See it if historic &/or fact-based shows are your thing. High-drama here, fascinating & weirdly nostalgic, conjuring up memories of HS History class.
Don't see it if you prefer lite shows, & aren't into world history or politics, factual stories of Nazism, Communism, espionage, betrayal, torture, etc. Read more
See it if you enjoy a historical play in an intimate setting about Hungary from liberation in 1944 to soviet invasion in 1956.
Don't see it if you are not interested in political plays, deeply troubling stories of betrayal and opportunism as well as a play 3h long. Read more
See it if you are interested in the life of several Hungarian people from 1945-56 or more generally how power can lead to corruption and betrayal.
Don't see it if you are not interested in historical plays or serious matters or if you are not patient enough to watch an almost 3-hour play. Read more
See it if 3 idealists help the USSR take Hungary from Hitler, only to be oppressed by the Soviet occupation. Devastatingly personal view of history.
Don't see it if You aren't interested in watching carefully researched history come to life. 5 acts, 2.5 hrs. Effects of police state, betrayal, torture.
See it if you like revival of historical and political plays. this one by the little off off Broadway Metropolitan Playhouse which always mount great
Don't see it if you do not like lengthy historical plays Read more
See it if Roe's sterling production of Ardrey's dramatic epic of post Nazi Hungary & later uprising Taut staging, excellent ensemble highlight evening
Don't see it if Long evening (close to 3 hrs) w/exposition plot points slowing pacing Some confusion w/multiple casting & political alliances Still gripping
See it if you are interested in the history & communist occupation of Eastern Block Countries, specifically Budapest Hungary.
Don't see it if "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" could be the motto for this obscure rarely produced play, its a cautionary tale of power and corruption
See it if You care about the ways in which even well-meaning people are corrupted by power and how idealism can fail by degrees.
Don't see it if It's long, it's depressing, it has an onstage narrator, and it has some pretty tough to watch depictions of violence. Caveat emptor.
"A heroic revival...Its crystalline voice reverberates into our own time, causing chills...The metatheatrical conceit of having a character named 'Author' step in and provide context works exceptionally well...Roe takes full advantage of this device in his minimalist staging...The performances powerfully resurrect these historical figures...This isn't just the stale 'relevant' theater of yesteryear, but a devastating record of the kind of cruelty and courage that echoes throughout human history."
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"In Alex Roe's cleanly staged, generally well-acted production, this story exerts a terrible fascination, demonstrating as it does the uses of power to maintain the status quo behind a Potemkin village façade of social progress...Seen at a distance of half a century, it retains its power, especially given how Hungary has once again fallen into the hands of a neo-fascist strongman."
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"Metropolitan Playhouse demonstrates that his 'Shadow of Heroes' is a durable play that is both relevant and timely yet again as we go through a period of political and right wing turmoil. While it might be easier to follow with a larger cast filling the 30 roles, Alex Roe's production is both trenchant and illuminating as it recounts recent history that many of us may never have known. If we don't learn from the past, we will be condemned to repeat it."
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“A gripping and sad tale...It brings to life the true story of László and Rajk, Marxist leaders in the Hungarian resistance during World War II...The portrait of Hungarians living under a totalitarian government is well wrought in Ardrey’s gripping 1958 drama...The Author adeptly narrates the historical events, and there are many to follow, as the story outlines how politics is played like a chess game.”
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