Duke Oldrich & Washerwoman Bozena, the True Story: A Historical Comedye in Three Acts

See it if you are interested enough in the tradition of Czechoslovak puppetry to overlook the fact that the play being presented is poor.

Don't see it if a few lovely musical interludes and 7 handsome puppets are not enough to sustain you through 95 minutes of unengaging script.

Also I loved the music in “DUKE OLDRICH & WASHERWOMAN BOZENA,” but it was intermittent. The 7 puppets were handsome, but rarely used in an interesting way. The hybrid of a costumed puppeteer & a puppet double performing as a single unit was often physically clumsy. The script was confusing and unengaging so that after a short while I gave up trying to figure it out. I wish the 7 puppets & the singer better material next time out.... Read more Read less

See it if you want exposure to Czech puppetry with some interesting puppets and for the musician who plays various instruments and sings very well.

Don't see it if you want an easy to understand story: it was very confusing with some of it hard to hear and some accents difficult in a cavernous space.

See it if you'd enjoy a slice of this traditional & very entertaining art form (I only knew European marionettes from the streets of Spain & Italy).

Don't see it if you want to see a polished presentation, & expect to understand a clear & concise story (especially after a few weeks of performances).

Also For many, marionettes are magical & entertaining.

THAT wasn't enough here. We didn't understand what was going on until about 1hr in, which is a lot of sitting-in-limbo when there's only 30min left in the show. The Playbill talks A TON about the company's history but not about the story. THAT would have helped.

No doubt all of these performers are completely committed to their craft. A bit clumsy @ times tonight, but you can still see & feel the commitment in their delivery, especially those whom performed multiple characters.

The stars of this show should have been the marionettes. Unfortunately, w/the puppeteers dressed in costumes, we couldn't pay strict attention to the marionettes (as you would w/ventriloquist dummies). It was dizzying to follow, in addition to not understanding the story.

The star of the show (no surprise) is Beata Bocek, the amazing singer-musician. At one-point, she plays the flute w/her right hand AND the accordion w/her left, @ the same time. Mesmerizing.... Read more Read less

See it if you love marionettes, you love Czech fairytales, you know the story

Don't see it if you were expecting maybe the Salzburg marionettes

See it if The marionettes are lovely. If that's enough, it's worth seeing. If you need literally anything else, it isn't.

Don't see it if The plot was confusing, the sound was bad, the script was muddled. It was a comedy but unfunny. Everyone was doing their best but it's bad.

See it if You love marionettes & fantastic music...& if the production tightens up. Normally, I adore this company's productions.

Don't see it if You don't like puppets & have no patience to watch a very "loose" production. They need a bit more rehearsal & script editing...

See it if You know someone w/the company & want to support their efforts. Actors worked hard, lots of energy/enthusiasm. Music & marionettes were good

Don't see it if You want a clear story acted out by marionettes. Actors alongside puppets very distracting, puppets seemed secondary. Boring& confusing

See it if You love puppets, and small scale theater in non traditional places. The puppets were real works of art, and the singer was wonderful.

Don't see it if The story and dialogue was hard to follow, and it went on much too long.

See it if you want to experience something different, you have never seen a marionette play before, and/or you're looking for something to do.

Don't see it if sexuality makes you uncomfortable, transgender characters make you uncomfortable, and/or you dislike references to religion.

Also Overall, the play was interesting and the marionettes were pretty cool. The cast was very enthusiastic but I felt that the play was confusing and lacked direction. There were attempts at wittiness but they weren't as effective as they were supposed to be. I had difficulty hearing and understanding the dialogue, which made it hard to fully appreciate the play. All in all, I applaud the cast for their efforts and feel that it could be more successful if the dialogue was spoken more clearly and the plot was better fleshed out.... Read more Read less

See it if You like marionettes and stories based in history that are made relevant for today's politics.

Don't see it if You have trouble hearing dialogue in venues that have less than optimal acoustics or don't like marionettes.

See it if You love to see something different. Celtic singer had a beautiful voice that echoed through the church walls.

Don't see it if You dislike sexual scenes. Cut the creepy pillows & mattress scenes. Im sure the jokes were funny but the dialogues were hard to hear.