The Object Lesson

See it if Moments of sheer brilliance combined with banality and incoherence. Fascinating staging for sure, but I left feeling kind of meh.

Don't see it if You need a comfortable seat. My back killed after an hour. Or if you don't like absurdist experimenta theatre,

See it if You love interactive theatre, performance art, storytelling, and/or clowning that has deeper meaning.

Don't see it if You prefer to sit in a seat (not on a box) and see a play with a plot. This is inventive storytelling with props and audience participation.

See it if you enjoy performance art different from anything you have seen before. The conversion of the theater is astounding. Come early to explore!

Don't see it if you expect a plot instead of unrelated segments. Like opening the boxes it is more anticipation then content. Possible themes are up to you.

See it if you like contemporary art installations. This is similar to something you might find at the New Museum with an added layer of performance.

Don't see it if you want to see traditional theater with a clear narrative, you get frustrated by bad sight lines depending on where action is happening

See it if you're willing to sit through 90 minutes of mediocrity to say that you were in the room for the latest immersive "happening."

Don't see it if you're hoping to learn something new or be emotionally moved.

Also Sobelle is a little smug and a little smarmy, and I just didn't warm to him or his message. I get it - we have too much stuff, we place too much value on our stuff, we're not defined by our stuff even though we sometimes think we are. I didn't need to sit in an uncomfortable lumpy chair and crane my neck to see a dimly lit tableau of a guy pulling dirty vines out of a box. (And I was one of the lucky ones re: seating - I had done my homework and threw my coat on an actual chair. Most of the audience lands on low stools covered by cardboard boxes or on cushions on the floor.) This was certainly a unique theatrical experience, and there were a handful of quite lovely stage images, but there's just not much substance here.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to sit on uncomfortable seats in a fire trap while watching someone make insipid comments about crap taken out of boxes.

Don't see it if This was the most self-indulgent piece of garbage I've ever seen. It was trying to persuade us that he had something to say; he didn't.

Also Really, I do not understand why the critics drooled over this. Sobelle claims to be an illusionist; the only illusion I could see was that there was any kind of performance going on. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen; nothing ever did. The "innovative" seating -cardboard boxes and cushions spread randomly throughout the theatre-often made it difficult to impossible to see what little action there was. The "immersive experience" consisted of 15 minutes of the audience wandering around a not-terribly-interesting room full of junk. Once the "performance" began, everyone remained in their seats, and the only further interactivity consisted of the passing around of a bottle of wine and a jar of dirt(!), early in the show. I found this whole thing excruciating and self-indulgent beyond belief. For the first time in my life, I refused to applaud at the end of a performance. I am not in the habit of applauding when someone has finished masturbating in front of me.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy mime, clever use of electronics, illusion and wry comedy

Don't see it if clutter scares you

See it if you want to see the kind of fun, weird theatre that was off- and off-off Broadway in the 60s. If you don't feel the need to have meaning.

Don't see it if Fluffy, going-no-where theatre is not for you.

Also Upon entering the space, patrons are encouraged to look around, open boxes and examine objects. This is fun, and does loosen up the audience in a positive way. One might expect a serious or even profound commentary on why we save the things we do--it never arrives. It gets silly and amusing without any payoff.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to experience something completely new and exciting , a variant of Bill Irwin with more conversation .

Don't see it if You want traditional story format , but give it a chance , it's surprisingly engaging .

See it if This show used original ideas but repeated them so they lost their luster. Scenes dragged while others delighted. Very uneven performance.

Don't see it if You can't perch on a box as a seat for close to 90 minutes. There is mild audience participation but you can abstain.

See it if You tend to find things fresh, charming, magical, intriguing and delightful.

Don't see it if You see the same things as contrived, tedious and tiresome.

See it if You are open to an interesting idea that is developed very slowly, and if you are tall enough to see over most people.

Don't see it if You like to see what is going on in a show.

Also I wanted to like this, but couldn't see a lot of it, even though I was seated above the majority of the audience. Everything either occurred far away or down by the actor's feet, or was so poorly lit the objects telling the story couldn't be identified. Some bits were quite engaging (loved the salad and ice skates), but I generally found it tedious because I couldn't see what was going on.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see something really different and very, very clever. The closing sequence is among the most amazing effects I have ever seen.

Don't see it if you are looking for a linear theatre piece with a plot, if you want to sit in a comfortable seat, or if you don't like immersion pieces.

See it if You want a unique theater experience. One man climbs the box lined walls in a horder's nightmare space and tells stories, finds treasures.

Don't see it if You can't tolerate clutter & lots of people sitting all over the place on top of boxes, on the floor; feels a little like a lunatic assylum.

See it if non-traditional narrative, space, and experiences are your jam.

Don't see it if TRADITIONAL proscenium theater is your jam.

See it if you like shows with no discernible plot; like non-traditional seating and staging; like a great deal of non-verbal acting; like weird things

Don't see it if you want a comfortable seat - you will be sitting on a cardboard box covering a piece of wood or worse - the floor; you like a plot

Also The recording and subsequent playback with dialogue (done twice) was ingenious; Making salad with ice skates was bizarre and totally gross. There is almost nothing coherent about the dialogue and there is no plot. This was not theater rather fairly boring and slow performance art.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a boring one man monologue in a visually interesting setting.

Don't see it if you want to save the taxi, the tickets and you have better plans to do.

Also It is in a big warehouse, full of boxes and old things. Different box sizes. I found interesting that before the show I could walk around and touch the things. I was lost in the story. The show tries to be original, experimental and immersive but it didn't leave me a strong impression.... Read more Read less

See it if You like interactive theater and like to imbue the play with meaning

Don't see it if You don't enjoy quiet moments or prefer a play on a proscenium stage.

See it if Interesting idea exploring your relationship to stuff you have and/or need. Creative use of space. Interactive and audience immersion.

Don't see it if You dont like shows without a story or even a coherent message. I cant tell if he was recommending saving your memories or if he was judging

See it if You love great clowning, transformed theatrical spaces, existential pontificating.

Don't see it if You have a bad back.

See it if you like sitting on a cardboard box for 100 minutes.

Don't see it if you have something better to do like cleaning your apartment or getting root canal work done.

Also I see no humor in putting a box on a patron's head or watching someone spend time caressing a chair. Best place to sit if you go is in the center. The bleachers are not a good place to sit as you cannot see him from the first two rows during the first part of the show. Ushers are most helpful in finding you a good seat.... Read more Read less

See it if No reason to see it. This self-indulgent show was unbearable. No plot, no enotional involvement, just junk. lowest score of my reviews.

Don't see it if you enjoy theater. I really don't understand what the hoopla is about with this show and I consider myself a savvy theater goer.

See it if Still wrapping my head around it, but I enjoyed it.

Don't see it if You are looking for narrative, structure, or character. The seating is tough on the back.

See it if clowns and magicians are your thing but they're not your friend's thing and you want to bring a friend without them getting mad at you.

Don't see it if potential audience interaction terrifies you or you demand a comfortable seat as part of your theatergoing experience.

See it if You want to experience a very unusual " performance ". Some people might find it banal and self centered, I found it very poetic

Don't see it if You go to the theater just to be " entertained " and no to be " provoked " and " surprised ". Lovers of traditional theater better stay away