See it if Wildly theatrical, dramatically dense, non-linear & determinedly whimsical Sherwood's style is an acquired taste Fab fashion parade mid-show
Don't see it if Can be slow, infuriatingly ambiguous & just stupid/silly but also intelligently rigorous & historically perceptive It's love-it or hate-it!
See it if I don’t know what to say, I regret going
Don't see it if You’re can avoid it.
See it if You are bored and willing to nap for 85 minuets...The only good part here is the colorful elaborate costumes and 5 minuets of happy dancing.
Don't see it if You like theater
See it if you like strong, female leads Juliana Francis Kelly was wonderful; she nailed the role and emotions. Costuming was fun and colorful.
Don't see it if you are looking for a musical theater experience. Also, the plot is very twisted so you need to pay attention.
‘An Incomprehensible Spectacle With Music...Hodgepodge of a rambling play, undercooked spectacle, dull cartoon and incoherent history lesson stuffed with pretentious dialogue...’Madame Lynch’ wants to be a clever production showcasing the horrors of misguided cultural imperialism. Perhaps the finished product is just too specifically quirky to be enjoyed from outside the creative team's vision. I cannot think of anyone I would send to see this show."
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“Five sensational female dancers...is the stand alone highlight of the historical fantasia ‘Madame Lynch’...This ‘spectacle with music and dancing’ is 80 minutes of strained whimsy...Sherwood and Flanagin are more concerned with superficial theatrics rather than concretely crafting a comprehensible narrative...’Madame Lynch’ is an amiable hodgepodge that is rarely involving as it is chiefly impenetrable."
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"As a play, 'Madame Lynch' is frustrating in its lack of cohesive narrative. The fractured structure gives the sense of a fever dream, but the writing is not poetic enough to transport the audience through the preternatural vignettes. As a spectacle, however, there are a number of multisensory delights...Unfortunately, without the dramaturgical heft on which to hang it, the spectacle, like the litany of 695 known birds, becomes tedious."
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"The company’s new 'Madame Lynch' indeed delivers lots of activity, colorful costumes and characters, music and dance, and a decades-long survey of South American history. Unfortunately, except for an appealing opening sequence and a couple of other bright spots, all the flurry adds up to a whole lot of not much...When effectively done, collage-style theater can both entertain and indirectly instruct. This 'Madame Lynch' is an energetic attempt that for the most part does neither."
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"Infuriated me for its lack of subtlety and sensitivity. There was much missed potential in their extravagant farcical depiction of this woman and of the entire country of Paraguay...Spectacle, special effects, and narrative irony overpower any sense of story and render the characters as unsympathetic caricatures...The only relief...was the delightful native Paraguayan dances...But the production itself is a famine for the intellect, sending the mind reeling and begging for meaning.”
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