Duat

See it if you like original productions with a cast that works hard to deliver entertainment with meaning.

Don't see it if you purely want to be entertained as this material is well thought out.

See it if you are open to theatrical surprises. The first act is completely unlike the second. Both acts have beautiful singing and poetic writing.

Don't see it if continuity is important to your theatrical experience. There are three deeply varied and only normally connected sections.

See it if The first section is thought-provoking if long with some great talent, the second difficult to understand the vocals, and the final piece...

Don't see it if ...is not nearly as good. Becomes campy and predictable and possibly decent songs are lost in the less successful and tiresome acting.

See it if You have a thing for sentimental growing up homosexual (rather than queer or gay) stories and some fine young performers.

Don't see it if You are not a fan of honeyed music, mannered presentation, a sincere and earnest aesthetic.

See it if you enjoy autobiographical shows, want to see some talented young performers singing.

Don't see it if you want to see a coherent show, lived through the 60s, 70s and 80s yourself, dislike navel grazing.

Also The 2 acts are only loosely joined together. Act one is basically a lecture by the author about his childhood/youth and, frankly, it wasn't all that interesting. That may be in part because I'm older and therefore lived through the Civil Rights era, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, etc, so I wasn't hearing anything new. In the second act the author transforms himself into his favorite (female) teacher running an elementary school pageant, with one of the younger actors playing his childhood self. There was a lot of new music, which again I didn't care for, though it was (almost) all very well sung. The play within a play was as excruciating as elementary school plays usually are.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in a highly original and moving presentation of a mixed-race and homosexual childhood.

Don't see it if You are looking for a linear plot or are uncomfortable with depictions of homosexuality or racial tensions.

Also The story veers from personal revelations through pronouncements by Egyptian gods to a schoolroom pageant in a glorious concatenation. Incredible voices and beautiful prose.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of Daniel "Jomama" Jones and are interested in a bit of his back story.

Don't see it if you are looking for a traditional play with a through plot.

See it if you like both the introspective storytelling staring a queer person of color of the first act and the spectacle of the last

Don't see it if you want the storyline to even resemble something linear

See it if You like clever and unusual writing

Don't see it if If you like " traditional " theater

See it if You want to be utterly confused

Don't see it if You want to be entertained and enjoy theater

See it if You are an adventurous theater-goer

Don't see it if You have trouble following abstract concepts..

See it if you are interested in issues of identity. You enjoy non-linear, thought-provoking theater.

Don't see it if You are uncomfortable exploring various forms of identity including race, gender, and sexuality.

See it if you like hearing from queer, non-white voices, if you enjoy compelling performances, or if you like being a little out of your comfort zone.

Don't see it if you want your story to be completely resolved or if you don't like the breaking of the fourth wall or interaction with performers.

See it if your looking for the downtown theatre experience. Theatre that is cleverly written, creative but challenges the traditional narrative.

Don't see it if If your not comfortable with the gay-themed stories, musically heavy or a text-heavy production.

See it if You want to be completely immersed in a play you know absolutely nothing about. If you like long discussions on "what just happened??"

Don't see it if You prefer straight forward storylines and if you don't like themes around racism and homosexuality.

See it if U like experiments in form, beautifully crafted language, great music, and overall ingenious theatricality

Don't see it if U dont like the above likes or having transcendental moments in the theatre! Just do urself a favor and see this!!

See it if You want to enjoy a night at the theater

Don't see it if you're an over-analyzer

See it if cool themes, great performances, unique personality

Don't see it if confusing and odd plot at times

See it if Autobiographical coming of age of young, gay black man in mid '80's/early 90's. Good performances marred by high concept.

Don't see it if Have difficulty with non-linear, conceptual/philosophical story; feels like a lengthy workshop rather than fully realized work

See it if you're looking to see a super messy show that I guess has something interesting to say but is having a lot of trouble communicating it.

Don't see it if you have a low tolerance for unclear storytelling or uncompelling structure.

See it if Act II has Jones dress in drag as his inspiring teacher. Group songs/dances and poignant. Tells his younger self to be who he is.

Don't see it if Act I drags (1 hour monologue), but stick around since Act II is very entertaining. Show runs 2 hours 15 minutes.

See it if you want to engage in a conversation with your theatre-going companions about this play. Very interesting elements.

Don't see it if you need a linear structure in your plays. Also, if you don't want to think.

Also There are many elements in the play that millennial will not get. Also, I saw the play early in previews, and I hope that they tweak a lot of elements to make the story telling clearer to the
audience.... Read more Read less

See it if You're up for a well acted though uneven meditation on self and sexual identity, time and transformation, with a great musical score.

Don't see it if You don't have patience for 3 acts; need a linear & structured plot; have no interest in gender issues or don't appreciate drag.

See it if you are interested in new queer work.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy new work that often times takes dramaturgical turns that confuse and muddle the trajectory of the piece.

See it if You're game for a non-linear narrative...a fantasia on race and sexuality that is lyrical, poetic, exciting and sorta verges on overwrought.

Don't see it if You want an easy, not particularly challenging evening out at the theater. This is heady and dynamic and overblown in a sometimes good way.