Beowulf

See it if you would like to see a stand-up routine with sharp musical accompaniment take on the oldest of English language classics.

Don't see it if you are expecting fidelity to the source text.

Also I found "Beowulf" a delight from beginning to end, & so did the audience packed around me in the small downstairs cabaret space at Soho Playhouse. Sam Gibbs of Autojeu Theatre, who tackles the text part of the show & embodies over the course of 50 minutes a dozen or more characters, is a gifted physical comedian with a strong voice & a wide vocal range. Though he dresses faux primitive, his anachronistic behavior is more often than not totally today. And yet, as he brought to life a series of beings, human & other, with us all sitting tightly around him & hanging on to his every word & gesture, I thought more than once about the origins of theater, how somehow characters emerge from a story that is being told to take on a living, breathing existence of their own. The live music by 1-man band Pete Buffery is a full partner here & lots of fun in its own right, making this production a small scale, intimate example of total theater.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy modern takes on classic tales. You like shows w/small production values. You have some familiarity w/Beowulf.

Don't see it if You want a consistent style: it varies between serious, which works, & a silly, nightclub vibe, which doesn't. You prefer big productions.

See it if You like fun and inventive tellings of mythology and Norse legends.

Don't see it if Want a serious telling of Beowulf. Dont like small staging.

See it if You loved or hated Beowulf in high school, and you appreciate a fun fast-paced take on the story - also if you like Monty Python style humor

Don't see it if You hate solo shows or British accents.