Before We're Gone

See it if Great acting by ms. Rideout. Great show, great acting and great story. Some good humor. All around well written play.

Don't see it if A sad story about someone dying. A serious drama.

See it if Some stellar acting .Partner's 95 %.My 90%. Fascinating look at stardom, the church and thoughts re: life. Much is done with little.

Don't see it if you must see elaborate spectacles. One oddity.... scenes are in two motel rooms but the walls are bare??

See it if You want to see great acting, very good story.

Don't see it if Deals with a few topic, religion, dieing, heartache.

Also Theater is small and have very nice people who work there. The time went fast watching the show. The lead actors were great.... Read more Read less

See it if You like unfulfilled love stories that face moral dilemmas, morality, religion, blacklisting, man & woman from 2 different worlds.

Don't see it if You are sensitive to religious conflicts regarding adultery, celibacy,society’s expectations. Herbal smoking, alcohol consumption.

Also This is like a soap opera with drama and comedy. It begins in the 1950’s and ends 25 years later. The actors, set, writing and directing take us back to old Hollywood and the McCarthy Era.The storyline is enticing and believable. This reminded me of an updated version of a 1930’s play that we often see at the Mint Theater.
The 13th Street Rep is easy to travel to by subway, bus or foot. It is a very welcoming place to see great shows.... Read more Read less

See it if you like romantic stories which are totally implausible, but which move you nevertheless, even though the plot is somewhat absurd.

Don't see it if you abhor romantic stories which make you groan with disbelief.

See it if You want to see a disappointing mixture of Chekhov and Williams that has a badly handled. Ending.

Don't see it if You’re looking for a happily ever after.

See it if you'd enjoy a 2hr well-written & well-performed drama, depicted in real-time (1981) & in "medicated" flashbacks, w/various minor characters.

Don't see it if you prefer clear & concise linear plays. If your mind wanders, &/or you're uncomfortable w/actors playing various roles, it ain't your show.

Also Honored to meet playwright Jerry Small that nite.

The dizzying back & forth is near perfection. Even the constant scene changes, done in semi-darkness by 1 (!!!) stagehand, added to the dizzying memory-play.

Unfortunately, leading lady Leenya Rideout didn't do it for me. She's well-directed & spot-on in her 1950's portrayal of old-Hollywood "Kathleen", but it felt like a carbon-copy of 2 of Kristen Wiig's SNL characters: Lilia ("dont make me sing") & Mindy Grayson (from "Secret Word"). She was hard to sit thru.

Can't say enough about John Zdrojeski ("Richard"). He has a powerful breakdown in Act I (as an innocent/boyish 20yr old) that's jarringly believable. "Richard" is dizzying, w/his hormonal battle vs his faith. His arc is amazing (not only on paper), especially 25yrs later in Act II.

Jay Russel is extraordinary, skillfully covering FIVE minor roles... sweat, mean, cynical, self-assured, manipulative... 3 of which are brought to life in flashbacks. Dizzying, but a master-class.... Read more Read less

See it if you want an story that nicely moves from current time to memory scenes. Nice love story.

Don't see it if you can't stand "smoke". Lots of herbal cigarette smoking throughout the show and gets annoying in the small theatre.

See it if you're interested in a thought-provoking depiction of lost love. Much discussion of religious values. Quite enjoyable, but a bit overlong.

Don't see it if you're uncomfortable with talk of dying, sex, religion.

See it if You are very patient; there’s no drama until 5 minutes before intermission.

Don't see it if Pacing, characters that rise above stereotypes, and exploration of ideas beyond naming them matter to you.

Also Seems like a draft that has potential but is currently soporific. Needs severe editing. Watching writers write is not drama. Cut cut cut until you hit a vein. Mannered lead performance doesn’t help.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a brilliant, sad, romantic story, about a famous Hollywood playwright and a young hopeful writer set in 2 time periods.

Don't see it if you wouldn't enjoy a show about an adulteress Hollywood personality w/terminal cancer, some explicit profanity, or anti-religious dicussion

Also Great story, well-acted show. Keeps you rooting for a happy ending

See it if you like great acting, that might even bring tears to your eyes.

Don't see it if Do you want a light fluffy show.

See it if You like to see a great performance,story about a terminally ill cancer patient from Hollywood and her encounter with an aspiring playwright

Don't see it if You dont like to be in a small theater, to see an old romantic story, hear about religion, celibacy, cancer patient, ethanusia, priesthood

Also What a stellar performance, 2 hours (with 15 min intermission) gone in a flash. The story about an old Hollywood playwright’s dying wish come to a halt wt a knock on her door, someone from her past (25 years ago ) appeared on her doorstep, and pandora’s box opened. The reveal was brought with such great acting that you wished there were more to this story.... Read more Read less

See it if Want good writing and good acting.

Don't see it if You don't like melodrama

See it if You like a small expertly trained cast weave through an intriguing, fast-paced drama set in two times and placed 25 years apart. Great play.

Don't see it if You find end-of-life stories too depressing to handle, don't like straight plays or can't stand fine acting in a tiny historic theater.

See it if you like dramas where mismatched characters yearn for each other but cannot overcome the hurdle that keeps them apart

Don't see it if you don't like plots that rely on a lot of "coincidence"; you like a big splashy production; you'd rather go to a musical vs a quiet drama

Also Act I was more effective than Act 2, filled with tension, conflict, sass, and humor.

I'm not going to spoil it for others by revealing the ending - - however, let's just say it requires a great deal of the willing suspension of disbelief.

For all the play's flaws, I enjoyed most of Act 1.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested on themes of death and and assisted suicide. And a love story across many years.

Don't see it if you are triggered by themes of assisted suicide and a lot of cigarette smoke.

See it if a tale about a conflicted young man and an older woman meeting 25 years after their initial meeting intrigues you

Don't see it if you don't like soap operas or you are not sympathetic to euthanasia

See it if You like a romantic film noir type of play with good acting and writing.

Don't see it if You don’t like romantic themes with a lot of conversation.

See it if Keeps you engaged with great acting and you keep wanting to know what happens next.

Don't see it if I completely bought into the first act, but you really had to suspend disbelief for the second act.

See it if Into Nostalgic love story with great performance by Leenya Rideout. First act a bit long but the second makes up for it

Don't see it if You do not like soapy love stories

See it if You like romantic modern plays

Don't see it if You like deep plays

See it if you enjoy a novel take on a loving relationship between two very different people, with a plot full of surprises.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy character-driven plays about the complexity of human relationships.

See it if You want to be entertained by good acting but do not expect a great production

Don't see it if you only enjoy really professional productions.

Also Lead actress and actor were quite good in their roles.terrific, Story, (especially the ending) was not totally believable.... Read more Read less

See it if Very well acted story of life and death. Nice stage design. Story never drags. Cozy small theater. Realistic.

Don't see it if You don't agree one should have their final wishes carried out, regardless of your mindset. You're not up for a 2 hour drama.

Also Interesting side note about 13th Street Theater. Their concession stand was bottles of water on a table with a bucket for suggested donations of $1. That was nice. The seating is not assigned so get toward front of line if you want to get your choice of seat. I don't think there any bad seats though.... Read more Read less