Wives

See it if You like creative scenes that are funny and well staged

Don't see it if You don't like a satirical look at some famous marriages.

Also This is a very good effort by the playwright, Jaclyn Backhaus ("Men on Boats"). Some of the scenes are downright hilarious, especially the bitch session between 3 of Ernest Hemingway's wives. The acting is terrific, notably by Adina Verson (wife 2). But the play loses its power when it enters "lecturing mode" in the last scene. As the show gets more serious it seems to lose its mojo.... Read more Read less

See it if The first 2 scenes were very funny and clever. Great performances.

Don't see it if The 3rd scene had nothing to do with wives, nor with the flow of the other 2. It's absurd, not about wives and very cliched.

Also The last scene is severely misplaced in this play. Completely does not belong here. It's like the author was doing good with the first 2 (which have a very well defined thread even though are very different), then ran out of time and stole a scene from some other play in the drawer and pasted here at the last minute.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy funny comedic performances. Show is formatted as short vignettes with a common theme.

Don't see it if I really liked the show up until the last scene, which wasn't cohesive with the theme of the previous scenes.

See it if If you want a play that tracks women over different time periods. For the most part well acted.

Don't see it if If you want a coherent play that makes sense. A play that needs a lot of fine tuning and reworking.

See it if to see 4 brave, talented actors yuk it up & try to hold together a trifling historical comedy about the chronic marginalization of women.

Don't see it if u hope for a sharp comedy (or even a mildly funny one!); u expect a play that "subverts patriarchal narrative" to actually feel empowering.

Also Not a single funny thing is said for the entire 90 minutes in what is clearly meant to be a "lol" comedy. Lots of things are said funny, but they're not funny things. Any laughs elicited by this third-rate, amateur script -- aside from those supplied by the comical voices & faces of the very resourceful cast -- are mostly cheap laughs from the anachronisms of pre-21st Century characters saying things like "dope" and "OMG" and "bitch, please" or sashaying like contestants on Drag Race. And I don't even know what to say about the rabbit hole of pretentiousness that the play suddenly plunges down in the last act. The irony is not lost on me that the whole show feels like it was written by the naive, self-indulgent, overachieving Oxbridge coed who makes an unwelcome appearance towards the end of this play.

Nice sets & costumes, btw.... Read more Read less

See it if Backhaus' sharp, lazer beam view of history thru "her-story" eyes Funny, poignant, very well acted (esp Adina Verson) it's wildly ambitious

Don't see it if Starts off very strong (esp the 'wives of Earnest Hemingway') w/tart, pungent writing but gets derailed w/spacey female empowerment ending

See it if a series of 4 feminist-themed sketches, 1 of them brilliant, 3 of them not, sounds to you like a worthwhile evening in the theater.

Don't see it if you are looking for play that integrates its parts.

Also “Wives” in effect is an anthology of 4 somewhat related sketches that share a feminist theme. Not a fatal concept. And when 1 of the 4, a fictional meeting of 3 of Ernest Hemingway’s wives at his memorial service, is totally brilliant, it might be worth a visit to the theater – it was for me. But I should also report that the other 3 parts are either interesting but unfinished, interesting but unfocused & a thin unfunny comic sketch; that way you might better decide if the evening is right for you. I found the 4 actors unerringly terrific, even when (especially when?) asked to do some very silly bits – often with delightful results. But in the end I felt that the general feminism that the 4 short bits share was not a strong enough reason to justify tethering them together.... Read more Read less

See it if Significant others(not all spouses) frustrated at their oppressive lot in life,cross time periods to make a statement in sketch comedy form.

Don't see it if History books weren't recording them, but the ladies were there, too.Playwright attempts to bring attention and right this wrong, but fails.

See it if you like witty dialogue and some very funny scenes. The play has a lot of potential but it needs work done.

Don't see it if you like a show where all the scenes work together.

Also I saw the second preview. It had 10 fewer minutes than the first preview. The first few scenes were very funny but the second half needs a lot of work. Good acting and nice staging. I would like to see this show after previews to see what work was done. This show had lots of potential.... Read more Read less

See it if You find it absolutely hilarious (like some in the audience) when the women call each other "b*tch" or keep saying the F word over & over.

