Brecht on Brecht NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (25)
See it if you would like to hear how relevant a famous voice from theater's past can sound in our own dark days.
Don't see it if you are looking for a full play & a revue just won't do. Read more
See it if Great for Brecht fans AND newbies. Energetic young troupe imparts Brecht's style and flavor. Terrific Mack the Knife and Surabaya Johnny
Don't see it if Brecht 's songs are so compelling and atmospheric. Makes you wish there was another "Threepenny Opera" coming soon. Well done
See it if You appreciate an inventive approach to classic material with excellent performances.
Don't see it if You only like traditional theater Read more
See it if Even if one is unaware of the talent and variety of brecht This will help you to be introduced to the life and talent of this man
Don't see it if You prefer shows with extensive scenery or glitz or are uncomfortable Is seeing performers with disabilities
See it if Great efforts by the TBYB group. A well thought out play regarding Bertolt Brecht life & works. Would love to see them do Three Penny Opera!
Don't see it if You are not familiar with Brecht’s work or like traditional linear narrative.
See it if you want to delight in a mostly 20-something (some college students) very talented cast who fearlessly take on Brecht. Very well done ...
Don't see it if you would be bothered by not "getting" everything that Brecht puts forward in his words and thoughts.
See it if you are open to an interesting concept. It's described as a 'theatrical collage' and that is exactly what you get.
Don't see it if you're put off by collages. They can be a bit abstract and ambiguous but usually contain some wonderful elements. Read more
See it if you like an intelligent show that uses both the songs and poetry of Brecht to express many of his views. Well cast and effectively staged.
Don't see it if you do not like the music, poetry or views of Brecht even if well done. Read more
Critic Reviews (15)
“The cast is nimble, bright-eyed, and technically skilled...but their collective pleasant, amiable, and at times positively ingratiating manner seems to emanate from a different universe altogether...It's hard to focus on the words, with all the presentational stage business...‘Brecht on Brecht’ offers many pleasures, as long as you understand that occasionally its acting style is out of sync with its terrible, commanding words.”
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"Perhaps unavoidably, 'Brecht on Brecht' often comes across as a series of highly polished auditions, eliciting the hope that, say, someone will actually cast Bryan and Hamel in a full production of 'The Threepenny Opera.' But it's also a stark reminder that many of Brecht's preoccupations should still be ours."
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"The members of the cast do not trust their material...There is little need for histrionics but an overwhelming need for vocal range, rich modulation, and pristine interpretive style – all oddly missing in the performances...Overall, the young cast seems unable to identify with the depth of despair that defines the fiber of Brecht’s weltanschauung...These are dark times. The center is not holding. Perhaps this is not the time for clowning around."
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"Petosa has assembled a likable cast of four central performers...The cast’s youth and likability, however, are sometimes a detriment to the show. On occasion they minimize the incendiary call-to-arms Brecht’s words can provoke...There are moments of profound insight into Brecht’s approach to theater and the significance of science...As the periodic musical numbers reveal, the piece is at its most successful when it slows down and shines the spotlight on individual performers."
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"A monumental work...An adrenaline fueled musical ride through some of Bertolt Brecht’s most powerful observations on social and political fall out...Every fragment, poem, scene, interruption, song in this 'epic theater' piece goads us into becoming present and engaged...Petosa has injected a heightened pace into the work that feels like the surge of energy felt in a mass protest...The ensemble is riveting...They are so vibrant and insanely talented."
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“Petosa chose to present this piece as Story-Theatre-Meets-'Godspell,' with red noses, zooming shopping carts, and other cheerful accouterments. Much of this direction worked...but it didn't quite fit with the stories being told. Another problem is that some of the performers just aren't up to the high-level singing and acting required...Yet there is much here that is worthwhile...Brecht's writing is razor-sharp, insightful...And the cast does acquit itself well on many pieces."
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“An engaging yet uneven presentation...At times, the show seems overly frenetic with a false frivolity. When the cast enters and tosses their music on the floor and dons clown noses the pace of the show races unnecessarily so. Then, suddenly, the action falls as a more quiet pieces like 'Nanna's Lied/Songs About My Mother,' begin without real transition. The hyperactivity dilutes the fire of Brecht's activism."
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“The performers do not seem to be coming out of deep, radical experience. ‘Brecht On Brecht’ demands a knowledge of harsh life, his canon, as well as the ability to give oneself over completely to the discordant material...The young, well-trained cast...excel most in musicality and they are clear in voice...But the edge is largely missing. No matter the quality of the ensemble...there is a difference between the singer’s voice and an actor’s art—and adapting both...is no small challenge.”
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