The Metromaniacs

See it if Very smart and fast-paced. Fantastic adaptation with fun accessible and very clever rhyming. Great acting. Funny!

Don't see it if you can't concentrate. There's a lot of plot twisting and one has to keep up. The language is easy, not overly elaborate.

Also Kudos to the entire cast to keep up with the fast pace of the text and the staging!
Great laughs!... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy fun farcical shows with great comedic performances.

Don't see it if You dislike period settings or dialog written in rhyme/couplets

Also The runtime is 1hr 45min including hte intermission.

There is no set or costume changes so the intermission was really a waste of everyone's time. Should have been done as a 90min single act.... Read more Read less

See it if you like David Ives & to see how he revives an obscure French play, in his inimitable way. [With bon mots, farce & wit, Red Bull has a hit!]

Don't see it if deep meaning you seek or drama most bleak; you hate mistaken identity & cavalier infidelity; you can't abide rhymes or frivolous good times.

Also I'd recommend one major change to something that felt strange. 100 minutes is easy to take and requires no break. If I were a magician, I'd vanish the needless intermission.... Read more Read less

See it if A verbal souffle kept aloft by the dexterity of an able cast & Kahn's fleet direction Ives is the star here & never lets us forget it

Don't see it if Ives' clever, well polished gem turns out to be be a rhinestone Not without its charms but highly superficial fare

See it if you like witty, smart dialogue, mistaken identities, judgmental fathers, all the tropes of French farce, actors having fun,all in verse

Don't see it if you don't like plays entirely in verse, not a fan of verbal-style farce, don't like contemporary takes on old plays or convoluted plots

Also David Ives is a national treasure with his verse adaptations of forgotten French and European plays. This one's humor grows as the play progresses--the characters are rascals yet attractive and endearing as played by this excellent cast... Read more Read less

See it if you like having fun. The show is a complete romp. I am still giggling days later.

Don't see it if you want serious theater inspiring deep thoughts.

See it if Rhyming couplet French farce of mistaken identities. Fast and funny. Female leads are superb. Great sets amd costumes. Energised throughout.

Don't see it if Plot sacrificed at forced rhyming structure. No reason for break in 1:45mn, save for the pun.

See it if you have enjoyed other Ives riffs on French classical comedy

Don't see it if you don't like rhyming couplets and silly plots

Also Enjoyable, but not up to the level of Ives's School for Lies or The Liar.
Carson Elrod's absence leaves a hole in Ives's formula.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy classics with farce and calamity, are looking for something over-the-top and funny

Don't see it if you're looking for something fresh and new or don't see the humor in ridiculous plots like mistaken identities.

See it if you love clever farces, well acted and VERY well written.This show is delightful and well worth seeing. Ives is a genius!

Don't see it if you require a play that is linear and easy to follow.It is a farce so it goes all over the place but you'll love the ride.

See it if You enjoy period pieces, like a funny farse and if you would like comedy in verses.

Don't see it if You like modern settings, do not particularly like a farce and prefer serous plays.

See it if you enjoy farces with rhyming couplets, David Ives outdoes even himself

Don't see it if you think farces too silly

See it if you’re in the mood for rhyming mistaken-identity comedy. The cast does the material justice; I’m not sure the material returns the favor.

Don't see it if you’re not someone who enjoys theater with no other point then frivolous fun.

See it if you love David Ives translations/ adaptations of French farces; plays done entirely in rhyme & love to laugh & don't really care about plot

Don't see it if you would be annoyed by characters that have multiple names - their aliases and their names in the play within a play or if plot is importnt

Also I loved his other works such as The Heir Apparent & The Liar which have more of a plot.
His writing and amazing rhymes are still wonderful - it is really the weak story on which it is based that makes this my least favorite.
All actors were great but an extra special applause to Mr. Winkelstein (Asst.Director) who took over at the very, very last minute for Francalou (due to a MetroNorth problem).
He made the character believable and the book-in-hand hardly noticeable.
Another example of why theater is special.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy verbal sparring at a fast pace, which delivers many laughs along the way, or if you enjoy farces and appreciate clever writing.

Don't see it if you don't want to be fully intellectually engaged in a show. You're cheating yourself if you're not operating on all cylinders when you go.

See it if You enjoy bouncy, silly rhymes and mistaken identities.

Don't see it if You want action (it feels like it's mainly exposition on all the interweaving plots)

See it if Enjoy updated takes in classic comedies.

Don't see it if Not Moliere but close

See it if Ah yes, couplets, good cast, amusing humor

Don't see it if COUPLETS!

See it if You enjoy David Ives's translaptations and want to laugh until your sides hurt. This is perfect escapism.

Don't see it if You need something serious or profound, don't like iambic pentameter

See it if Every reason to see it; a delightful farcical romp in contemporary verse set in 1738 manages to be very funny and by the end, uplifting.

Don't see it if No reason not to. See it — if you like verse, farce or Restoration Comedy — or don't; it might well convert you to all three with its humor.

Also Like ¡Figaro! (90210) in the same space two years ago — an LA immigration update of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro — The Metromaniacs gives the rare opportunity to experience a bit of French farce the same way its original audience must have: as topical, contemporary, very funny and in the moment.

Ives' script is tight, fast and ingenious, and the wonderful ensemble cast nails the tempo and language, in the process creating complex, believable characters under all the froth. Kahn's direction is smooth, quick and almost invisible, keeping the tempo up and the action (and verse) crystal clear.

Humor and silliness are quite the tonic, especially in these times, and the sense of play — of language and action — are infectious. The uniformly excellent cast is all in and having fun, and their joy, even as summed up in the surprise curtain speech, makes for a funny and (strangely for a farce) uplifting experience. The sense of fun and wonder hits early in Act I and lingers for days long after.... Read more Read less

See it if You like Period pieces and costumes, can enjoy a fast paced show in rhyme/couplets, want to laugh, to see a wonderful show.

Don't see it if If you have little focus (you need to pay attention), don't like rhyme, don't like period pieces, other than that..no reason. It to see it.

Also It was amazinfpg the pace the cast set. The rhyming/couplets were also amazing. When I went the audience all seem to love it. Amazing write and amazing costumes. I loved it and would see it again.... Read more Read less

See it if you love David Ives' rhyming schemes; you want a happy ending; you like watching actors enjoy themselves

Don't see it if you only like musicals; you don't like farce;

See it if If you want to see a play within a play within a play... if you like satire and Voltaire with a Shakespearean twist. Also rhyming..

Don't see it if You want a straight line plot. You are looking for a traditional story.

See it if you like inventive, witty plays that take twists and turns that require you to stay alert - but that's easy since it is so much fun to watch

Don't see it if don't appreciate rhymes , silliness, a farce, or plays that are just for fun, not for serious thought.

Also This play was delightful - kept me engaged, impressed, smiling, and laughing throughout.

The script and all the actors were masterful.

I saw this at the Duke Theater in May 2018.... Read more Read less

See it if you like David Ives comedies (I certainly do), you find the idea of a play in rhyming couplets intriguing, or if you just want to have fun.

Don't see it if you don't like fluff, you are annoyed by somewhat convoluted rhymes, or if you are looking for something substantial. This is light.