Alternating Currents

See it if You're interested in the lives of residents of a housing complex

Don't see it if You want some originality.

Also The talented cast is stuck with a script that is not up to their talent. The forced choreography is pointless. I had high hopes given the source material of actual residents' stories but the roles are caricatures and ultimately not interesting.... Read more Read less

See it if Union housing in Queens welcomes interracial couple, but proves to be rife with prejudice. Electchester & Pomonok are real communities.

Don't see it if See it if you can. A poignant portrait of insidious prejudice in NYC

See it if THE PLAY WAS A DELIGHT.IT FOCUSED AROUND TWO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY.THEN THINGS START TO HAPPE

Don't see it if IF YOU DON'T ENJOY A PLAY ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR STRUGGES.

Also N AND THEN THEY START SEEING CERTAIN THINGS WHICH RUN CONTRARY TO THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM.A DIVERSE CAST AS WELL AS GOOD ACTING AND A GOOD STORY SURROUND THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a play about housing in the nyc area and if you want to see select few good actors make bad writing so much more bareable

Don't see it if You don’t have an hour and a half to kill, you find annoying actor/narrators obnoxious like me, can’t ignore weak writing

Also If I have to see a male white actor narrate a play the whole entire time I’m going to implode. They are not a helpful or necessary device in a play. That technique should have stopped at Our Town. Show out to the actors playing the couple. They really grounded their circumstances in truth which was appreciated. A lot of the actors were so good and could juggle effortlessly between characters so props to them. They are the ones deserving praise.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy plays about communities.

Don't see it if You want an elaborate production: this is simple.

See it if you’d like to see an honest consideration of the Utopian ideal of cooperation across races & sexes, & the real obstacles standing in its way

Don't see it if the dog-eat-dog world has killed in you any hope that conditions could be materially different than they are now.

Also My background is white working class, early childhood in the Bronx, later childhood in Philly. I feel I understand the older white guys in “Alternating Currents,” union workers who want to believe in equality & human solidarity across all our differences, but whose fears often cause them to act in a way that is incompatible with those ideals. Too many white workers voted for Trump, a man whose very existence is inimical to everything they ever said they hold dear. Fear does that. This play never mentions the president, but it’s the 1st I’ve seen since his election that takes these workers, their aspirations & their fears seriously. Because this play deals with individual workers across the racial spectrum, it also shows the damage done to workers of color & female workers of all races when white male fear snuffs out stated values. But it shows as well where progress has been made in fostering multicultural community, & more importantly, holds out a hardheaded hope for the future.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in the challenges of economic, social, and racial diversity that make it hard for communities to be functional.

Don't see it if You don't like small cast productions in small theaters. You like a more traditionally structured play.

See it if you have opinions on the NYC real estate mkt & the socioeconomic factors of building a secure future, don’t mind think-pieces, know Queens

Don't see it if Not to deter anyone, but if you're unaware of why labor unions rose & fell in influence, key parts of this will seem remote

Also Granted, this won’t speak to everyone like it did me but I must throw my support behind it. Observant, well-edited, well cast, resourceful production about young people aware of what enables social mobility & who consider the repercussions of their choices beyond themselves. Doesn’t hide that it’s a think-piece. But I’ve seen enough plays contorted w/ abstraction, irony, & self-conscious references as if apologizing for attempting a serious discussion. AC kept me engaged because I genuinely wasn’t sure how things would resolve.

Not many ppl know NYC is one of the last bastions of unionized construction work in the US (not to mention unionized theater work). Helps to know how transformative the 60s labor movement was before unions became noticeably exclusionary/resistant to adapt to the 70s. Thrilled Kraar wrote a clear-eyed panoramic of how later generations view the attractions/problems of this democratic ideal—in the context of aspiring minorities & new entrants in the workforce.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see an interestingly, well acted, dramatic, well staged and funny play about a real life place in Queens, NY.

Don't see it if You want to miss out on a very good play.

Also I enjoyed the performers. I feel they did a good job in this performance. The staging was well done and very genius. It was interesting to hear about a place that really exist. I had a good time at the show. Well done.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy farces, clever poetic rhyming and, at times, a very funny script and good acting.

Don't see it if you dislike farces, very confusing plot lines, extreme silliness and stretches of tedium between witty and funny wordsmanship.

See it if If you ever lived in NYC public housing

Don't see it if You have no interest in union people and their problems

See it if You like local story from NY, how the community is created, their interaction with each other, great acting, a relavant story to our day

Don't see it if Small production theatre, with few cast, analyzing community description, lear about how people around us effect our life, relation etc

Also They gave us a card with one question and before the play started you start thinking what community means to you. We also had a mini Q and A, which was interesting how each person’s interpreation was different. Also how the production started (a lot of interviews with the locals and learn about their experiences. Very organic creation process I might add) Truly refreshing play. I would recommended it.... Read more Read less

See it if you feel the Working class is underrepresented in NY theater

Don't see it if You don't like gritty realism

See it if You either have lived in Electchester or are familiar with this community. The audience for this play is a narrow one.

Don't see it if You are looking for great theater with a clear message and theme. Actors did their best within the confines of a sub par script.

See it if you enjoy plays that make you think while portraying credible characters faced with life-changing decisions.

Don't see it if if serious plays that deal with today's crucial social issues are of no interest to you.

See it if You enjoy heartfelt community related stories and nyc electricians

Don't see it if You dont enjoy new works based on real relevant stories

See it if You like small productions about social issues

Don't see it if You don't like community theater

See it if you're interested in a show that reflects some of the issues brought out by the last election, the idea of communal living and utopias.

Don't see it if quirky, semi-autobiographical theater bores you.

Also It's an interesting play - shows how even in "utopias," (which literally means, "nowhere,") the questions that we grapple with take on an even more intense significance. It was a solid play that could get a little goofy at times, but I'm glad I saw it.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy plays based on real-life and real places in NYC.

Don't see it if You like a traditional play. You don't like actors who play multiple characters.

See it if You want to see strong actors in a story about a unique neighborhood in queens.

Don't see it if You do not enjoy stories about communities

See it if Very original, see if you like smaller theaters with terrific scripts and sets, plays about something you may now nothing about

Don't see it if You only like big shows, or musicals.

Also This is one of those gems we theatre lovers hope for. A wonderful ensemble, bursting with talent and honesty. A great script and a story about something that many of us probably knew nothing about. Or if you do know about ElecChester it's a good human story.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy small productions. Some humor throughout. I thought the staging was done well considering this was a small production.

Don't see it if Don't like the actors portraying several characters throughout the play.

See it if You like smaller, intimate productions

Don't see it if You want a story that deeply moves you

Also I didn't really love, but also didn't dislike the show. Some of the actors, such as the Sean character, were really enjoyable to watch. The issues tackled were relevant, but I felt the story was a bit superficial, and didn't get me to really connect with the main character's feelings of racism or the issues of change and community that the writers were trying to explore.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy excellent acting

Don't see it if You’re looking for a consistently well written script and a cohesive theme and message.

Also It was sometimes difficult to ascertain the playwright’s message.

See it if You appreciate plays about social issues, know Queens, and are open to small productions. Enjoyable, thought-provoking, but a few slow spots

Don't see it if You wan a big fancy production, a linear script or are confused with characters playing multiple roles.