Part recess, part ritual, part recruitment, "Skinnamarink" is Little Lord's absurd and vicious take on American education and indoctrination. More…
"Skinnamarink" is based on “McGuffey's Eclectic Readers,” a series of American schoolbooks used to teach children how to read from the 1830s to today (yes, to today). Pre-dating the pastel-colored/everybody-happy world of "Dick and Jane," these brutal little books helped shaped the minds and behaviors of Americans for generations. Transforming New York Theatre Workshop’s 4th Street Theatre into a little one-room schoolhouse of horrors, "Skinnamarink" questions what kind of people are the most useful in society...and how we handle the rest.
See it if you want to see a wonderful, absurdist satire on learning by rote, childhood indoctrination & the effect of early grade school primers.
Don't see it if u have a peanut allergy; ur completely unfamiliar with McGuffey Readers [still popular in homeschooling, btw!]; u want traditional theater.
See it if Little Lord's devised theatre piece views education as a devise for control & subjugation rather than knowledge Adroit cast keeps it engaged
Don't see it if Messy, dense & often puzzling it's still involving & questioning Themes glimmer then vanish Personal relations fall prey to indoctrination
See it if you support theater by young ppl working hard with scant material/overworking scant material. Could have been a great 5 min sketch.
Don't see it if you expect a point that's not so obvious, find a joke gets boring when repeated for 75 minutes, or have severe peanut allergies.
Also You know what would be edgy, funny, and definitely never been done bef... Read more Read less
See it if A live reenactment of children's "Dick and Jane" readers performed by lively and talented actors in a pulsing, repetitive intense fashion.
Don't see it if It's a series of crude, intense, rhythmic performances, that are angry, intense, and just plain nutty. And peanut butter is actively used--
Also It's weird, odd and I wouldn't say isn't worth seeing, I just wish I f... Read more Read less
See it if you enjoy experimental theater; you have terrible memories of school; you're open-minded about entertainment.
Don't see it if you like traditional, linear storytelling; you prefer plays that emphasize plot & character over style & presentation.
Also Well-constructed, designed, performed but not for everyone -- see dist... Read more Read less
See it if you want to feel uncomfortable.
Don't see it if you want to have an light entertainment.