Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet

See it if Imagine 2 classics in repertory, but at the same time. Forget Why?, incongruous themes force complete attention. Sonya utters Juliet lines.

Don't see it if Familiarity with both plays is essential or 2.5 hrs. will drag. Bland performances and wardrobe. Like the zombification of the classics.

See it if you like intellectually rigorous experiments w/ Chekhov. Tests your patience but the cast does great work—esp Millonzi as Sonya.

Don't see it if you want R&J to function as little more than an occasional symbol of poetic idealism used to magnify UV’s prosaic cynicism.

Also It’s a really uneven experience because the show fully misses the mark on the comic potential of Yelena/Juliet, but URVJ has strong performances & interesting comparisons fueling it. Don’t expect either play brought to new heights, or to feel absorbed in the plot; this show constantly detaches & forces you to evaluate UV’s characters against R&J's paragons of love/suicidal hopelessness. It’s tiring (was tempted to leave at intermission) but somehow also appreciable—if you like intertextual exercises.

URVJ isn’t nearly as winning as last season’s Pygmalion, but much more satisfying than Bedlam’s obnoxious Peter Pan. I'm glad Tucker thought of and tried this—and went all in w/ a great cast and the full production treatment. The idea works juuust well enough that if Bedlam or another skilled group attempts another mash-up, I’d look forward to it.... Read more Read less

See it if You like BEDLAM’s work and enjoy a good ensemble of actors

Don't see it if If you want Plays told in a classic way.

See it if This mash-up of Chekov and Shakespeare is complicated and messy but still fascinating. Definitely recommend rereading both plots synopsis

Don't see it if be prepared to journey back and forth between stories and language. Solid acting and amazing use of music and dancing but long. Very long.

See it if You admire the Bedlam company. Great Uncle Vanya, which should have stood alone. Not a good idea to try to combine with Romeo &Juliet.

Don't see it if You are not an admirer of the classics.

See it if you know and appreciate Vanya and R&J; can be confusing otherwise. It has some high moments and others where it drags. Could be shorter.

Don't see it if you don't know the underlying works. This production juxtaposes scenes from each. Often chaotic.

See it if you love Chekhov, Shakespeare and Bedlam and great acting and you are not afraid of innovation. If you love these classics, this is a must

Don't see it if you are looking for tradition or a lazy evening in the theater

Also Eric Tucker is a daring genius and his troop is amazing. This deserves to be seen and appreciated.... Read more Read less

See it if You love to see Chekhov challenged and deepened by Shakespeare. If you love Bedlam’s work.

Don't see it if You hate both Chekhov and Shakespeare, or if you like them simple and straightforward (and separate). If you want slmething big and splashy

Also In my opinion, it’s not really a “mash up.” It’s a production of Uncle Vanya where the characters use Romeo and Juliet to express themselves, to communicate, and to imagine their lives as something different. Juxtaposing the 2 plays deepens the sense of despair in the Chekhov; they want to be grand and romantic, even if it means being tragic. Because even a romance that ends in tragedy is better than a life of emptiness and disappointment.... Read more Read less

See it if you like Bedlam's treatment of plays in the canon. I found this one a challenge: why they interwove these two plays is not obvious.

Don't see it if You like to see theater that is straight forward and doesn't present a problem interpreting.

See it if you are a theater nerd. You love anything meta. You love old text in new contexts.

Don't see it if You are easily confused. You hated either Romeo and Juliet or uncle Vanya.

See it if An often brilliant production of Uncle Vany often rudely interrupted by Juliet from R&J. Some gorgeous visuals on almost bare stage.

Don't see it if Not for people who love the classics as written. High levels of pretension that rarely help the story or the production.

See it if A funny, fast moving mash up of two classsics. Somewhat confusing but never boring. The acting was fantastic!

Don't see it if If you don’t already know both plays fairly well it might be hard to follow.

See it if you are intrigued in an interesting adaptation of uncle vanya, you like bedlam's work, you really like prose and heightened language

Don't see it if you want a clear interpretation of both pieces, you don't care for a strong vision like bedlam usually presents

See it if If you're a fan of innovation, have a sense of humor and like to laugh out loud at people's peculiar antics, at least in the first act

Don't see it if If you don't like a mixture of Chekov and Shakespeare this is not for you.

Also I loved the first act which was mostly Vanya, but I found the second act was too much Juliet. The Vanya parts couldn't have been better. All the actors were superb... Read more Read less

See it if You are a Bedlam fan and will follow them through thick and thin.

Don't see it if You don't know UNCLE VANYA and ROMEO AND JULIET really, really well.

Also Although I've loved Bedlam productions in the past, this one never came together for me. There are brilliant scenes and the actors and direction are solid. A couple of times the mash-up is revelatory, but for the most part I wanted to be watching Bedlam's UNCLE VANYA, or their take on R&J. It's not the disaster their PETER PAN was, but it feels very self-indulgent. Someone who didn't know VANYA well would be completely lost.... Read more Read less

See it if You are fascinated by the parallels between these 2 classic plays and want to experience some top notch classical acting.

Don't see it if You are unfamiliar with these 2 plays or don't have a lot of patience to make the links.

See it if You are interested in the new perspectives that come from comparing and contrasting great works of romantic tragedy.

Don't see it if You are not already familiar with either play - especially Romeo & Juliet, as the interspersed scenes are tangential to primary plot line.

See it if you like experimental theater. If you like the play Uncle Vanya. The characters turn into R & J characters in interesting ways sometimes.

Don't see it if you want to see something light and fluffy. I love the risks Bedlam takes but the R & J death/crying scene felt unearned and LONG.

See it if you love the classics, especially redone; you are familiar with one or both source texts; you like to think deeply at the theatre

Don't see it if you primarily want a fun night out, you don't have a background in theatre, you don't know either play well or at all

See it if You're familiar with the source texts, love Chekhov/Shakespeare, are interested in works that re-imagine the classics.

Don't see it if You hate everything about Chekhov/Shakespeare, and you're unable to sit through a 2.5 hour play.

See it if You like the classics plus edgy imaginative interpretations.

Don't see it if You don’t like Shakespeare or Chekhov, especially at the same time.

See it if If you're a fan of Bedlam and great acting.

Don't see it if You only like very linear pieces of theatre.

See it if You like good theater and actors working hard

Don't see it if Do f see it if you don’t care for tedious plays

See it if you have an interest in the craft of acting, and the challenges presented by Chekhov, and the ways his writing resonates with Shakespeare

Don't see it if If you don't know 'Uncle Vanya;' as this is pretty high level theater-nerd stuff. Before seeing this play, watch 'Vanya on 42nd Street.'

Also I was so happy after intermission, and stunned and pleased after the play's conclusion. These actors will be pretty familiar to a lot of NYC audiences at this point, and this is some of the best work they've done to date. It's like watching human beings scrape the pain off their souls. At times, I felt I was watching the highlights of Vanya, and the lower-order stuff from R&J. I saw characters educated into misery, isolated into terror, disgusted with the life before them, and possessing a noble music that no one wants to hear them play. I loved it. I didn't think I would. But I absolutely loved it. And the alienation produced by slicing the text with Shakespeare kept me on my toes, and kept me thinking. I think the actors might have preferred if I had stayed emotionally "with" them, but for me, embracing the alienation was more satisfying than indulging in melodrama. (I was not a fan of their take on Peter Pan. I think their Vanya text simply has more rigor and substance.) Cheers!... Read more Read less

See it if you like classic plays but riffs on those classic plays

Don't see it if you're looking for a normal old play.