The New Englanders

See it if Great and important themes being discussed, not really preached. Gives space for audience to think. Great acting.

Don't see it if Issues of homosexuality are not for you. Sometimes slow. Could use a little trimming​.

Also The unnecessary use of descriptive sexual language detracts from the universality of the theme of marriage dissatisfaction, narrowing the appeal of the play.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy comedic family dramas. Great acting, especially by the young actress.

Don't see it if It's a good show but about 15min too long.

See it if Mixed race 2-dad 1-daughter family discover how isolated, lonely and disconnected they are. Some creative ideas & slice-of-life elements.

Don't see it if Not credible. The characters are too thin, and have inconsistent bizarre behavior. The teens are especially contrived. Band-aid ending.

See it if u want a front porch view of a seemingly ordinary (albeit mixed race & gay) family whose cracks in their cheery facade get a cursory probe.

Don't see it if u expect any deep insight re: mixed coupling, gay marriage, discrimination, teen angst, drug use or the perceived tranquility of New England

Also This well-intentioned play tries to tackle too many issues, but does so at such a safe distance that the "wokeness" I presume it is meant to display is distilled to a bunch of cliches and out-of-touch allegories that strain credulity. There's precious little drama here, and frankly there's just no there there.... Read more Read less

See it if A fine ensemble (esp the always interesting Bougere), Ali's strong direction & some potent writing from Augustiin helps hefty issue drama

Don't see it if Just too many plots lines (while all of various interest) to keep afloat Augustin's writing veers from astute to soapy to finally exhausting

See it if some astute observations on growing up black in a narrow-minded white NE town; sharp perfs by Javier Munoz, black dad, & daughter Kara Young

Don't see it if tries to do much too much; different plot lines involving unhappy fathers, disgruntled teen & her teacher, simply don't cohere

See it if Interracial gay dads are impacted by infidelity, white privilege, and their angry daughter's vendetta against her white teacher.

Don't see it if "White people can't believe that we have lives beyond our skin/I'm a black student and you're a white teacher and it'll be seen that way."

Also Herbal smoking and vaping on stage.

See it if You enjoy seeing new work and have patience for scenes that feel like "playwrighting 101". Insipid behavior by psycho kid & cheating dad.

Don't see it if You hate contrived 2 character scenes that are lots of talk & unbelievable in the extreme. Nobody talks or acts that way.

Also Really appalling how the girl drugged her teacher and wrote something horrible on her forehead. And how the horrible dad was cheating on his husband and lies about stealing money; disgusting behavior when the two men should have been in love. Really sick twisted play.... Read more Read less

See it if Intelligent, probing drama of black and white gay dads trying to raise a black teen daughter while being the only family of color in town.

Don't see it if Great acting, direction and set. Uncomfortable drama for the white audience. Similar themes treated in "Fairview" and "Slave Play."

See it if you want a surface look at race relations, at marriage, at parenthood.Directing left some good actors floundering.Writing is weak.

Don't see it if you are looking for a show that advances the discussion of gay marriage, interracial relationships, parenthood.

See it if You enjoy an interracial comedy(?) about gay dads and their HS daughter. It hits notes when it is serious

Don't see it if A poorly developed piece with too many side issues is low on your list

See it if seeking a multi-story drama with seriousness, tenderness, humor, & surprise; unbothered by different arcs "fussiness"; a fan of the actors.

Don't see it if homophobic, need writing and character development that does not fall into the trappings of trope and stereotypy; need more cohesive work.

Also I’m a New Englander and while this play isn’t really an accurate reflection of racial make-up throughout the region (it depends on the town; my community was quite racially-diverse), playwright Jeff Augustin aims to illuminate and mock minority life (black, Jewish, biracial, gay), the charm-yet-insularity of New England life, and throws in every theme imaginable. It feels like multiple strains of multiple works that, at times, don’t mesh. We’ve the only two gay dads in town raising a college-bound teen too smart for her own good (read: stupid and self-destructive). One of the dadsis reunited with his high school love Raul (an underused Javier Muñoz), which tests his marriage. Meanwhile, there’s a sad-and-ruined English teacher, a Chuck E. Cheese employee peddling drugs, and themes of sexuality, family, drugs, education, and racial experience arise. It’s a lot to process—the writing just doesn’t have the depth and length needed. Nonetheless, I loved some really unexpected decisions.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in a drama about family relations, marriage and parenting.

