact.

See it if You like heady plays that tackle big ideas through the telling of small, intricate stories.

Don't see it if You dislike works that try to express too many ideas, but never focus on a singular theme.

See it if Can't recommend this play. Lots of great actors & an amusing part in the middle w/Michael Cyril Creighton. But boring & weird overall.

Don't see it if Maybe I am missing something ... I see there are many good reviews from critics. But I found it pretty slow and hard to watch.

See it if you enjoy seeing plays that seem to be like a first draft. It is hard to imagine what Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern saw in this play.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy a long, ponderous evening at the theatre.

Also The cast—most are NYC theatre treasures—deserve so much better than this play. Oliver Butler's direction is workmanlike at best. I am still pondering why something like "The Amateurs" got produced. If the play had an intermission, many audience members would have left the theatre.... Read more Read less

See it if You like plays within plays in the style of 13th century morality playwrights. Actors fighting to outlive the Black Death. Clever.

Don't see it if You dislike blasphemy, and jokes about the Bible and God. Dislike gallows humor and Monty Python.

Also In the middle of the play, the real
purpose is explained by one of the actors. All of the actors are terrific and play multiple roles.
A hilarious take on a serious topic.... Read more Read less

See it if You will see any avant-garde performance available.

Don't see it if Cheap set, terrible acting, boring incomprehensible plot, actor comes on stage halfway thru to try to explain what this nonsense is about.

See it if you're interested in a play about the agency of character and the motivation behind storytelling. The meta monologues are best parts.

Don't see it if you don't like direct address to the audience and breaking of fourth wall, you prefer the narrative of a play to flow and build tension.

See it if you like very clever writing, terrific acting, great sets. Story is convoluted and fun.I loved the show within the show within the show.

Don't see it if you are looking for a family drama, a glossy musical or a straight up plot.This play has a lot to say about theatre, AIDS, life. Loved it

See it if You don't mind yet another AIDS allegory albeit with a fourth wall break which ultimately breaks your heart.

Don't see it if You want a straightforward narrative, you dont like death presented in a rather desperate comic way.

See it if 14th cent. theater troupe performing plays based on the Bible during the years of the Black Plague. Funny & touching moments.

Don't see it if Play is interrupted midway by 2 actors breaking the 4th wall to tell us the play's messages & modern connections - Aids, art, individualism

Also Although the middle speech was humorous & intelligent, I thought it was a bit too long.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in metaphor and medieval imagery

Don't see it if You want action or something with real purpose

See it if You are an adventurous theatergoer and are willing to keep an open mind.

Don't see it if You don't like it when actors break the fourth wall.

See it if you're a fellow fan of Vineyard championing the offbeat. Difficult to recap w/o reveal. Come away humbled: theatre's a window like no other.

Don't see it if you hate the quirky, tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, which is on full display here; you need linear, unambiguous plot, resolution, or meaning

Also Post-performance discussion was so helpful in processing this sweetly odd play. An audience member demanded to know what intellectual meaning he could take away, which underscores how one can draw comfort and wonder from theatre, but you have to let it in.... Read more Read less

See it if This is a very thoughtful play. Does art have a purpose? What does it contribute? And, you get a bit of history in the bargain. Loved it!

Don't see it if You don't think about the sonnet Ozymandias every so often.

See it if You want to see a show that bucks traditional narrative devices. You are in the mood for something dark.

Don't see it if You are a fan of more traditional plays and/or dislike breaking of the fourth wall.

Also I very much enjoyed this show. I enjoyed it for what it was, despite the fact that I wanted to see the play it could have been.

About halfway through the piece, which up to tis point has been moving with swift pace and purpose, breaks open. It takes a detour that is, arguably, unnecessary. But it does.

I enjoyed the main story, but not the authors aside to the audience. Though I enjoyed Michael Cyril Creighton's depiction of said author.

The set, sound, and lighting design is wonderful, and pulls you into this dark world.

The direction and staging is also worthy of mention. It's directed with artful efficiency. These six actors are employed fully throughout the show to great effect.

So while I enjoyed the show I would love to see a version of this play that is more linear.... Read more Read less

See it if Terrific acting, great set and costumes funny and smart writing. What more could you want? A conventional structure? Well, get over it.

Don't see it if I loved the whole thing. Sort of like watching a great old movie with Robert Osborne giving some interesting background info w/humor.

See it if you enjoy something different that is funny but philosophical

Don't see it if you want a straightforward piece of theater

See it if You're into a non-traditionally structured play that takes issues of today and relates them to the past.

Don't see it if You're looking for a standard play in terms of plotting. Or you're turned off by plays about the plague.

Also I very much appreciate Jordan Harrison for not writing the same play over and over like most playwrights. There is some thoughtful stuff on the stage. I also found the casting to be perfect because this is a play about a rag tag troupe of actors in 14th century Europe portrayed by some of the hardest working actors on the NYC stage that haven't gotten the attention they deserve.... Read more Read less

See it if you're up for an unusual, funny/serious play about actors in the time of the black plague...and a comparison to the plague of AIDS.

Don't see it if you're looking for something happy and light.