Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (87)
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 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 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 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 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 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. Read more
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 you love the text of R&J and Uncle Vanya because there are some really clever moments in this, you like experimental, absurdist theatre
Don't see it if you are looking for something traditional, IT'S LONNNNGGG, not into meshing two plays that don't really go together, not a fan of classics
Critic Reviews (13)
"It's really more of 'Uncle Vanya' with a few scenes of 'Romeo and Juliet' thrown in, so the whole experiment feels almost like an afterthought, and the transitions between the two are sometimes awkward and confusing...It doesn't help matters that this production opens so soon after Richard Nelson's 'Uncle Vanya,' in which Jay O. Saunders gave the definitive performance of the title character...Maybe they are enjoying themselves, but they should ask themselves why the audience should care."
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“’URVJ’ can only be described as puzzling. And simply not up to Bedlam’s standards...The play’s biggest shortfall is that it simply doesn’t come off as anything more than avant-garde posturing. As a standalone play...it makes little sense...None of the intersections of the two plays do, quite frankly. And it serves to dampen both the original pieces. Rather, it feels like pompous, intellectual meddling by a company that’s bored with traditional theater and the odious project they’ve undertaken.”
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"Pau’s adaptation of ‘Vanya’ is morose and tedious. The company fares much better with the zany ‘R&J’ portion...'Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet' was just too ambitious and it doesn’t work. With a show paced at over two and half hours, the audience needs to grasp the whys, here it just seemed like an experiment not quite completed. This original, creative, text-defying theatre company lost their way on this production."
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"For the first two thirds of 'Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet,' directed by Eric Tucker, audiences can expect a fairly straightforward interpretation of Chekhov’s masterwork...The 'Romeo and Juliet' tangents offer little in the way of emotional or intellectual illumination...If the amalgamation does not effectively serve Chekhov’s and Shakespeare’s works, the five-member ensemble tears into the material."
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"There is a lot to admire in the ambition, and there are glimpses of how the production could have been successful, but it never coheres, and we are left with no greater insight into either masterpiece...Some ambiguity in the conceit could have been effective, allowing audience members to debate and discuss afterward, but as is, it just descends into incoherence."
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