Don't see it if You are done with race and gender tropes in your plays.

Also I went in with expectations and the play far exceeded them. Yes, the themes are so very familiar now, but the limited palette and well-developed characters make for for a subtle, smart, and unexpected theater experience.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see an excellent production with great acting and an universal theme.

Don't see it if You feel uncomfortable about seeing a gay family.

See it if you want to see a queer family's journey in suburban New England. It's a pretty soapy drama, so if that's your thing, you'll be well set.

Don't see it if you want to feel like your characters' choices are earned; you want fully developed characters; you are interested in full resolution

See it if and only if you are a fan of Arnulfo Maldonado scenic designs, and then maybe then you might enjoy the wooden performances on stage.

Don't see it if you are expecting a REAL story about a modern family, because you will be DISAPPOINTED by this tripe, as I was.

See it if you like plays just about life and dealing with expectations and dreams vs reality.

Don't see it if you need an exciting plot with major themes and drama.

Also Overall the piece is fine, but they tend to bend the character to suit the scene and not an overall arc. One character is shown for an hour to be a loving parent who wants to spend a lot of quality time with his family all of a sudden is a horrible father who ignores them for a decade.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a play that is very relevant with some tones of humor.

Don't see it if you want to see something with substance. Way too many and ridiculous story lines with make no meaning with such serious subjects.

See it if First of, I’d totally see this again- bummed it closing tomorrow— it’s totally my type of show: there’s humor, drama, and suspense. LGBT,

Don't see it if Interracial, inter-generational, timely... what else could I ask for? The acting was spot on, by all. The teenage, “mulatto”/black girl,with

Also Interracial dads was alive and real! All 6 actors were well cast. There’s a deli and balance between the sense of belonging or being “other”. I wished there was an extension. Hopefully there will be a revival. It really is the about the plight of a “typical” family. Superb!!! Mr. Ali & Mr. Augustin never seem to disappoint...... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see a short play with some social themes of multi-cam, sitcom quality.

Don't see it if you want a robust and extremely deep examination of interracial, queer families in American suburbs.

Also the script needed much more workshopping. One character pays another to use a work bathroom to collect their feces...something they certainly could've done at home. One character pays another character for "lessons" that entail listening to Lauryn Hill on shared headphones as if the internet doesn't exist.

Contrivances aside, it was watchable and entertaining the whole way through. Some of the cultural references (Annie Hall) are quite witty. Particularly endearing performances from Crystal Finn and Javier Munoz.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a fresh theater voice that presents a layered, yet not preachy, sense of living as a person of color.

Don't see it if You want a face paced, provocative, edgy piece of theater. This is a thoughtful, slice of life play

See it if This play has everything but the kitchen sink. The overall character development is, at best, two dimensional. Sadly nothing feels authentic

Don't see it if Two actors bring life to their supporting roles whereas the leads fight against their clichés. The writing feels so simplistic and unedited.

See it if you are interested in seeing a family drama and watching characters fumble along, skirting happiness and (sometimes) decency.

Don't see it if you want to see something uplifting and fun. Some genuinely funny moments, but uneven writing, and I somewhat missed the overall point.

Also Solid performances from the cast, across the board. The characters are a mix of stereotyping and actively trying to shirk stereotypes... by embracing different ones. All in all, I do feel like the show was worth my time and going to see, but I would not recommend it to everyone. I struggled with the daughter character, mostly because it's hard to grasp why she behaves the way she does. Parenting and the fact that she's a teenager who has discovered Lauryn Hill fall incredibly short in providing even a glimpse of "why" - her actions are malicious, calculating, and cause genuine harm for which she seems largely unrepentant and has no real justification for... I definitely missed the larger message or purpose of the piece, but I thought some of the scenes were beautiful and well-executed.... Read more Read less

See it if like small theaters and a story about the problems of a non-traditional family in a small traditional New England town. "Our Town 2019"

Don't see it if you want to get below a surface view of each character's motivations. Character development relies on stereotypes without enough depth.

See it if you're interested in shows about the feeling / fear of being stuck somewhere and how that can eat away at you and turn you into someone else

Don't see it if you are frustrated when a character's motivations aren't spelled out clearly, or if you need your minority characters to be above reproach