LaBute New Theater Festival 2019

See it if Three acts, three different stories, will have you thinking.

Don't see it if Some uncomfortable types

Also All were interesting in some way. Story One left a lot of people uncomfortable. You could hear a pin drop.... Read more Read less

See it if You can’t miss any La Bute film or play. This is 3 one acts, 2 monologues and 1,2 hander. La Bute trades in making audiences uncomfortable.

Don't see it if You might not like the way La Bute pushes you directly into the line of fire in his plays. This selection of One Acts is no exception.

See it if I don't care for the rambling patter of LaBute's monologues. They attempt to challenge and make you think but are cliched and shallow and

Don't see it if don't go far enough. They just meander along the border of dangerous. Acting was decent, but not worth sitting through​ this mush.

See it if you are a Neil LaBute completist; you like new work even if it's unpolished; you have a friend in the cast; you're really into monologues;

Don't see it if you prefer dramas w/ relatable characters; Adolf Hitler admiration riles you up; you need material less static than a rambling monologue;

Also How is this a "festival"?
(a.) "The 4th Reich" = monolog by an Adolf apologist, who bought 1 of Der Fuhrer's paintings & argues that a leader who loses is depicted unfairly by history.

** ACCURATE: (b.) "Great Negro Works of Art" presents a 1st date in a museum where an inter-racial couple, Tom & Jerry, can't seem to avoid friction. As per usual with Neil LaBute, misogyny reigns.
** INACCURATE description from the festival's web site: "Great Negro Works of Art" follows a meeting between an under-celebrated artist and his gallery manager as they debate race, culture, and what is / what is not “art” today.

(c.) "Unlikely Japan" = monolog by a woman who learns a high school beau was killed by Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. She was a no-show for a Japan trip & they broke up. She wonders if, had their relationship survived, he may have dodged the bullet -- or maybe she'd have died with him.

A sentence repeats in each of these short plays: "THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."... Read more Read less

See it if You like shock value.

Don't see it if You want something sincere.

See it if ONLY if you are a dire LaBute fan.

Don't see it if You like actors to make strong choices instead of being wishy-washy.

Also ********Spoilers-ish Below***************

1) Weird seeing a bland fan of Hitler, gush & occasionally make references that could have dark parallels to our own 45 that are NEVER connected.
2) Never cared for either of these Dating App losers. There's zero chemistry except that they tell each other they find the other attractive, then continue to spiral through uncomfortable topics - it's an unnecessary mess!
3) This woman must have never ever had a healthy relationship or is off her meds that she could so coldly tell this darkly ending story without any emotional highs or intensity. Might as well have been remembering it all after being woken up from sleeping while on Ambien.

Might've been saved if they had all been directed to be active vs passive & sedated.... Read more Read less

See it if you like to think and feel uncomfortable, sometimes it feels like that is the goal

Don't see it if you see through some of the dramatic devices and want a shows that's less scripted and more unpredictable

See it if You want to see LaBute's latest work.

Don't see it if You do not like superficial treatments of racism and prejudice.

See it if You like being provoked or are not easily provoked and get stand back from it.

Don't see it if You are sensitive about issues like race and the Holocaust. I thought it went too far to make a point that wasn't worth it.

See it if you would like to experience a less-dyspeptic side of Neil LaBute (for the most part).

Don't see it if you're looking for drama: these 3 one-acts are bookended by monologs & the central 2-hander is pretty much all talk as well.

Also The middle play of these 3 one-acts has moments of humor & even charm. But both characters fall short of engaging us because they never feel more fleshed-out than the positions they represent in a polar argument: woman vs man, white vs black. The 1st piece is a creepy lecture by a man who soft-pedals the enormity of Hitler's crimes. That sounds provocative & could be timely but mostly it's slow & wordy. In the closing monolog a young woman tells an interesting, at times affecting story. But telling a story is pre-dramatic. Theater became theater when characters emerged from the narrative. That never really happens here.... Read more Read less

See it if you must see everything Labute writes. Two monologues and a dialogue. Only the dialogue really works,

Don't see it if you are looking for linear plays. These almost seem like exercises.

Also Be warned that the first monologue, The Fourth Reich, is extremely disturbing. It deals with how history has sadly treated Hitler unfairly. UGH!!!!!... Read more Read less

See it if you like LaBute, like confrontational / edgy one acts. These are slight compared to some of his other works, but still retain his voice.

Don't see it if you don't want to be provoked, don't like short plays, don't like LaBute.