Days to Come

See it if you like examining issues fr diff angles (the strike: corp boss, factry workers, union organizer, scabs). Although somewhat clunky, DTC...

Don't see it if has moments of insight. It dwells heavily on romance; needs signif cuts. Mostly well-acted. Never gels, but some strengths . Polished prodn.

See it if If you like Lillian Hellman. Not like Children's Hour or Little Foxes. It's slow, great set. Some good acting.

Don't see it if If you want fast paced story. To many character actors, slow and ending g was horrible.

See it if Early Hellman, well acted w/ a solid (but stiff) staging struggles to find its tone. Wildly melodramatic despite serious political themes

Don't see it if Often plodding in both writing & staging While Hellman's plotlines are all akimbo, her strong moral certitude & vigor are firmly in place

See it if see more

Don't see it if see more

Also The Mint at West 43rd had hte best sets of any theater company. After the move still # 1 in the City for sets. but 2nd to the old site.
Some of the cast a bit disappointing. wonder if the long run is a factor?
Some sound projections factor.

Great tale of the thirties as the depression ensues.

Seems a mi match for company owner and his wife.

Great sings at intermission

Good choice for theater site after other attempts Stick with it.

One oddity at a recent performance. On upper level there seemed to be a radio or TV playing.

Lilian Hellman always entertains... Read more Read less

See it if classic well made plays are your thing this is for you. Characters responses create a plot combining political & social observations.

Don't see it if you prefer experimental structure or something fluffy. There is an over the top comic character but the actress fails to play her full out.

See it if Hellman gets polemic in the Mint revival of labour strife. Drawing room drama unfolds with great set. Seldom-seen Lillian.

Don't see it if Both playwright and The Mint have proffered better.

See it if About Labor and strike. Factory plant owner and workers not meeting a deal. Changing Friendships.

Don't see it if You looking for a musical, fast paced.

Also This is during a the early days of Unions and how companies hired people to stop the Unions from coming in. The company own family and friend cannot facing what going on. They cannot face themselves with the true about each other.... Read more Read less

See it if you like a well balanced representation of the conflict between Labor and Management. Excellent writing and acting.

Don't see it if you expect a play favoring the Labor movement. This play is sympathetic to both side's views and the characters are realistically played.

Also I can see why some of Ms Hellman's fans were disappointed in this play. Things are not always black and white and this play shows sympathetic characters on both sides. In addition there are side characters who meddle for their own reasons, also well played.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a huge Hellmann fan and have not seen this play. You enjoy plays about the have and the have nots when they clash over social issues

Don't see it if You have no patience with plays that move very slowly and in which the climax is less than thrilling. This is an early play of Ms. Hellmann’

Also and only hints at the powerhouse significant playwright she will become.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a Lillian Hellman fan and appreciate the early attempt at an interesting subject/play.

Don't see it if You want a well written play.

See it if fan of period pieces, Mint Theatre & Lillian Hellman, talented character actors dive into 1930s drama, what can be done with a former flop

Don't see it if need musical 2 brighten your day, despise Lillian Hellman like many do, don't want 2 be confronted with political issues, would rather sleep

See it if Even handed treatment of townspeople: factory owners, workers, service people, and union organizer. Strike breakers not so much.

Don't see it if You don’t like depression era issues of wealth/poverty, labor/strike, economic, friendship & personal problems with ambiguous resolution.

See it if you like period pieces.I love Hellman, but this play is dull.Plot is predictable.Acting is bland.Play drags.

Don't see it if you were looking for an interesting show about labor relations, class warfare, etc.This had the potential for that but didn't get there.

See it if You like depression era plays, The Little Foxes, Hellman in general. Labor issues in a family biz. Lovely sets, delineating action.

Don't see it if Any of the above fails to entice. It is slow and talky. Extremely uneven acting.

Also I kept thinking of Little Foxes (the film version). The factory owner felt like a plangent George Brent. The wife an under/overwrought Bette Davis. The lawyer/lover needed a major dose of spine and menace. The housekeeper
was taxed with representing us, the audience and she was the most disappointing for me. She gave me no ethical center for the play. The evil strike busters were so formulaic they felt like parodies (in an otherwise legit play) until they weren't.
The emotional center of the play, the death of a child, which is supposed to trigger the resolution/evolution barely registers which I suppose is the saddest thing. Her father is unable to ramp up his already hopeless, helpless characterization and so the moment is lost.
Finally, the labor leader was the most interesting of the roles and was often the best acted.
I felt removed from this play. It never engaged me, but I was interested in knowing what would happen and the
acting was intresting.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of Lillian Hellman and The Mint productions. Until now I liked every Mint show I saw.

