Prague, 1912 (the Savoy Cafe Yiddish Theatre)

See it if strange story about backstage goings on

Don't see it if not at all funny

See it if you're cool with a WTF evening of "I have no freaking idea what I just saw was about", yet can laugh about it later. Can't blame the actors.

Don't see it if ... just don't. I get that era & its style, & how different it is from today's style. That's not the issue. Prague is just a huge WTF mess.

Also The cornet player was excellent. That's all, folks.

I blame the director, and felt especially bad for Jason Howard (Gregor) and Jenny Vath (Madame Trassik).

The script is there; actually a somewhat touching story. It's just that all the quirky intense mugging and squirmy over-acting (era appropriate) to THAT degree, does not work for a 2017 audience ("Indecent" portrayed this era brilliantly, without ever over-doing it).

"Prague" is sloppy and overly slap-sticky. It took away from the story's sentiment, lovely set, and the back-n-forth ON-stage/BACK-stage action (meant to differentiate between the characters' "real" lives and their "performer" lives).

Less would have been more, and it still would have been loyal to the script and to that time-period, for us in 2017 to relate to 1912 emoting.

At one point, 20min in, John Barilla (smarmy, over-the-top "Jaky") says 3 or 4 times consecutively, "Wait, it gets worse". After 20min, I didn't think it was possible.

It was.

It got worse.... Read more Read less

See it if Overacting doesn't bother you, It was presented without a difference between the " real " and the "stage" on a "stage" characters.

Don't see it if If you want to see play that makes sense without having to read what it's all about. A group of us left scratching our heads in confusion.

See it if Like me, you have interest and nostalgia for that time and place in theater history.

Don't see it if You want a meaningful exploration of the rich world that is barely evoked by this very messy and inept effort.

See it if you want to see every NYC show. Otherwise, there are much better ones. I learned nothing about 1912/Prague/Yiddish theater/the actors this

Don't see it if show was based on. Script was painfully amateurish. Neither actors nor director were good. Trumpet was best part. I left half-way through.

Also New York City, 2017 is not the place for Prague, 1912.

See it if The question "What if Kafka wrote a play drawing on his work?" intrigues you

Don't see it if You really want to see something about Yiddish theater, or a play with a plot you can follow

See it if you're a friend or family of the cast/crew and are consequently obligated to see it

Don't see it if you expect to learn anything about Kafka's involvement with the Yiddish theater or to even be able to tell that's what it's loosely based on

Also The best thing about this play was that it was only an hour and fifteen minutes long...but that still didn't stop people from walking out halfway through the show... Read more Read less

See it if if you like to be agonized by a silly insipid show that allegedly has something to do with historic personalities of the Yiddish Theater.

Don't see it if if you have any standards.The show does not have anything to do with the Yiddish Theater and provides you with an excruciating experience.

Also The show is a clear example of bait and switch. The show is amateurish . The only thing that is close to something Yiddish is the trumpet player. The show is terrible.... Read more Read less

See it if you are out in the cold and need a warm spot and all the coffee shops are closed. If you can make more senses out of it than I did

Don't see it if You feel that paying $5 is still too much.

See it if You have nothing else to do.

Don't see it if You enjoy good theater!

See it if I expected Yiddush Theater and this was anything but. There was no charm, it was depressing and even the lighter scenes were dark.

Don't see it if you're interested in charming Yiddush theater. You will be dissapointed.

Also This was a letdown of a show. The story jumped around, it was very cliche. When it was over, I was lost and didn't know what to make of it.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy historical recreations, seeing varied acting techniques in a beautiful period setting.

Don't see it if You want a cohesive story, melodrama gets on your nerves, you have a history with Frank Kafka, you don’t like period pieces or Jewish angst.

See it if You kind of want to be amused, but don't really want to get anything out of the show you're seeing.

Don't see it if You want to see an absorbing, clever piece of theatre

See it if you enjoy witnessing promising works in progress.

Don't see it if your main focus is learning about Prague and/or the Yiddish Theater circa 1912.

Also The first third of the play seemed fraught with possibilities because it used clever dialogue and shtick to approximate the feel of Yiddish theater.... Read more Read less