Hitler's Tasters NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (64)
See it if you like inventive storytelling. A surprisingly funny play, with fantastic performances.
Don't see it if you are sensitive to historical anachronisms (particularly that pertain to WWII). Read more
See it if you like political, dark comedies. This production was very theatrical and uniquely blended elements of today with 1940s Germany.
Don't see it if you prefer traditional storytelling. This production breaks a lot of rules in a unique (and fun!) way. Read more
See it if you like boundary-pushing plays that utilize humor to highlight the horrors of Hitler's regime.
Don't see it if you like traditional theater. Read more
See it if You want to see great theater, a devastating parable, superbly directed. This is our generation’s The Crucible. The actors astound.
Don't see it if You cannot or won’t connect the troubling dots btw. current events and fascistic politics. Brooks gives the cast cellphones for good reason.
See it if you like irreverant, incisive takes on history. You have a dark sense of humor. You are interested in reflecting on politics then and now
Don't see it if you are upset by dark themes taken lightly, you don't like anachronism.
See it if you're cool w/a non-traditional take on WWII: dramatic & serious, youthful & humorous, modernized to near breaking point, but very poignant.
Don't see it if you prefer serious str8-forward theater. Please don't miss out. It's different, but SO worth experiencing. Read more
See it if It's a great concept to view WWII thru the eyes of Hitler's food tasters. Clever idea and script.
Don't see it if However, modern choices such as taking selfies with cell phones, clashed with the reality of WWII. There were cameras back in the 40's. Read more
See it if you’re prepared for a thoughtful recreation of difficult world/American truths presented through a modern teen girl gaze in a 30-seat house.
Don't see it if you’re triggered by theatrical representations of Nazi Germany or American white supremacy.
Critic Reviews (9)
"In the playwright's most imaginative stroke, the girls are rendered as typical early-twenty-first-century teenagers...This eccentric concept turns out to make a great deal of sense...All of this is rendered with maximum tautness by the director, Sarah Norris, and a quartet of accomplished actresses...A funny-creepy exercise that plants some unsettling ideas in one's head about the seductive powers of totalitarianism...An original, and it is loaded from stem to stern with fresh new talents.”
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"The smart play functions on a number of different levels at once: as a history lesson, yes, but also as an exploration of group dynamics of young women, seemingly anywhere and everywhere."
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"What the playwright Michelle Kholos Brooks has successfully done is meld that past horror with the current political climate in America to create a shape-shifting presentation of the 1940s, spray- painted by 2018...Overall, the seeming disconnect to the audience is the use of 2018 dialogue in a story that is over 70 years old. But chillingly, as we hear the story filtered also through current cultural chatter, we can hear and envision the possibility of a country repeating the past."
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"The smashing together of the eras is absolutely brilliant in that it makes these girls the every girl. They are OUR girls, our daughters and sisters who are trapped in that bunker by the frenzied nationalism of a country run by a monster...Sarah Norris’ direction is music on stage. She moves her cast in and out of the joys of being a teenager and the horrors of possible death with the wand of a conductor. The cast is marvelous."
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"The ensemble cast latches onto Michelle Kholos Brooks’s script with passionate zeal and each member delivers authentic and believable performances. Unfortunately, the script does not afford them the freedom to explore their characters more deeply...The playwright’s choice to develop the conflicts of the young women through and anachronistic lens might diminish the cathartic experience in the dramatic arc. The connections between time periods is obvious and quite impactful."
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"If a reviewer can be considered a play taster for prospective audiences, I'd say I survived 'Hitler's Tasters' but not without a case of critical cramps…For some odd reason…Brooks…has deliberately anachronized the play, giving the girls cell phones, allowing them to constantly take selfies…It's hard to make out what Brooks is after with this and other choices (including a few vulgarities) other than to suggest that these benighted girls are no different from the airheads of today."
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"The show would have worked better if the girls didn’t have cell phones...This along with the contemporary speech, no accents, and contemporary music, took the show out of the time period and the devastating ordeal. When the superficial gimmicks faded away, this play was powerful and touching...The story of Hitler’s tasters could have been a powerful and relevant play...I hope they work out the kinks and bring this interesting tale back into focus."
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"The performances are faultless...Like the performances, the ideas behind 'Hitler’s Tasters' are rather good. Playwright Michelle Kholos Brooks has tapped into a fascinating story based solidly in history, making it relevant today, as scary as that is. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in character...A disturbingly entertaining piece of work from a group of talented women. It’s funny and creepy, but also genuinely interesting to contemplate. It’s a show that will linger in your mind."
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