Fur

See it if Cruz's intense study in carnal obsession is both fascinating & frustrating Well acted with an arresting set help create a seductive universe

Don't see it if Allegory, metaphor & a telenovela, oh my!! It's density & deliberate obtuseness hinder any cogent understanding Possibly that's the point...

See it if you admire earlier work of this playwright or this company & would like to see it all.

Don't see it if you don’t care to look in on a bizarre love triangle that just reinforces gender stereotypes & takes a very long, tedious time doing it.

Also I loved an earlier production by this company, but not “FUR”. The reason I have rated this long, muddy, exasperating production as highly as I do is because of Monica Steuer’s uncannily good performance at the core of this unhappy love triangle. Think King Kong switches gender & goes underground. “FUR” manages to be both creepily weird (not necessarily a bad thing) & enforce age-old gender stereotypes at the same time.... Read more Read less

See it if you are curious about this curious show in which a man buys the woman he wants to marry and keeps her in a cage.

Don't see it if constancy of action is important to you. A lot of events in this production don't follow logically.

See it if You're up for a simultaneously dark, disturbing, somewhat creepy and funny meditation on unrequited love, the Other & what it is to be human

Don't see it if You've a weak stomach, are a prude; don't like love stories, Grand Guignol, Freaks or Beatles songs all well-mixed by a terrific cast & co.

Also It's surprising that a play so well-written, so layered and so well executed by cast and crew is scoring so low here. While it's true that it's not for everyone—its language and visuals are at times pretty graphic, possibly triggering, unsettling and disturbing (and isn't it terrific that theatre can still elicit so visceral a response?)—it’s rare to come across a play so rich in metaphor and possibility.

At root, the themes are universal: unrequited love, obsession, survival, insecurity, ideas of beauty, self-worth, womanhood; dig deeper: ideas of belief/religion/mythology come up—is that St Michael and The Beast? Is Nena (translates as girl) Eve or maybe Artemis, the goddess of the moon? Says Citrona, the Beast: "I’m a moon and I want to orbit you."

Like truffles, one’s first taste of whiskey or John Waters & his work, the rewards of Fur aren’t immediately apparent, but are worth seeking out and the discussion afterwards. Stuer, Ortiz & Bolero are a terrific ensemble. Kudos all.... Read more Read less

See it if you're looking for somewhere to take a nap.

Don't see it if you're looking for even a mildly entertaining show

See it if you enjoy dark, joyless, apocalyptic settings and experiences. Tried hard to find meaning at any level and failed

Don't see it if you don't want to have to see a really good actor stuck in a cage in a distracting fur suit

Also Honestly I love this theater and there must be some reason they put on this poorly written play. Wish I could have discovered it.... Read more Read less

See it if Unusual premise and bizarre.

Don't see it if You don’t like an edgy and sexual of norm play, you should skip.

See it if you're intrigued to see decent actors try to give life and depth to an often outright painful script. An interesting set is enough for you.

Don't see it if you're not obligated. I simply could not get over how disjointed and stilted the script is and I cannot help but wonder why it's being done.

See it if You enjoy going to plays even if they are not popular

Don't see it if You like musicals and comedies

See it if I didn’t know what to expect but I was surprised. It’s weird but somehow, because the actors are good, they gave me a way to connect.

Don't see it if It is a strange sexual relationship between three people? And may just be too bizarre

See it if you like dark post-apocalyptic explorations, and don't mind the playwright going off on poetic riffs having nothing to do with these people

Don't see it if you like linear plays with clear easily comprehensible characters and stories

See it if You'd like a nap.

Don't see it if Just don't see it.

See it if You are friends with the playwright/cast. Go if you’re an aspiring writer and think you’ll never get produced. There is always an audience.

Don't see it if If you like cohesive story telling and compelling acting. The writing left a lot to be desired. Very disjointed and indulgent. Hard pass.

Also Really friends, this was a rough one. Never mind the no intermission that prevents making an escape, or the lack of story continuity, but this production felt about an hour too long.

The dialogue was so disjointed that it felt like the actors were speaking mostly in quotations and acting at us rather than living through anything.

Indulgent. Incoherent. Virtually unfollowable (made up a word, I’m sure the playwright did too one several occasions...it worked for Billy Shakes, this not so much).

I give the actors a pass because they had very poor material to work with. The tech element was nice and minimal and I did love the musical scoring. But I took this one for the team so you don’t have to. Don’t say you’re old pal Dodger didn’t warn ya.... Read more Read less

See it if If you care what you see on stage. Painful... cannibalism, confusing plot.

Don't see it if If you respect your time. This was painful to watch. 145 with no break and a story that made no sense.

See it if you enjoy interesting concepts I thought this one had promise but i found little to praise beyond the sound, lights and hard working actors

Don't see it if you want a cohesive story that holds your interest. Fur costume was more distracting than beneficial to the character. Love/sex unbelievable

See it if Caged feral Beatles-luvin' she-beast, Beauty, finds desire at the centre of an absurdist pet shop luv triangle. Caged! Two hours w/o break.

