Cry Havoc! NYC Reviews and Tickets

"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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"In the play, Wolfert often calls on the words of Shakespeare to present the next phase of his story, or to express in glorious tones the inglorious world he has occupied. He moves freely and conveniently between these two worlds...Wolfert is a dynamic performer, a compelling storyteller, and a consummate actor and mime...The play moves swiftly and even the hardest narrative is treated with patience...There is such a directness in all this that it is a marvel."
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"A captivating and powerful one-man show...While much of this play is heavy with turmoil, Wolfert does add humor to break up the emotional roller coaster he is taking the audience on. These real-life stories of war and its aftereffects are vividly told, and with seemingly boundless energy, physically acted out by Wolfert in a way that no other actor could do with the same authenticity and passion. This play is unique, honest, compelling and poignantly relevant to today’s world...A must see!"
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"Wolfert interweaves excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays ripped from their context more or less appropriately, yet always making a powerful point. His point is war, war and the pity of war. War and what it does to its warriors...Wolfert’s 'Cry Havoc' does seem to call on us to do something, to act, to walk out of the theater with more than an empathetic catharsis under our belt...Both his message and his performance are more than worth the attention he commands."
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