Sisters' Follies: Between Two Worlds

"Inspired by the 100th anniversary of an avant-garde playhouse, 'Sisters' Follies' is a magical production that conjures various theatrical elements and alchemizes them into an experience of pure delight...Every ingredient of this rich production enlivens the storytelling and contributes to what makes this 'spooktacular' kinda spectacular." Full Review

"The book and the staging seemed to me to be deliberately clunky, campy, and amateur, and while most of the time we all took great delight in this…Some of the time, we did not. That being said: This show is a marvel. Twist’s puppetry is worthy of any grant, genius or otherwise, and one should never pass up the opportunity to see Joey Arias or Julie Atlas Muse, even when they may not be performing the best material. And it’s Halloween! What more reason do you need? Go. Now." Full Review

"Much of the time between glorious-looking set pieces is filled by Alice and Irene, talking at, and often over, each other in an eternity of squabbling dialogue. They also have at each other with fingernails, anvils and hammers like a spectral, female-impersonating Tom and Jerry. These slapstick interludes go on for too long; their timing still needs to be sharpened. Nonetheless, fans of Mr. Twist’s singular art will doubtless want to see how he fills the great divide between the living and t... Full Review

"The best thing about this loosey goosey production are the visuals. Twist once again proves that anything and everything can be amusingly brought to life without the interference of reality...It’s incredible that a production with an enormous and enormously skilled technical staff opens with such poor sound design that we lose most of the lyrics and some of the dialogue." Full Review

"I loved all the allusions to theatre history and especially New York theatre history. It’s nice that they tied in all that but still made it feel inclusive if you didn’t know it. It displays a generosity of spirit to not make it too closed: we’re putting on a giant party, and if you gate-crash it, you can still enjoy the drinks. You’ll have a great time." Full Review

"The piece has its longeurs; the sibling backchat between sequences isn't nearly as enjoyable as the big production numbers it introduces. But throughout, yesterday's experiments and today's experimenters merrily coexist, reminding us that the quest for new forms is a venerable NYC tradition." Full Review

"The follies of this imaginative but muddled pageant, alas, are more numerous...The Abrons deserves to be celebrated, and Twist has devoted significant imagination toward doing so. With all the magic in evidence here, couldn’t someone have conjured up a script?" Full Review

"Unfortunately, the evening doesn't quite work, because the pacing is badly off. The snippets of shows go on too long, like an 'SNL' sketch that makes you channel surf. Between the scenes, there's endless bitchy banter between the intrepid sisters who founded the arts center...The whole magic of a Basil Twist show are the puppets, to which the real, live humans should be secondary, instead of the other way around. During most of the sketches, I felt like shouting, 'Where are the damn puppets?'" Full Review

"'Sisters’ Follies: Between Two Worlds' is visually spectacular making full use of Twist’s inspired craftsmanship and that of his design team. But it is otherwise oddly awful, and awfully odd; such an eccentric way to celebrate the Abrons legacy that it feels like a deliberate self-parody." Full Review

"There's nothing wrong with Abrons Art Center paying tribute to its own longevity, but surely there was a better way than this. Surely Alice and Irene would be thrilled to be remembered decades after their deaths, but it's easy to imagine them rolling in their graves over this hodgepodge of songs, puppetry, and low-camp gags. If I were involved in Sisters' Follies, I'd tread carefully when inside the theatre, for fear that the Lewisohns might swoop down on them, seeking revenge." Full Review