See it if This play is beyond relevant to the time, family, race, and sexuality. Very emotional
Don't see it if There is no reason not to see this time relevant play
See it if An outstanding drama & must see! Powerful performances, beautiful set & moving to tears script. Bravo to all involved with perfection đłď¸âđ
Don't see it if If you want a musical then skip this one.
See it if you like terrific actors and great writing.Play explores relationships and sexual identity.Keith Randolph Smith is absolutely brilliant.
Don't see it if you are a right wing bigot.Or actually you should see it and learn something about gay relationships. Beautiful story, well told,well acted.
See it if Sad portrayal of the lives of 3 gay black men, in the same family. There was some humor, but, a very sensitive subject matter drove the
Don't see it if Title. Many in the audience cried. Thereâs some light N-word usage, flamboyant characters, the C- disease, vomit, and alcoholism, but, over- Read more
See it if You enjoy family dynamics among 3 generations. Itâs unusual in being 3 generations of gay men accepting how the end will be. Very touching
Don't see it if Dealing with end of life decisions and the tensions the situation can bring up is not what you want to experience. Itâs limited in its scope
See it if youâre interested in a terrific generational and LGBT+ drama.
Don't see it if you donât want to be moved.
See it if A heartfelt drama about love&loss among three generations of men portrayed by a brilliant cast on a great stage.
Don't see it if Please do not go if an end-of-life issue hits home.
See it if If you are open to see how we are forced to evolve and how important to accept others and open your heart.
Don't see it if You cannot deal with life/death issues and you have no interest in the gay communities struggle.
"In '⌠What the End Will be,' facing death really means reckoning with life â what makes it worth living despite its impermanence â and learning how to seize some measure of joy for yourself. Itâs everything that is meant when we say that Black lives matter."
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"While the intergenerational dynamics can also sometimes feel schematic, the characters are crisply defined, and there is an undeniable pleasure in watching the tensions in this unusual family surge and subside. Under the direction of Margot Bordelon, the actors slip easily into the skins of their characters, although the actors with the richer roles tend to outshine the others."
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"Audience members seeking a whiff of nuance or insight in this Roundabout Theatre Company production will be left largely wanting. The script by playwright Mansa Ra struggles to find a consistent rhythm that feels like actual people talking to each other. Margot Bordelonâs direction doesnât help much; it all adds up to a stagy experience."
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"This play sparkles too (despite the occasional mushiness) because it gets to the heart of some shared human experiences that have little to do with race, sexuality, and gender, such as what it takes to let go of your own pain, and what it means to let someone you love let go of theirs â rules be damned. Ultimately, as the play's title suggest, we all know what the end will be ... the ellipsis is how we get there."
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The overall result -- Bartholomew's big scene aside -- is pleasant but glib, affirmative yet sketchy. It's certainly possible that, filled out with more detail and shading, ...what the end will be could become the funny, yet heart-wrenching, drama it aspires to be. But, packaged as a slick, ninety-minute evening of laughter and tears, it strains credulity. This is a tale that wants more intensive telling. Is it too late to hope that it might yet get it?
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"A singular spellbinding performance and a beautifully scripted, deeply moving story of self-determination, redemption, and love lie at the heart of Mansa Ra's '... what the end will be,' a play about a cross-generational family of Black gay men"
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"As calculatedly happens throughout 'âŚwhat the end will be,' there are discussions of many potential ends â including one quite significant, quite literal end. But the play itself suggests there is no end in sight for the societal changes that have occurred over the last several decades and will surely uncork surprises for decades to come."
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In four scenes spanning a few months, Ra renders his gay family trioâs life events, medical situations, numerous clashes and resolutions with pungent topicality. The pandemic is referenced, gender and pronouns are discussed, and cultural bromides are stated: âBlack people canât be racist. I read that on the Facebook.â Raâs characters are given rich portrayals by the splendid cast. With his melodious voice, priceless facial expressions and stage presence, veteran actor Keith Randolph Smith grounds the production with his towering performance as Bartholomew. As Maxwell, the fiery Emerson Brooks supremely conveys the characterâs bottled-up emotions, offering a moving psychological portrait. The personable Gerald Caesarâs Tony is a vivid take on adolescent struggle.
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