On Set with Theda Bara NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (10)
See it if Uncomparably unique. Masterful acting, writing, and directing from the second you step into the space! Unlike anything else playing in NYC.
Don't see it if You like knowing what to expect. Theda Bara will take you on a brilliant journey if you let it.
See it if you enjoy great actors (in this case, David Greenspan) playing multiple roles to tell a touching story about identity.
Don't see it if you are not a fan of one person plays or intimate settings.
See it if A twisty, gothic-tinged noir mystery that's equal parts surreal fantasy and poignant family drama. Exploration of identity & perception.
Don't see it if Potentially claustrophobic/uncomfortable in the intimate, unusual staging space. Audience are seated around one long dining table.
See it if U r for a wild ride w virtuoso Greenspan abt how a 21st cen father missing child faces the superntrl of Theda Bara.A strong msg boils down*
Don't see it if Crctrs changing and theatrical abstraction may be confusing and not fit everybody's taste despite the great combo of Greenspan/Merlo/Serio. Read more
See it if into the excellent David Greenspan switching characters, places, and time, conveying the essence of an iconic silent-film actress.
Don't see it if ... expecting to learn much about Ms. Bara, or have an aversion to narratives created in a blender. Read more
See it if Thespian extraordinaire Greenspan weaves his special magic on this eerie saga of silent film vamp Theda Bara; part film noir & part seance
Don't see it if When Merlo.'s script stays on the Bara legend through the eyes of an adoring fan its fantastical; the subplot of a madcap family is confused
See it if you want see an intimate work by one of the greatest actors of our age: an immaculate, hilarious, wildly creative, polished jewel.
Don't see it if you don’t like a powerful, smart performer to lead you to uncharted theatrical terrain. If theatrical abstraction makes you uncomfortable…
See it if You would like a funny, touching, creepy, virtuosic and riveting solo performance about the slippery nature of identity and its dangers.
Don't see it if You would not like a funny, touching, creepy, virtuosic and riveting solo performance about the slippery nature of identity and its dangers. Read more
Critic Reviews (8)
" 'On Set With Theda Bara' is a solo performer’s fever dream"
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"...watching 'On Set With Theda Bara' can be confounding, even alienating at times."
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"I can't help thinking: Wouldn't David Greenspan make a fantastic Norma Desmond?"
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"We were in a good mood; we were about to encounter David Greenspan."
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David Greenspan performs brilliantly in this campy melodrama.
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"...is a theatrical rocket convulsing with pathos, paranormal menace, and campy mischief."
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“...I can’t say I know what playwright Merlo is entirely on about. Surely, he’s fascinated with the ‘Theda Bara’ mystique, an obsession not a large percentage of the population is nowadays”
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David Greenspan, the shape-shifting thespian, has taken on yet another multi-character play, as if his one-man "Strange Interlude" and his more recent "Four Saints in Three Acts" whet his appetite for Joey Merlo’s "On Set with Theda Bara," a mysterious take on the life of the silent picture era vamp and her intrusion into a family whose lives become a film noir. Directed smartly by Jack Serio, the surreal play, just one hour long, took the audience on a colorful journey that included a truly spooky séance.
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