The Maid's Tragedy

See it if you love (or are curious about) Jacobean tragedy beyond the familiar Shakespearean.

Don't see it if you cannot tolerate plays in early modern English, or plays with a high body count.

Also Jacobean tragedy is a weird species. Casts are large & plots farfetched. Language gets florid. The body count is high. It protests that it’s an exercise in upholding morality, but its signature characters flout all norms. It’s a genre I love. Its extremes put on trial the human species & the ways we interact. Pocket Universe’s new production of Beaumont & Fletcher’s “The Maid’s Tragedy” proves that a 400-year old text can be incarnated today & still speak to us, even shake us up. The production is stripped down, powerful & makes full use of a fair-sized gallery space. Actors speak the intricate language on a scale from pretty well to quite beautifully. You’ll have to pay attention or you’ll lose the plot thread, or the meaning of a twisting sentence. But the rewards are many. In Jacobean England people seem to have been as queasy about their present & apprehensive about their future as we are today. I wish this company a long life; I hope all its projects are as vital as this one.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a classical play performed by a well-trained cast. You want a classical play that has relevantce to today.

Don't see it if You prefer revised classical plays: many of the extended monologues could've been edited or cut. The same ideas are repeated a lot.

See it if you to be supportive of a young company.

Don't see it if you expect an accessible theatrical experience. It is difficult to hear the performers and there are confusing elements in the plot.

See it if You can look past the tiny venue and uncomfortable folding chairs, you will see a cast that gives their all. Interesting plot.

Don't see it if you need a set, costumes and comfortable seats.

See it if you wish to discover the work of less well known Elizabethan playwrights performed with passion by a young and mostly female cast.

Don't see it if you find plays in XVII century language with contrived plots boring or would find confusing seeing female actors playing various male roles.

See it if You are interested in rarely performed Jacobean dramas which are hard to come by in NYC.

Don't see it if If you will be disappointed by a young company being overly ambitious although I personally would like to encourage this efforts.

See it if You know the actors in the show because they are very passionate and dedicated! Like an intimate setting

Don't see it if You are not into Shakespeare language, slow moving plays , , can’t keep up with who is who on the actors changing into several characters

See it if you enjoy good actors playing out intense moral and emotional dilemmas; you are interested in what audiences paid to see 400 years ago.

Don't see it if you don't like to work hard to find the good kernel inside the hard nut.

Also I saw June 13, the first preview, so I trust that cuts will be made to bring the two-hour play down to its intended 90 minutes.

What were the actors saying? The combination of a noisy air system, poor acoustics and in-the-round staging made it sometimes hard to know.

Best to read the plot synopsis online first: otherwise it's hard to recognize that a major character has become a minor character (actors play multiple roles) with no more clue than a costume adjustment.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see something a little challenging and a little different.

Don't see it if heightened language makes you run screaming.

See it if you want to see an often amusing revenge tragedy played by some talented young actors in an intimate setting.

Don't see it if you expect the performance to have any connection with present day Hollywood.

See it if you like Jacobean drama with no apologies with strong women

Don't see it if you don't understand dense drama of tyrants and underlings

See it if you're looking for a nuanced, poetic exploration of the power dynamics that lead to breaking the silence around workplace harassment.

Don't see it if you like neat and tidy stories with no moral ambiguity.

See it if You love great acting and storytelling along with expert interpretation of an Elizabethian era tale that is still relevant today.

Don't see it if You can't handle a little blood spilled in your tragedies. Or if you're close -minded to women playing ALL types of roles.

See it if you want to see something refreshingly different with young great actors. Lots of intrigue and mayhem, but with a stinging message for today

Don't see it if All you want to see is revivals of old old plays and musicals

See it if You like ambitious reimaginings of classic works, moral ambiguity, passionate and talented actors

Don't see it if You don’t like any of the above

Also I thoroughly enjoyed this. As an audience member I was transported from the moment I entered the space. The actors take on other roles but it’s clear (and clever) how they accomplish this. Th.ere is gore at the end but given the play’s subject it is par the course. There are some comedic moments throughout, which makes the plays 2hour runtime feel far less. Overall I enjoyed it immensely. I didn’t find the stairs to be 'an issue either.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a fresh look at current events through a classic story and with great acting.

Don't see it if You’re satisfied with standard theater-as-usual.