Lone Star (13th Street Repertory Theater)

See it if If you want a backwoods play. Acting is good. Ms Rideout singing before the dhow was entertaining.

Don't see it if If you do not like this king of genre, the hillbilly type of play.

See it if 1 hr country music send-up followed by unrelated 1 hr dark comedy relationship play. Both funny & heartwarming w/twists. Good characters.

Don't see it if You dislike small scale production values & lack of polish. You want a more serious experience. Includes some audience participation.

See it if The Chalks are highly entertaining w/audience participation (American history questions, make a tambourine on stage). Lone Star well acted.

Don't see it if Runs a bit long & I'd trim a song from The Chalks & make a slight trim to Lone Star, to get the show under 2 hours 30 minutes. Fun show!!

See it if you're a fan of Leenya Rideout. Was hoping to see the Chalks, no longer appearing. Songs of heartache, a la Parton, Wynette, Cash, et. al.

Don't see it if you're looking for a well-developed play.

See it if you get to see The Chalks perform the opening act. (ends June 9. Leena Rideout (Belva Chalk, here) should be as good next week.

Don't see it if you don't want to see a satire that fails as satire.

Also Mary Brienza satirical view of country music through "The Chalks" is an excellent way to start the evening. Leena Rideout, Kathryn Markey, and Brienza show excellent comedy and musical chops. If this was the play I would give it an 85.

Lone Star has solid, but uneven acting. Lone Star, however, fails to deliver.

James McClure's writing suffers from the same maledy that effects almost all comedies trying to satirize Donald Trump. Good satire requires that you show the absurdity of your subjects' "normal" behavior and then going further. In Trump satires it is impossible to go beyond reality. Here McClure fails to connect/show the basic absurdity of his subjects' lives making it impossible for him to go beyond the "normal" to the extreme. You could see a more entertaining "good ole boy" send-up in a Waffle House on a Sunday morning.... Read more Read less

See it if you like "small," simply staged dramas with realistic plots and all too believable characters. The acting was a bit uneven, but overall good

Don't see it if You don't like plays with lots of violence & profanity, unlikeable characters.

See it if Skip seeing it.

Don't see it if Skip it and you will feel better!

See it if You want a giggle from the Chalks - they have some talent and humor & if you are skinny enough to be able to sit comfortably in these seats

Don't see it if You are there for the play, the Chalks set is long & when it ends there is no real appeal in staying for a play with such bad reviews

Also I have to remember to NEVER go to this theater space again - is truly the most uncomfortable venue in the City - the chairs are tiny and half of them are broken. I was sweating miserably and I was literally pressed up against the stranger next to me - it was worse than rush hour on the subway with no AC... Read more Read less

See it if Your into small off broadway productions in an intimate setting.

Don't see it if You need broadway production quality. It’s a funny sometimes hokey musical.

See it if you like country western music, spoofs, and plays about lower class post Vietnam pathologies and problems transitioning to a next stage.

Don't see it if if you mind double bills that are tangentially related. If you can't see rural people through non-Trump lenses. Poor resolution.

Also I thought the Chalks were good, but agree with everybody that the relation between the two was tangential. Very little happens in the play but its an interesting play about the big man in small town who went off to Vietnam and when he comes back slightly scared can't refind his footing. He holds onto his past glories (the hot wife, the good car, the memories of good times) but finds it impossible. Performance were solid but not great. Play resolution is not strong and they didn't really put a bow on everything which was badly needed.... Read more Read less

See it if I found this entertaining but ran way too long . the chalks performed the first act for an hour and the second act was the play itself.

Don't see it if You have trouble sitting for almost 3 hours.

See it if in Act 1, you want to engage with three hilarious, honky-tonk sisters (The Chalks) who sing sassy songs. You like audience participation

Don't see it if sitting in a cramped theater for almost 3 hours is not your jam. The Chalks perform, intermission & then the actual show.

See it if you plan on going for the first hour to see the Chalks (a trio spoofing country bands). The Chalks were fun and the music was good. Score:80

Don't see it if you plan to stay for Lone Star (second act ~1.5 hours). Weak script, annoying characters, vapid dialogue. Score:38.

Also I took the average of the two acts (Chalks & Lone Star) to come to a score of 59.... Read more Read less

See it if See it if you like country western music and to listen to dialogue given by intoxicated men.

Don't see it if Don’t see it if you are looking for a honed work

See it if You like shows that have a musical performance in the first half and a more serious acting performance in the second half.

Don't see it if If you would rather see a play that is a musical straight through or one which is a straight acting performance straight through.

See it if you are prepared to leave at the intermission. Act 1 country singers were terrific (except a bit hokey when interacting with audience)

Don't see it if You want good drama. Worst play I ever saw; left before it was over. Gave 25 rating based solely on the country band; otherwise it's a 0.

See it if You like stories about Texas and some really good country western singing.

Don't see it if You are not a fan of lowbrow humor.

Also Leenya Rideout has a beautiful voice. Her singing and the director's guitar playing were the highlights of the evening for me. The 3 gents in the show were working so hard, God bless 'em, but somehow it just didn't gel for me as much as it has when I've seen different casts in this show. Maybe it just needs to get on its feet some more? Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, it just doesn't flow yet.... Read more Read less

See it if you don't mind sitting through a long disjointed performance that is somewhat sloppy in production.

Don't see it if you prefer off broadway that is more cohesively put together and executed with a pace that makes you not feel like time is wasted.

See it if you like melodrama

Don't see it if You like a show that builds to a climax.

See it if If you enjoy cliche characters who say racist & sexist lines that are suppose to be funny but highlight how dated is this play.

Don't see it if Don't enjoy jokes about lynching, one note acting with a total lack of nuance or every texan/redneck cliche in one show.

See it if If You Love stories about Texas and a great and a Great singing Group

Don't see it if Don’t see if you don’t like Texas Music and country Music