Real

See it if You like thought provoking theater that explores issues around gender and identity with good writing and good acting

Don't see it if If you don't find these things interesting

See it if intellectually written; themes and elements (even same lines) echo between two dimensions; powerful acting; great directing, esp. last scene

Don't see it if simplistic staging (sufficient and efficient); Guess watching a play is just an experience too personal.. glad I wasn’t scared off by review

See it if You like plays with story lines that make you think.

Don't see it if If you don't like plays with a complicated story line.

See it if you are interested in hearing a strong, particular, somewhat odd voice from Brazil.

Don't see it if you have no tolerance for the artificial or the mysterious.

Also On the night I saw “Real” the main character was played, & powerfully, by an understudy. That might have accounted for the feeling I had that the production did not quite come together. Still, I welcomed the chance to experience the somewhat eccentric vision of an important playwright from Brazil. The plot essentially establishes over the course of the evening a spiritual coming together of two figures, man & woman, composer & player, immigrant to the US & native, from the 1930s & now. The music (for string trio) that unites them, heard throughout the play, romantic, yearning, angular at times, beautifully composed by Quentin Chiapetta, is fully a character in this drama. That protracted coming together of the 2 central characters rescues each from an unhappy domestic situation. The highly patterned, repetitive dialog that helps sketch in those situations seems to formally aspire to music. I was intrigued throughout & want to see more work from this refreshingly off-center writer.... Read more Read less

See it if thoughtful, well-acted and directed theater with a twist interests you.

Don't see it if you are looking for simple narrative or melodrama.

See it if You like a nuce ensemble piece and you can get there early enough to read the synopsis on the postcard

Don't see it if You’re not able to follow dual plots or actors playing multiple roles

Also I really enjoyed the use of set and wardrobe changes that subtly followed the plot... Read more Read less

See it if A lyrical twin tale as directed in a 50's style by a Spanish artiste. I can't explain, but I liked so much of this.

Don't see it if You seek straightforward

See it if The story line was different with the intertwining of two different people in two different times and two different genders.

Don't see it if You don’t like plays that go back and forth in time.

See it if you like non-traditional storytelling​

Don't see it if you prefer a linear story

Also the writing, the directing, and the set could be messier, which might actually work for this play,... Read more Read less

See it if You like to see an intense, greatly written play goes between times/characters that their stories are interwined in a unique way.

Don't see it if You are not a fan of complex, non linear story telling, do not like small venues, homophobic, bothered with profanity

Also Starts slow but then it picks up its pace, Truly great ending.

See it if You're contemplative and want to see a non-linear version of life

Don't see it if You like conventional plays that spoon-feed you plot

See it if you enjoy magic realism, you like a story that is "different", you're interested in the resonance between the US policy toward Mexican immig

Don't see it if You expect a straight-through storyline, you like a lot of action, you hate poetic dialogue

See it if you like stories about queer characters, women's life choices, music, american history, immigration issues, and multiple interwoven stories

Don't see it if you prefer one linear narrative. The script could use a bit of polishing, I think, but it was an interesting idea.

See it if Like the idea of a man being trap in a woman's body,or a woman being trap in a man's body, told through the fuque of an evening. Very good .

Don't see it if Don't like plays with homosexuality themes.

See it if You are interested in very spare drama somewhat artificial lacking in emotional substance but dealing with feminist issues.

Don't see it if Read above

See it if You can sit through 55 minutes of confusion and wait for an exiting last 15 minutes

Don't see it if You don’t have patience for a confusing show that ends marvelously.

See it if you like watch something out of the ordinary storytelling

Don't see it if you want a complete and satisfying old fashioned linear play.

Also Trying hard to find words to describe this show other than Ambitious but can’t find any. I don’t think the theater in a good medium for this story but I do have to give them at least a good rating for trying. I’m gay yet the character did not resonate with me. Or just make me feel something. Some lines that were meant to be funny or ease the tension kinda fall flat. The play does have potential. Unfortunately the story and the plot are just too difficult to translate to the theater.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in theater exploring music and the relationship of dreams, the past and present and bringing it all together

Don't see it if you want a comedy or an easy to follow plot

See it if A show that is abstract and deep.

Don't see it if If you want a light show. This one you must follow

See it if you want a script that would be better off on screen than on a stage. The cast does it best with a half-baked play about a half-baked fugue.

Don't see it if you're a pal of director Ortman and u want to still like him. His helming is ponderous, the play lacks wit, & seesaws between time queasily.

See it if You like different plays

Don't see it if You enjoy musicals

See it if you enjoy somewhat avant garde theater with a non-linear plot and a lot of philosophical rants about role and gender in society,

Don't see it if you prefer easy to understand plays with linear plots and a bit more action than ranting.

See it if Boring script

Don't see it if Boring script

Also Even with strong actors, the script was boring.

See it if theme trumps story for you. Some good acting from Gabriela Garcia and Darwin del Fabro. You want to support a latinx writer.

Don't see it if the lack of heart and human connection and a hit over the head direction would drive you up the wall.

Also Writer shies away from the themes through his structure and flowered language. Director over-indicates every beat not allowing the actors to live in the moment and instead focusing on pretty pictures and movement. No subtlety whatsoever or raw emotion. No breath that was not prescribed. Really wanted to like it which made the experience even more frustrating.... Read more Read less

See it if you don’t mind a script that needs a lot of work but has potential.

Don't see it if you like a well thought out, easy to follow story.

Also This play could be something special - but there are currently lots of holes and plot items that don’t make sense. Tried to tell a complicated story in a truncated work... it just doesn’t hold up. Mostly good performances, but some of the dialog was stiff and unrealistic - even in the present day scenes.... Read more Read less