See it if This show pulled on all the heart strings. I laughed And cried.
Don't see it if You’re a Quaker 🤷🏼♀️
See it if You want to see a surprisingly thoughtful piece with a lot more substance than the title might lead to believe. Funny, gay resonant, charm.
Don't see it if You’re homophobic. This is a delightful trip down a sparkling runway with some really clever twists that give some real heft to the story. Read more
See it if you want to see a very clever actor/comedian tell a heartfelt story about trying to win a beauty pageant. Some great lip-syncing too.
Don't see it if you don't like one person shows or gay themes.
See it if You enjoy really good one man show, can almost imagine a man in the quintessential Miss America role and/or like a heartwarming story.
Don't see it if You do not want to even consider a man dreaming of being a beauty queen. It will be your loss as the show is both charming and rewarding.
See it if You like one person comic shows, that do have touching parts. The lead is more then adorable, and the show is sweet as pie!
Don't see it if You don’t like one person shows. Don’t like sparkly clothing. If you don’t like pageants.
See it if the actor/writer of this one man show was actually very good, and had a bit of star charisma -- and had great comic timing
Don't see it if well, the writing wasn't as good as the acting -- and I think kept the play from fully blooming. Read more
See it if you enjoy campy performances about beauty pageants and Southern culture; like drag and lip syncing
Don't see it if you want something deep, or a more traditional play
See it if you enjoy one-person shows that have great heart and are so much fun and also touch the heart.
Don't see it if you don't like campy, fun, whimsical one-person shows.
"The global 'Drag Race' franchise has turned the act of defying gender norms through polished performance and the excavation of personal hardship into mainstream entertainment. That means there’s plenty of appetite for a show like 'Mister Miss America' — and that it has a lot more to measure up to than a backwater dog and pony show."
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On the surface, Mister Miss America is an up-to-date entertainment packed with references to current It Girls like Taylor Swift, Mandy Moore, Demi Lovato, Kerry Washington, and especially Patti LuPone. In reality, its heart belongs to another decade. A solo show pitched at gay audiences looking for frivolous fun and affirmation, it is, in style and subject matter, like something out of the 1990s. Or '80s. Or maybe the '70s. It is entirely harmless, but humor has a short shelf life and much of what is on offer here has long passed its sell-by date.
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D'Astolfo (that’s duh-STAHL-fo, mkay?), who also wrote the piece, sends Taylor off like a firecracker from the moment he comes onto the stage, speeding through Taylor’s wry and witty dialect so fast, why Mother of Jefferson Davis, he’s passing the fox! D’Astolfo’s dialogue is chock full of delightful West Virginian-isms, gay and regional. Taylor is described in the script as “wide-eyed and winning,” and this definitely describes D'Astolfo in the role. He also adds to the play’s humor in a totally different capacity as the voice of the wry, off-stage announcer and master of ceremonies.
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"Neil D’Astolfo’s 'Mister Miss America' provides many pleasures beyond its nifty title, even though the material treads some pretty familiar ground. ... Under the direction of Tony Speciale, the cheery Taylor first introduces himself and his objective: to become Miss Southwestern Virginia. He not only takes the audience into his confidence, but he assumes an air of familiarity that’s enticing."
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