Don't see it if You can't make any sense (like me) of who these 3 women & 1 guy were supposed to be. 4 different scenes & they're different people in each?

See it if like quirky snapshots throughout history of what it means to be a wive. funny, well acted and staged.

Don't see it if essentially separate stories woven together loosely. a bit disjointed.

See it if You can get out after the first two vignettes. Steep downhill after that.

Don't see it if As others have noted, the King Henri and Hemingway's wives pieces were mildly amusing.

Also The final piece might as well have been spoken in Swahili. It was that incomprehensible to me.... Read more Read less

See it if You like genre-bending, searing comedy that explores gender roles and self-conception across time, place, and culture. Witty writing.

Don't see it if Actors playing multiple characters in different scenes isn't your thing. Non-linear narratives with a clear normative thrust disturb you.

Also One of the most promising, interesting, and funny plays I've seen lately.

I was crazy enthusiastic about this show until the final scene, in which the everything sort of blows up and goes off the rails. *Conceptually* I enjoyed the ending (mild spoilers beyond) but I felt the witchcraft worked a lot better than the grandparents or the cosmic expansion of consciousness. It could work if it were shorter / more focused, but for me the stellar parts of the play were the first 3 scenes, especially the wives in in Idaho. I know I saw an early preview, so maybe the conclusion will improve, but for me it marred an otherwise excellent play.... Read more Read less

See it if You like non-linear, impressionistic, gender-challenging theatre.

Don't see it if You need cogency or clarity.

See it if Funny skit of Ernest Hemingway's wives dissing the author and all he represents.But that's just 1/4 of the show.

Don't see it if You don't wanna to see a work very much "in progress". Three SNL skits leading to a very self-indulgent and puzzling finish.

Also Very disappointing start to the Playwrights Horizons season. This play needs work. There's cleverness and humor and a message of empowerment,
but it's mashed up with Colonialism, palace intrigues and new age channeling
of cosmic feminism. Unfocused , undercooked yet overdone. Liked the cast though, they gave it their all.... Read more Read less

See it if You like plays about the role of women throughout the ages

Don't see it if You like a continuous story line and a story thst builds.

See it if you want to see a history of how females have been held down by men but rise up regardless

Don't see it if you want to see a coherent, fluid show that continually makes sense and is easy to follow

See it if Like feminist themes

Don't see it if Don’t like esoteric plays

See it if you're into unusual theatrical structures, funny anachronistic scenes & ultimately, a young writer's journey to find a new female narrative.

Don't see it if your bullshit-o-meter is very sensitive - that last scene is one of the more ridiculous, pretentious and laughable things I've seen on stage

See it if You like comedic vignettes with a common theme.

Don't see it if The #metoo movement has got you down.

Also Loved the first two scenes—-sharp, relevant, funny. The remaining portion of the piece falls flat quickly, is incomprehensible by comparison to the earlier work. So, unfortunately, for me, the play fell apart and became uninteresting.
Somehow, Adina Verson shines throughout. I hope Ms. Backhaus and company continue developing this. It has potential to be much better than its current form.... Read more Read less

See it if you value great acting and can tolerate the loss of focus in the final scenes. The first 2 scenes were on target, well written & executed.

Don't see it if The play loses focus in the penultimate scene and simply goes nutty in the final scene. What a shame. It was so strong up to that point.

See it if you support female voices in Off-Bway houses—no matter what.

Don't see it if you desire stronger writing and stronger direction.

See it if U enjoy vignettes about a worthwhile topic of women’s place at 4 different times in history, funny and quirky plays and good ending messages

Don't see it if U enjoy plays with more cohesiveness and u don’t have to spend too much time trying to figure out how it all fits together.

See it if 4 talented actors trying to show female's place in different times and circumstances. Episodes 1,2 are real joy and fun

Don't see it if The last episodes makes to start checking your watch. The logorrhea is cute only for babies who just learned to talk not for the actors

See it if Interesting concept that starts off as a great deal of fun with witty banter and for me falters in end, not living up to PH AD's description

Don't see it if Want a play that maintains it's level of entertainment and fun right to the end. I understand what ending was meant to do, for me it didn't.