Beautiful Day Without You

See it if like a STRONG underlying concept about struggle & survival, smart & meaningful design, & NOT the usual cookie-cutter theatrical experience!

Don't see it if you like the boring, realistic theater that has become so prevalent, or want a fully finished script as this is still in development

Also wonderful design that makes you think and feel, strong performances (albeit just a bit too big at times), important underlying themes in the writing, and fantastic overall direction (not on-the-nose ie. boring - that brings this script to a new and deeper level). Saw on Opening Night - understand from talks with people involved that show has developed/changed a lot from early preview versions so take any of those reviews with a BIG grain of salt as this show is really getting it's footing and growing by leaps and bounds. It shows!... Read more Read less

See it if you like the challenge of interpreting what a playwright is trying to "say" about human relationships and their strivings to cope with life.

Don't see it if you prefer easily understood themes and motives of the characters and are frustrated with some "slow" portions of a play.

See it if you're a fan of Dan Butler, who brilliantly played Bulldog on Frasier and/or a fan of the very creative Director Erwin Maas.

Don't see it if you only want to see a fully produced play with great staging.

Also I saw the play when it was in preview.

See it if Three hander exploring racism, homophobia & general suspicion of the different among us but also incorporating every urban woe.

Don't see it if Characters confuse own points of view & sometimes shout over each other. Play’s intent somewhat unfocused & not original.

See it if If you enjoy intense acting . A thin story line with religious overtones.

Don't see it if If you prefer light dramas or musicals.

See it if See comments

Don't see it if See comments

Also A play about three individuals brought together by circumstances. This piece is unfocused, rambles and doesn't come to any conclusions. A hard workout for three able actors... Read more Read less

See it if you like stories about random encounters that change the trajectories of people's lives, stories about neighbors, small theater spaces

Don't see it if you don't like heavy-handed discussions of race/gender/sexuality; you don't like bad poetry that attempts to be meaningful.

Also Play was confusing and heavy-handed. The jogging at the start/end and the poetry interspersed didn't add to the meaning. At least one of the charcaters uses a number of slurs that don't edify the story and aren't earned by the plot. Nothing against the actors, but the writing made it unbearable.... Read more Read less

See it if interested in thought-provoking concept & staging that make audiences participants of the created world. Strong direction & design!

Don't see it if merely interested in entertainment & kitchen-sink realism. Script is expositional & wants to explain a lot through unnecessary dialogue.

Also Strong concept & design make this new play. Text still needs development. The script has a lot of exposition and it seems the playwright wants to explain a lot through unnecessary dialogue. If this script was done literally / naturalistically it would have been mediocre at best. The creative team made a smart choice to stay away from natural realism. Strong design elements (especially set and sound) transport us into a world that truly confronts us with these 3 characters who are trying to run away from it (strong opening and ending image), but seem to be stuck in the ugly reality of our current society. Especially the Rachel character needs more development. Some of the text seems a bit convoluted. The strong concept & design lift the production up. They allow us to zone in on the reality of these characters and make it thought-provoking.... Read more Read less

See it if You like plays that make you think. Deals with racism and doing what's right. I LOVED IT.

Don't see it if There are harsh references to jesus. There is profanity and herbal cigarette smoking.

See it if You like the character of bulldog from frasier it’s the same actor and there are a lot of parallels... just much darker

Don't see it if You don’t like intense plays or anything involving death

See it if You want to see a powerful 3 person cast in intertwined story about the hardships one must endure in our lifetime journeys

Don't see it if You like plays with full sets and plays that leave you happy-go-lucky in the end. This one will make you think.

See it if you want to see fine performances in an intriguing & dark play with intimations of the absurd which becomes more assured in its 2nd half.

Don't see it if seeing a production that seemed more in the workshop phase would be bothersome to you.

Also The performance (second preview) I attended was seriously marred by an audience member in the second row, apparently disliking the play, deciding, along with her companion, to very animatedly make fun of the play, not caring how distracting it was to anyone sitting behind them or to the actors on stage who did, unfortunately, seem to notice. In my 46 years of attending theatre in NYC, this was one of the worst displays of bad behavior that I've witnessed. Disheartening !... Read more Read less

See it if umeven paly about racism..weird set

Don't see it if you want something splashy

See it if strong cast

Don't see it if health issues

See it if You want to see Dan Butler give an exceptional performance and can overlook the heavy handed writing.

Don't see it if You expect the playwright to use any care or finesse with how he communicates these ideas.

Also I “think” I understand what this play was trying to say but it was done in such a clumsy way. I had to restrain myself from yelling multiple times at the stage...”I don’t believe you!” And it wasn’t only because of the mostly average acting that was going on by everyone except Dan Butler. The lines they were saying were simply ridiculous. Big swing and a miss for me.... Read more Read less

See it if Good authorial intentions, occasionally good acting, especially by the script playing Sacco.

Don't see it if Flabby writing, badly needs a sharp editor; confusing; unpersuasive characters; poor acting by the actress playing animal control officer.

See it if you like episodic acting scenes that circle around ideas--all at a very loud volume, with provocative announcements​

Don't see it if you want clarity about whether this is a comedy or a serious show about race and social issues. Acting was excellent but play made no sense.

See it if you want to see an actor from Frasier almost trip constantly on puddled canvas everywhere. If you like cliche stories about racism and jogs.

Don't see it if you need a clear, coherent script not saddled with unfocused characters and unclear writing.

Also This play was confusing and troubled from start to finish. the entire set and auditorium were covered in canvas (for reasons that are unclear), the actors enter and start jogging in place (again, unclear). Then the story unfolds in ways that defy sense of logic. All three characters are disgusting people so there's no one to root for or learn anything from. There is also a lot of talk about Nokia phones to a point where I was laughing at the word.

Ultimately the play introduces too many ideas and thoughts then gets bogged down by them, tries to make a statement about racism but ultimately says kind of racist things.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a play so bad that it's kind of good. I'm definitely still talking about all the absurd things that happened.

Don't see it if You want to see a fully realized production. The "set" is a couch &box covered in canvas that extends to the seats as well, for some reason.

Also If this were purposefully a comedy I would have given it 100 because it's so ludicrous. Instead it's a deadly serious drama that you laugh at. The writing comes across very amateurish and throws hot button topic on hot button topic. There's racism! There's homophobia! There's addiction! There's the aftermath of a stroke! There's a religious zealot! There's abortions and miscarriages! The acting is pretty bad with the slight exception being Dan Butler leaning more into a reprise of Bulldog. The "set" as I mentioned is a joke. The lighting is non-existent. All in all this was pretty terrible but see it for a good laugh.... Read more Read less

See it if you're into plays about "hot-button" issues (race, sexuality, e.g.), even if the treatment of them isn't particularly insightful or engaging

Don't see it if you're looking for a truly thought-provoking and interesting play touching on "hot-button" issues (race, sexuality, e.g.).

Also There's a lot of yelling in this play, especially at the beginning...just a warning if you're sensitive to that. The story and character development are just not that deep or involving to really make this a meaningfully timely play. It's okay -- short enough that you're not sitting there dying for it to end. But not entertaining in any way.... Read more Read less

See it if You like thought provoking stories that make you feel cleverly uncomfortable

Don't see it if You’re looking for a brainless theatrical experience or for a break from the craziness of today’s world