The Untold Yippie Project

See it if n/a

Don't see it if n/a

See it if you want understand a true story of young people trying to change society and the struggles it presents among the participants.

Don't see it if you do not have an appreciation for the late '60's, early '70's Vietnam War impact on society.

See it if you'd like to see an intense drama about an actual historical event, staged theater-in-the-round, in a different setting (downtown loft).

Don't see it if 1960s-70s U.S. history (anti-war) is not your thing. Well-written/well-performed, although a bit confusing when timeline flips back-n-forth.

Also New, unusual, but welcome experience. Well worth the trip downtown.

Carson Coughlin (Terry, male lead) and Chelsea Fryer (Bowlby, female lead) are both excellent. Supporting cast is masterful @ all their character-changes @ the drop of a hat, both off AND on-stage in full view of the audience. Very well-directed and choreographed.

Note: Although based on an actual event from August 1970, the names are made-up. Read up on the Disneyland Yippie take-over before AND after seeing the show. Helped to understand the show better, during AND after.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy little known stories about the anti-Vietnam war counter culture, enjoy decent actors playing many roles, and narrative plays.

Don't see it if You get bored easily, as the show could have been cut down greatly, or enjoy nuance, as this show lacked it. Or have trouble climbing stairs

Also Bottom line: This should would have made an interesting short play. It is a fascinating subject, however I don't think this play did it justice. At 1 hr 45 min, it was too long, with many of the narratives growing boring and slow as they told their part of the story. Also, the show did not paint the actual incident described as poignantly or nicely as I think they aimed to. The character of Terry was portrayed as a one-dimensional ass hole, who didn't really show any growth. Also, you didn't really feel for or support the Yippies; they just seemed annoying, and the impact of what they were doing in Disneyland was not really clear. Also, you didn't feel for the friendship between the two male leads.
Side note: This show is not for the differently abled. The theater is a fourth floor walk up, there is only one window ac unit, and the seats are very hard metal folding chairs.... Read more Read less

See it if You're interested in learning a little more about the yippie movement.

Don't see it if You prefer plays with more action. This was kind of light on plot advancement.

Also The acting was good I just felt the play was slow and did a poor job explaining the movement. The theater was also up 4 flights of stairs and very warm which made it uncomfortable.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to further understand American history. Slow but builds into a cresendo. This is an important and fascinating story.

Don't see it if If you don't have patience for a rare gem of a story.

See it if you are interested in very small theatre and don't mind climbing 4 flights to get to the theatre and then sitting in a warm room

Don't see it if you are looking for a story that has been fact-checked correctly.

See it if the only good reviews below are all from people with only one review who signed up just to skew the score; not cool

Don't see it if you want a straight forward enjoyable story

See it if You enjoy sticking needles in your eyes

Don't see it if You have ANYTHING else to do in your life. The only thing worse than the writing was the direction and the performances

See it if You want to see a fictionalized scree of an actual Yippie event by overwrought direction, way over-the-top acting and expositional writing.

Don't see it if You know thinly veiled charismatic activist Abbie Hoffman was bipolar and not just manic.

Also Your time is better spent by watching "Abbie Hoffman "Making Gefilte Fish" (1973)" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/pJP-XLDB5-A... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in a short-lived political movement.

Don't see it if You don't want to climb up 4 flights of stairs. You don't like theater in the round.

Also The hard-working and energetic actors could not overcome the problems of theater in the round. The show is very heavy on narrative and half the time, the speakers back is to you, wherever you sit. This means you miss a lot of the story. I could not feel engaged. By the end of the show only 16 people remained in the audience. So many walked out but I didn't want to insult the actors so I sat there bored out of my mind.... Read more Read less

See it if Just ok.

Don't see it if n/a

See it if I felt the show could have been much better. Terry was a good actor. The show had potential, but it was a little disappointing.

Don't see it if N/A

See it if you like dramas based on 70's counterculture see it if you like dramas dealing with the relationships.

Don't see it if if you have no interest in the 70's .

Also The actors were committed and put themselves out there in a very intimate setting.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy an untold story about little known history.

Don't see it if You aren't a fan of dramatic relationships between people

See it if You want to see great actors perform a show that is socially relevant, and like brisk staging and actors playing multiple roles.

Don't see it if You can't climb four sets of stairs, or aren't interested in counter culture topics.

See it if You're a fan of the emerging fad that is three-dimensional theatre, and you don't mind a non-existent 4th wall.

Don't see it if If political plays, color/genderblind casting, or incredibly immersive theatre isn't your thing

Also I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed The Untold Yippie Project! I personally love plays about untold stories, and immersive, three dimensional theatre seems to be a rapidly emerging way of storytelling (see Great Comet or the new production of Sweeny Todd) and for good reason! The 4th wall simply doesn't exist in this show, and that makes the story about togetherness so much more poignant.

All of the actors were astounding. I can hardly pick a favorite. The leads didn't even seem like actors, and major kudos to the ensemble for being able to switch from one extreme character to the next. Being able to go from a Georgian Disney-loving mother to a radical Yippie is nothing sort of amazing.

In short, I feel lucky that I was able to see this great piece of theatre, and glad that I learned about that important chapter of our nation's history.... Read more Read less

See it if You grew up in the 60's or 70's.

Don't see it if You can't appreciate 60's era.

See it if Like shows based on true events.

Don't see it if You don't like plays trying to portray many scenes at once.

See it if You like revolutions and want to know more about a historical event no one knows about.

Don't see it if You don't want to have an engaging dialogue after seeing a piece of theater. You are triggered by police brutality.

See it if You like memory pieces that relates to a 'movement' taking place in 1969 at Disney.

Don't see it if You are looking to be emotionally involved. Or if you don't like a theatre style where the actors (mostly) tell the audience the story.

See it if you enjoy quirky, out of the ordinary theatre, controlled chaos, & great staging

Don't see it if you don't enjoy documentary theatre

See it if you like an all-butts-on-the side-of-the-seats rollercoaster historical adrenaline-fest. Acting is awesome.

Don't see it if You need to climb a few flights to get to the theater.

See it if you're interested in vivid, provocative theatrical storytelling about recent American history via stripped-down staging & a strong ensemble.

Don't see it if you're especially sensitive to heat, because it does get hot in the theater.

See it if You are in the mood for an immersive experience that uses an undertold historical event as the backdrop for a deep relationship.

Don't see it if You're dumb.