Emma & Max

See it if A delusional nanny is terminated w/ consequence. Solondz doesn't sacrifice his dark & quirky sensibilities for the stage.Great scene changes

Don't see it if The long final 5-minute monologue drags.For a satire of race & class, the point is well taken for scene changes in character, but belaboured

See it if you want to see stereotypes of all 4 characters onstage and a bad treatment of a terrible tragedy.

Don't see it if you don't want to see stereotypes of characters. The topic is very dark and the play is essentially three monologues.

See it if Enjoy quirky dialogue with characters that one loves to hate and others we feel sympathetic towards. Great use of space and staging.

Don't see it if Need a full story with an arc versus separate scenes that tie together.

See it if you are a big fan of Todd Solondz, I suppose. Or if you want to see four actors try valiantly to make the show work. The set is attractive.

Don't see it if you like dialogue. This show is basically three long monologues with some lines between them. The pace is really slow due to scene changes.

See it if Good play about racism .

Don't see it if You want light fare.

See it if You want to see one of our leading chroniclers of suburbia extend his reach to the stage. You like dark satiric takes on society.

Don't see it if You have a hard time detecting satire -- or do not like commentary where all sides are shown to be problematic.

See it if you enjoy shows with a heavy set element, including projections; you enjoy shows that don't have linear or very clear plot lines

Don't see it if you don't enjoy heavy drama, triggered by child endangerment

Also This was no a very cohesive piece and there isn't much to take away, but there are some interesting concepts and the performers are strong... Read more Read less

See it if you're a Todd Solondz fan and want to see what he does in another medium

Don't see it if you're expecting a heartfelt and affecting comedy. This thing gets uncomfortably dark in the final segment.

Also The actors were excellent -- great to see Matt Servitto on stage -- he's been in so many excellent cable series -- and there's one projection effect that (I'm sure) gets an audience "ooooh" at every performance.... Read more Read less

See it if You’re a fan of The Flea.

Don't see it if You don’t like two-dimensional treatment of race relations.

Also I like Mr. Solondz films. This play is not likable. It lacks smarts and nuance. He fails to balance his quirky treatment of the characters with the enormous tragedy he unfolds. The result feels trivial at best, and tragic at its worst. It’s hard to escape the real events this play alludes to. And because he chose to play with race and privilege tropes, the whole thing feels like a cheap exploitation flick.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to look at race and class issues from a lot of different angles

Don't see it if You dislike long monologues and a potentially confusing plot

See it if you're a fan of this filmmaker and you absolutely need to know if he can make theatre. (i'll save you the time, see below)

Don't see it if you're up for a painful & long-winded monologue-heavy rehashing of racial stereotypes that fails to shed light on any of the real issues.

See it if you like dark plays infused with Todd Solondz's style of humor and unique perspective.

Don't see it if you expect something that has the substance and weight of Solondz's more successful films. This felt more like re-treaded material.

Also I admire Todd Solondz as a filmmaker, but felt that this play needed development. A play, unlike a screenplay, can not so easily have its flaws masked by music and ambiance, and this was an example - especially the deadeningly long transitions, which added about 12 minutes to the play's short running time. There was also far too much reliance on monologue and not enough on dialogue so that the story could move forward and, thus, incur more engagement.... Read more Read less

See it if You're curious about the filmmaker's theater debut (or a big fan of his), or you can't get enough of satires of overentitled affluent whites

Don't see it if You don't like plays that consist more of monologues than dialogue. You've had enough of satires of overentitled affluent whites.

Also I wish the story were told with more "back & forth" (dialogue, interaction between characters) rather than a monologue by the white woman, then a monologue by the white man, then a monologue by the black woman. It made for unsatisfying storytelling, and I got confused in the last scene about how much was true or just surreal.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy dramas about class issues and racism.

Don't see it if you're looking for a light evening at the theater.

See it if You like racially tone deaf, offensive plays. Shame cause the actors are brilliant & wasted on this terrible play with TERRIBLE transitions.

Don't see it if just don’t see it. Look out for when these great actors are in something else And support them in that.

See it if you think that Todd Solondz can do no wrong, just to prove that he very much can.

Don't see it if you want to keep liking the Flea Theatre, which almost always has compelling and meaningful productions.

Also I've loved Solondz's films, and I was excited to see what he'd do on stage. This was like he had a few monologues laying around and strung them together into something like a play. Indulgent, fake-edgy, and dull. The actors tried, but they couldn't overcome a turgid script and dull direction.... Read more Read less

See it if You like dystopic dramas with mordant humor performed in an intimate setting.

Don't see it if You like spectacle.

See it if you like a sharp and incisive view on contemporary life

Don't see it if you are worried about social mores

See it if You’re interested in compelling and powerful ideas about identity and race. Smart staging.

Don't see it if You’re looking for tired ideas about race and identity.

See it if you enjoy being totally involved in a wrenchingly emotional experience. Zonya Love is riveting in the main role.

Don't see it if you want fluffy entertainment.

See it if You want to see something memorable. Incredible play. Must see.

Don't see it if You don’t want to be moved

See it if you are interested in seeing contemporary depictions of race relations in the US.

Don't see it if you want what is being said about race relations to be consistently powerful or insightful.

Also Anyone interested in theatrical depictions of current race relations in the US will want to see “Emma & Max.” That’s why I’ve scored it this highly; I think it ultimately fails. The acting is very strong. The scenography is occasionally breathtaking—though some choices also seem to box the “action”—overwhelmingly talking—in, & require long, conceptually rooted scene changes that come to feel demeaning of the very character they (probably) want to humanize, even nobilize. The white characters are too flat & vapid to be tolerated for the length of time we have to hear them go on—though Solondz connects with lots of laugh-out-loud satirical zingers. And the characters of color are too long silent or fully absent from the stage to emerge as human beings until the play’s final powerful but also incongruous scene. For me it was too late to save the play, but I don’t for a moment regret seeing this serious effort to look at the consequences of race- & sex-based exploitation in the US today.... Read more Read less

See it if you like dark, dark, dark satire about race and are fine with political correctness being thrown out the window (where it belongs).

Don't see it if if you are looking for explosive drama or laugh out loud comedy. This show is very quiet and introspective, but smart and funny.

See it if You want to see some truly TRULY fine acting, like comedic dramas and enjoy shows that take on current issues.

Don't see it if It’s mostly monologues (with interjections from other actors,) quiet but intense and about race. If that doesn’t interest you, stay home.

See it if You are clinically insane

Don't see it if You have a heart and a brain

Also This is a terrible monetizarion on a real tragedy that happened in our city several years ago. Why the author decided to depict a grieving couple as evil incarnated, is beyond me. Frankly, if I were those people, I’d sue the theater. The whole show is insensitive, cliched and just awful.... Read more Read less