Cry Havoc! NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (85)
See it if you like to see the world thru another's eyes. Wolfert (w/Tucker's help) makes you deeply feel his triumphs and sorrows. Shakespeare shines.
Don't see it if you like light entertainment. CH is sad (even tragic) material. But to hear WS's words used powerfully in modern context is thrilling.
See it if you or someone you know has ever served in the military, you enjoy one person shows, you like shows that touch on poignant current issues
Don't see it if the topics of PTSD & the military don't interest you, you don't like one person shows, you're not in favor of second act interactions
See it if Wolfert's heartfelt solo play about his experiences in the army interwoven with Shakespearean excerpts leaves one both dazed & unsettled
Don't see it if Shakespeare's prose not readily integrated with Wolfert's military exploits thus confusing at times Tucker's manic pacing also harms intent
See it if You want a personal story combined w/history & theatre exploring the training of the military & the harsh transition back to regular life.
Don't see it if You're not interested in military stories or depictions of war. You don't like one-performer shows.
See it if You want to see a fantastic performance about an important topic.
Don't see it if If you don't want to think. It is a serious play about combat veterans and their outlook and problems. Read more
See it if you want to see one of the best one-man shows of the season. Wolfert takes us on a captivating journey based on his own experience.
Don't see it if you do not like one-man plays.
See it if you want to see a seamless interweaving of perfectly rhythmic Shakespeare with intensely personal and controversial material on War and PTSD
Don't see it if you dont like personal stories, dont like emotional performances including tears, you prefer not to hear the reality of the cost of war. Read more
See it if you want to see one of the better solo performances to come along in quite a while. It could be further edited, though.
Don't see it if solo performances are not your thing.
Critic Reviews (11)
"A full-bore autobiographical solo with a meddling co-writer named Shakespeare...Wolfert is a puckish performer with a lithe build...Throughout, he peppers this material with lines from Shakespeare, a lot of them. And that’s a problem...Mostly the iambs gum up his own story...After Wolfert concludes his monologue...stagehands create a ring of chairs and the audience circles up for a combination of talk-back and group therapy...This coda is affecting, also protracted and self-congratulatory."
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"'Cry Havoc!' is a piece with theatrical roots, and Shakespeare aficionados will certainly appreciate the angle of interpretation that Wolfert presents. But he and his director, Eric Tucker, have created a play whose purpose distinctly veers from the artistic and toward the edifying...While this is a valid use of theater, patrons should know going in that they're more likely to receive a masterful TED Talk about the psychological ramifications of war than a crafted work of art."
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“It begins with the actor Stephan Wolfert presenting his improbable and thoroughly gripping life story…But in the switchover between acts, he surrenders the power of his narrative to create a kind of ad hoc group therapy session, which undercuts the power of his own best work…Anyway, the first act, under Tucker's direction, is consistently gripping, although there are a few passages in which Wolfert could dial down the energy level; at times his intensity threatens to become exhausting.”
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“'Cry Havoc!' cries out to be seen because of the wrenching immediacy brought to its issues via the remarkable performance of Wolfert, a 50-year-old Iraq combat vet...Standing in a totally unadorned black space,...his sleek, dancer's body dressed only in a black T-shirt and dark gray slacks, Wolfert...is the embodiment of ‘the complete actor’...After you leave 'Cry Havoc!,' you'll never look at a homeless man with an ‘I'm a vet. Please help’ sign the same way again.”
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"One of the most compelling one-man shows you’ll see in quite some time...Peppering his story with beautifully performed soliloquies and speeches from Shakespeare’s most powerful plays, Wolfert recounts his discovery of the power of the Bard...It’s also his tremendous command and love of Shakespeare that most certainly furthers his program. One cannot help but be brought in by his infectious passion for the work.."
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"Powerful theater can ensue when an artist simply, or not so simply, decides to bear witness...Stephan Wolfert commits himself body and soul to that mission in 'Cry Havoc!’, and the result is riveting...Wolfert delivers a dynamic and physically expressive performance...He emphasizes the timeless universality of the soldier’s experience...Wolfert also makes demands on the audience. In particular, he forces us to think about our responsibility to and for the vets."
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"At once intensely personal while, at the same time, it reaches out not only to veterans in need but to a broader community that, Wolfert insists, needs to understand the plight of veterans and come to their aid...Wolfert meaningfully and seamlessly weaves various soliloquies from Shakespeare into his narrative, a technique that, in less skillful hands, would be little more than pretentious gimmickry. Wolfert is a galvanic, at times frenzied, performer with a captivating personality."
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"It is harrowing, hilarious and uplifting. On a bare stage, different worlds come alive by Wolfert’s storytelling and sound effects that he orally mimics...Wolfert’s performance is a high-powered and tender portrayal of a man who has escaped from a dysfunctional, alcoholic family that tried to stifle his creative fires. As his story unfolds he grabs our emotions and challenges our intellect. It is a performance not to be missed."
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