High Noon

See it if You want to see an ensemble at their utmost best. True theatre artistry. The imagery is burned into the retina of my mind's eye. Incredible.

Don't see it if You enjoy kitchen sink theatre.

Also Full disclosure, this was my first Axis Company production. Their reputation has always been something that has intrigued me over the years, and I feel there couldn't have been a better way to be introduced to their work than this production of High Noon. This production, conceived by the ensemble of Axis Company and directed by Randy Sharp with brilliant lighting (David Zeffren) Music/Sound Design, (Paul Carbonara) Costumes (Karl Ruckdeschel) & Set (Chad Yarborough) is a visual feast. Then there is the staging, direction & acting. From the moment you submerge yourself into the subterranean theatre, you are inside the energy & urgency of this piece. The layers of life happening on stage are exquisite. I was dumbfounded by the depth of character by the entire ensemble and the stylized choices made to propel this story to another level of theatre magic. It felt like a waking dream. The stakes were so high for the characters that I didn't want it to end. WOW. This is the real thing. Go!... Read more Read less

See it if you thrill to see great ensemble, great direction, excellent costume & sound design, minimalist set, smart adaptation of classic Western

Don't see it if repetition, surrealism, need for plot or deeper meaning drive your theatre choices. This is art for art lovers & doesn't always make sense

Also An empty all-white stage, 10 fantastic actors, ambitious direction, dramatic tension, brilliant sound design. No intermission. I hung on every word. Kudos to this cast, this is the real deal. Recommending to all my friends.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see an expert cast tackle a tradition and make it their own. Superb lighting, perfect setting. great costumes

Don't see it if Only one hour (could be a positive for some)..

See it if you like quick, intense shows with a tight ensemble.

Don't see it if you want to see a musical, or a show with a tidy resolution.

Also Great sound design, haunting staging and worth it for the surprising first moments of the show.... Read more Read less

See it if you’d like to see a Western that blows the genre open, but not before it pays the original its deepest respects.

Don't see it if for you the Western is sacred, or you can’t bear to see the original film tampered with, or you’re looking for a conventional play.

Also “High Noon” succeeds in 2 infrequently compatible realms. It’s a totally satisfying aesthetic object. A textured, almost incessant soundtrack includes an abstract shootout, mournful music, & a desolate wind that can feel like it’s enveloping the theater. A rough wood set is painted white, just walls & upstage bar. It’s saloon as mausoleum, bar as sarcophagus. But the play also keeps you on the edge of your seat. 10 dark-clad characters roam as a skeletal plot of primal power unfolds. A man, looking ahead to likely death, asks friends & lovers, old & new, to make a stand with him. Deferring a final shootout, this “High Noon,” puts on trial the power of the gun. Though an aestheticized “shootout”— white lights flash to bursts of sound—opens the play & 8 male characters pack obvious heat, no shot is fired. We’re shown instead how a cycle of violent retribution gets hammered into a town’s routine so deeply that any other way of doing things seems impossible—& we’re left to face it.... Read more Read less

See it if Great acting , not long. They tell the story in a refreshing way. Yes it a western.

Don't see it if You want active and flash.

Also They do a great job in telling the story. The stage all white and the cast in dark clothes. All the cast did a great job. Some younger people in the audience didn't know the movie, and that OK. You don't need to know the movie to enjoy this play.... Read more Read less

See it if enjoy charged, non-preachy scripts evincing mysteries of human behavior: outsiders, insiders, principles, compromise, community, justice

Don't see it if you want either pure naturalism or a handkerchief-waving Western replica; you don’t like serious suspense

Also I hadn’t seen the movie and thought this plot and script were fascinating. After looking up the summary and clips of the original film, I'm even more impressed w/ how Axis made this sing for the contemporary stage. An approachable, well-directed, well-conceived show that sheds many of the distractingly dated conventions of 1950’s acting and 1950’s Westerns and lets the organic drama root and thrive. Some magnetic performances—I couldn’t take my eyes off of McGovern (Jordan) and Genelin (Helen) in particular.

No set changes. Appropriately stark (yet appealing) design choices. Must See if you look out for small troupes that really punch above their weight. Surprised and wowed me.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like a great ensemble, stylistic staging, peroid costumes and intriguing symbolism in a proven story about moral code and civics.

Don't see it if if you disliked the film, or dislike non-traditional staging and delivery.

Also I am a big fan of the film and assumed it would impact my appreciation of the play more than it did.

The play immediately took on a life of it's own with all cast members on stage, moving to choreographed places, lighting and sound, which both directed our focus and allowed for some unexpected bursts of color and symbolism.

This is a finely tuned performance where everything is of equal value. From finely crafted costumes to sound, lighting, movement, color palatte, gestures, all of it matters.

Whether all of it came across as intended is unknown, but it was certainly worth the effort. It was pleasing to all senses and artistically impressive.

Of interest to the film fans were dialogue and name changes that spoke to current themes and work just as well today as they did in the 1950's. For anyone interested, the film is currently free for those who have Prime.

Theater had steps down to a themed waiting space. Didn't notice if elevator.

Use of strobe and loud gunfire at start.... Read more Read less

See it if Pending arrival of murderer tests townspeople’s character. Staging & sound amplify the terror. Feels like “The Twilight Zone”. Well acted.

