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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

See it if You want a play with great writing and acting. Beautiful story line and production that makes you think and feel. Very topical.

Don't see it if You prefer light hearted comedies or non dramatic work.

See it if The role Race plays in the suburbs combined with a teenage girl with two fathers is of interest to you

Don't see it if You are not interested in Plays dealing with racial issues in the suburbs.

See it if you like fully developed family dramas - in this case mixed race family in largely white New England

Don't see it if you don't want to see a fully developed family drama - in this case about a mixed race family in largely white New England

See it if you like safe, moderately thought-provoking, appealing dramas about first-world suburban problems.

Don't see it if you are hoping to be challenged and stimulated.

Also issues of race, drugs, and a tired gay marriage are made easy to swallow in this lightweight conventional play. the cast is uniformly talented and believable; the static set is an adequate expression of generic new england; the lighting is evocative. everyone is likable & relatable as they agonize over what-to-do-with or what-have-they-done-with their privileged lives.... Read more Read less

See it if you wonder what it might be like to be African-American in a small New England town, growing up in a biracial gay family.

Don't see it if you are rigidly straight,, conservative and like fluffy theater.

Also This is an unusual take on the American family but of course there are families like this one. There are many issues the play raises that are well worth thinking about. What would you do if your child took revenge on a teacher ?... Read more Read less

See it if you like shows about interracial and gay issues, privilege, relationships, parenting, life. Acting was very good and story relevant.

Don't see it if you aren't into gay and racial issues, would prefer something more light hearted, prefer a musical.

See it if You like a thought provoking play, that has you questioning your life decisions/choices and parenting!

Don't see it if You're not entertained by teenage antics or you feel judgmental!

Also found this to be an interesting play, with many contradictory and flawed characters (but aren't we all)! A family that made decisions, went through life but finds at a point everyone was just existing and even pretending. I also enjoyed the background music!... Read more Read less

See it if Review of Race Relations

Don't see it if Don't like interracial love

See it if You enjoy great acting, well-developed, interesting, & likable characters, & if the dynamics of today's modern family interest you.

Don't see it if you seek an elaborate set & fluffed-up production, have gay, trans, or racial issues. Don't see it if you are closed-minded.