Don't see it if unrealistic characters, stilted dialogue and silly plots drive you crazy.

See it if a seldom-performed Hellman play exposing a budding playwright finding her footing in American Drama appeals to you; a fan of Hellman's work.

Don't see it if seeking new, edgy works that are tightly-written & focused; disinterested in themes of union strikes, scabs, affairs, and spoiled Americans.

Also While Mint Theater Company works are usually early British plays, I enjoyed seeing an American and early Lillian Hellman work. Days to Come (1936) is Hellman’s second play; some elements don’t always come together. It’s as if Hellman struggled to create something profound by thrusting together too many ideas (a Union strike! A knife fight! A detached wife who takes long walks at night! A meddlesome sister who feels kin to Tennessee Williams’ Mae/Sister-Woman! A busybody cook! Poverty! Wealth!). I enjoyed the sumptuous and creative staging, though, and found the actors naturally stirring in their roles. A second act scene in a Union Office (which reminded me of a newsroom set for The Front Page) has a tight, tense focus with a bit of claustrophobia (and the dark-and-stormy-night flair for further heightened drama) that, despite all these cliché elements, really coalesces nicely into a well-paced, thought-provoking, and revelatory exchange between two figures. Overall, the time flew by.... Read more Read less

See it if Classic Hellman with an excellent cast. An exploration of a family in crisis in conjunction with a small town labor strike.

Don't see it if Do not see if you perfer a fast moving modern play or a musical.

See it if You want to see a play about a family in Ohio and what happens when there is a labor strike in the company they own and how all are affected

Don't see it if You are not interested in a play about this family and strike breaking.

Also The staging and costumes were amazing. This play was very interesting and there were some funny parts. I think they did a good job in this performance. It was interesting to see how this family dealt with the strike in their company.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in labor, business, family & class conflict and individuals attempting to find happiness but failing to do so.

Don't see it if dislike realistic plays that just miss being realistic, some stereotyped characters, "stilted" dialog, uneven acting and poor direction.

See it if You like plays with positives and negatives of both sides in a small industrial town in the 1930s when a factory was yet to be unionized.

Don't see it if You want a play with a definite preference for one side or the other. Herman shows us good and bad of both factory owners and workers.

Also Reading the Playbill gave me some excellent background that increased my enjoyment of the play and the story. I can see how it would have been quite shocking in its time!... Read more Read less

See it if If you are a devotee of Hellman or women writers, this MAY be of interest. I saw nothing of note here, and frankly fell asleep/left at 1/2.

Don't see it if If you don't care about vintage shows even if they are written by notable playwrights.

See it if you have an interest in societal and labor/management conflicts during the Depression or you're a Hellman completist.

Don't see it if you have a low tolerance for talky plays. This one has too many plot lines, too many characters (some blatant stereotypes).

Also And yet, it held my interest. There are some well-written and well-performed moments.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd enjoy a management VS workers strike & union-themed play. Well-written & performed. Doesn't really take a side, one way or the other.

Don't see it if you want a lite comedy, expect a decisive point of view from the author, & want to be spoon-fed the right or wrong side of the situation.

Also Enjoyed the look, feel & sound of it all...

...like great old-school black & white movies. Near-perfect ensemble delivered that flavor, especially Roderick Hill (union guy "Leo"), Mary Bacon (loony management-family sister "Cora"), understudy Wendy Stetson (house-cook "Hannah"), Chris Coffey (striking worker "Tom"), & Larry Bull (management head-honcho "Andrew").

Excellent music, great lighting, clever use of a hidden side-set, & good sound effects, for the most part (pet-peeves: under-dialing a telephone; inconsistent entrance/exit-door sound-effects).

Strife for all involved is palpable: management struggles to afford supplies & wages; strikers struggle to eat & pay bills; union tries to convince all to stay-put while feebly attempting to negotiate.

Side story-lines include: clandestine extra-marital affairs; personal finances in near-ruin; servant steals food for striking workers; goons squabble then forge con & accuse union guy. Perhaps superfluous in other plays, but not here.... Read more Read less

See it if You like great acting and character development.

Don't see it if You're going to be annoyed by a somewhat predictable plot and less than fulfilling end.

See it if you want to see the 1st play by L. Hellman that shows a piece of Americana with union strikes, & strike breakers affecting family loyalties

Don't see it if you are not interested in period pieces of depression plays that show how a union strike causes destruction to a family & town.