Don't see it if Ambiguous ending open to interpretation. Does it matter what happens next? Maybe these people are already in purgatory.

See it if you want fascinating ensemble production of a classic movie that only live theater can do. Very different in a good way,

Don't see it if you are expecting the Gary Cooper Western.

See it if you enjoy seeing a great ensemble at work. Minimalistic slick design. Nothing happens and everything happens at once. Superior sound design

Don't see it if you prefer realism in theater. You have trouble following rapid switching between the scenes.

See it if Waiting for God-ot & the angry guy on the noon train. Metaphorical (grey-shades) monochromatic costumes confound innate impulse to pick hero

Don't see it if Ensemble remains on stage for the hour duration. Simple set then becomes cluttered w/ townies. Loud end effects. Guns.

Also Haunting aural cues. Political intent. Morality play.

See it if You enjoy an eerie presentation of the old movie. Surreal.

Don't see it if You just want to sit and relax without thinking.

See it if you appreciate stylized, innovative interpretations of a known story, great ensemble cast, intimate theater experiences

Don't see it if you want all the dialogue to make perfect sense and to be naturally conversational or if you require shiny broadway pizzaz

Also Often compared to Waiting for Godot, if you are looking for a very creative theater experience, check it out. I quite liked it.... Read more Read less

See it if if you liked the western high noon. Good ensembles. a short show.

Don't see it if if you want a grander, longer show. If you want a more in depth performance.

See it if Heightened ambiguity & ominous stagecraft highlight eerie adapt of classic '50's western Stylish staging & choreography keep audience alert

Don't see it if For maximum effect, basic plotline of movie a must Can loose story threads w/ numerous actors & tonal quality Still packs a sinister punch

See it if You enjoy cowboy and Western movies, or if you enjoy a revenge story between cowboys...

Don't see it if You prefer light stories or different genre of plays or different types of performances ...

See it if you like intense acting, appreciate good sound design, feel a connection with the movie High Noon

Don't see it if don't like loud gun noises even though no guns are shot, not in the mood for a western plot,

Also I was charged up by the other reviews to see this but I did not enjoy it as much as I anticipated.
The acting was very good and kept my attention, and the sound design was impressive.
For me, the the plot looped around somewhat repetitively and did not make a statement in the end. The night I saw it, the entire audience was silent at the end because it was not clear it was over. The actors bowed and then we clapped.

Yet, it was thought-provoking in the sense that several actors revealed things in their past they were not proud of as they anticipated death they would witness and that we all face one day.
I was confused and distracted by the movement and motions of the two women in the background when they had no speaking parts.
I saw this show at the Axis Theater in NY in Oct 2018.... Read more Read less

See it if A packed one-hour stage production of Gary Cooper classic High Noon. Great staging, sound, and direction. Good ensemble acting.

Don't see it if A very stylized adaptation opens with strobe lighting and loud gunshots followed by many men with guns. Promise of threat and acute tension

Also fails to develop as well as it could because of monotonous all gray/ black costume design which makes it hard to keep characters straight. As well as having every actor remain on the same emotional level. Everyone seems to say to the threatened lead character, “You came back.” But no one seems surprised. Some individual moving performances did not keep me from falling briefly to sleep. When a man’s life is in the balance that isn’t the best response.... Read more Read less

See it if you want a challenging retelling of the High Noon story with inventive staging and great acting

Don't see it if you haven't seen the movie High Noon or saw it a long time ago. You may have trouble following it. Also the ending is very anti-climatic

See it if you know (& love) the movie, you will DEF do your homework & understand this is NOT the movie. Highly stylized, compacted into 70min.

Don't see it if you won't do your homework, 'cause you won't get it. You'll be confused w/all the quirky talking/non-stop movement & abrupt curtain-call.

Also Very interesting experience.

Would a str8-up play based on the original be enough? Probably.

Here, the characters don't really get fleshed out (70min!!!), & only 10 principle movie-characters are used. It's an ensemble-driven large canvas painting that moves non-stop w/manic activity, chatter/whispering (even a little singing), throughout the entire performance. Plus, the beautiful costumes against the WHITE floor, walls, lighting, etc, draw your attention all over the place like a tennis match because everyone is in CONSTANT motion (intimate theater, do NOT sit in the front).

Standouts were: Nicholas McGovern (unsettling "Check"), Jon McCormick (bitter "Senator"), Brian Parks (brooding "Oliver"), & Britt Genelin (weirdly engaging "Mrs Ramirez").

You CAN enjoy this play if you're open to innovation & redesign. Glad I took the time to research AXIS & what they're about (had never been to this theater). If just for the experience of something new & creative, see it before it closes.... Read more Read less

See it if You like character studies, western themes, great staging, political intrique

Don't see it if confusion, lots of dialogue, my husband fell asleep, disappointing plot & ending

See it if You don't mind movie to stage adaptations, you can take a slower paced drama and like an ensemble cast.

Don't see it if You prefer fast moving drama...

See it if you don't mind a disjointed and somewhat confusing show where I couldn't emotionally connect -- but enjoy a highly stylized production.

Don't see it if are looking for a show where you connect with characters beyond the surface caricature "persona" level.

See it if you're a fan of the movie and find the story of a man standing up for what is right and is unable to get society to help him.

Don't see it if you're not a fan of experimental theatre where people don't look at each other when speaking in stilted manner, and underlining thesis