Don't see it if Too mundane to be provocative or particularly lingering. When it could be deep & metaphorical, it veers out "I'm a moon,I want to orbit you"

Also "I hate when the world changes/It changes all the time/I hate the world/If my fingers get too close to my hands, I may have to bite them off/He's bought the love of a freak/Are you one of them?"... Read more Read less

See it if You like stories that involve ridiculous characters and an over the top plot

Don't see it if It will bother you that this has no flow. Everyone will agree this is way too long

Also The play starts out with one of the characters showing sideshow banners on a wall. I am obsessed with the old-school sideshow and got very excited. After the first 30 seconds things started to go downhill. If I explain this to someone in a few seconds I may sound like I like it. If this was done as a 20 minute one act play it may have worked. I thought it was interesting how they tried to work the comedy in and there were parts where it fit. For dragging and dragging it had no ending... Read more Read less

See it if This will repel many but will appeal to a certain niche audience. Some funny jokes. Desire between women > any hetero desire.

Don't see it if Sounds like erotica written by 14-year olds. Too florid, missing the charge of suggestiveness. Hard to pinpoint the least embarrassing part.

Also The production is good, but you have to be prepared to bear a lot of effortful dirty talk, a lot of open begging. Explicit dominance and submission fantasies. Implication that sexual power is the only power that matters? (Looking around, I beg to differ.)

Staff at NYTW is so friendly.... Read more Read less

See it if your a fan of things like Plan 9, Rocky Horror and Sharknado. It is so bad it could become cult "good".

Don't see it if you want a coherent story, that doesn't go from seriousness to banility in the same sentence

Also A "children's" story about sexual fetish - not that any two of the three characters have the same fetish.

Maybe the audience could throw dead rabbits (could be stuffed), sex books and sand onto the stage, while coming dressed as Barnum sideshow characters.... Read more Read less

See it if you're a Migdalia Cruz devotee; you are okay with a complicated plot that never completely gels

Don't see it if you want performances or direction that can help you navigate this unnecessarily complex plot. The world isn't sufficiently built, and the

Also relationships don't feel earned.

See it if A futuristic world with a love triangle that has pathos and intensity but much violence and raunchy sexuality including beastiality

Don't see it if Very slow-paced and intense drama between three characters with one in a cage the whole time, violence and sex very conflated,

Also Seems to be a metaphor for something, but the intensity, pathos and overall agony is not for many. The plot was confusing as well as dizzying, with very little action occurring, and what little there was violent and disturbing. A short passage​ entirely in Spanish may frustrate as well.... Read more Read less

See it if your best friend is involved in "Fur"; you like to support indie theatre; you're intrigued by side-show characters -- like the Bearded Lady

Don't see it if you like well-made plays w/ snappy, memorable dialogue, relatable characters, or a traditional narrative arc; you enjoy happy endings

Also In Cruz's woeful, jejune, stillborn 80-min. mash-up, "Beauty & the Beast" meets "The Collector" (1963 novel by John Fowles) -- though stripped of the French fairytale's allegorical charm or the ironic-absurdist fatalism of Fowles' Kafkaesque novel.

Fairytales and beast-fables often use physical ugliness as an allegorical device in service of a moral. Ex: In "Beauty & the Beast," a magic spell turns an arrogant prince into the hideous furry Beast -- until he learns to love and be lovable.

"Fur" is free of allegorical tropes. Citrona (Monica Steuer), afflicted with acute hirsutism, is kidnapped, caged & fed live animals by Michael (Danny Bolero), hoping "Beauty" will come to love him.

In Scene 1, before we see Citrona, Nena (Ashley Marie Ortiz) has fallen head over heels in lust with Michael, who spends 80-min. rebuffing Nena, then using her as a willing servant to hunt small prey to nourish Citrona.

The minutes crept by very slowly.... Read more Read less

See it if Oddest of oddball love triangles featuring an animal collector & his prize possession: A Woman covered head to toe with Hair. Not for all??

Don't see it if Adventurous auds only, especially Beatles fans with ideas about copyright infringement. Bald people may feel jealous of the constructed 1zee

Also There are several scenes inolving the eating of raw animals (stuffed ones with jelly or some such hidden inside to make weak stomachs queasy). Still, if you're tired of the same old seance-female empowerment plays going up around town then this ribald tale might be up your alley. Special kudos to the actor playing the hairy woman (a very hot costume for sure) plus having to eat a lot of gross stuff off the floor.... Read more Read less

See it if You like highly symbolic dark comedies on the themes of lust, unrequited love, and fetishization.

Don't see it if If you are not into the exploration of kinky ideas or do not liKe the idea of magical realism melted into dark comedies

Also I totally get the reviews but I enjoyed the show. It is a dark comedy version of a magical realism story. The three characters all lust for something, either unattainable or horrifying if attained. My guess is more would be revealed on multiple viewings. I am very open to dark themes and I laughed continually, a better person may connect less.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to seat trough almost two excruciating hours of total nonsense action about a “ surreal “ love triangle.

Don't see it if You want to see a play with some meaning, any kind of meaning. This one is a total train wreck and don’t get me started with the acting.