The Archbishop's Ceiling

See it if You enjoy a study of the relationship between the individual and the state, a la Antigone.

Don't see it if You seek escapist fare. You think 100 minutes is too long for a play with no intermission.

Also A compelling illustration of some of the realities of life under a totalitarian regime.

Michael Meth gave a standout performance as Sigmund. Kristen Gehling was incredibly sexy and intelligent as Maya.

The rest of the cast was strong as well. This late Arthur Miller effort should be performed more often. I enjoyed it much more than I did The Ride Down Mt. Morgan.... Read more Read less

See it if you like Arthur Miller and want to see a relatively unknown intelligent work of his that relates to the times we live in today.

Don't see it if you just want to concentrate on the lighter side of life.

Also Freedom of press, lies, truth, sex, power and control and spying are all as relevant today as portrayed in this play.... Read more Read less

See it if You are familiar with the play in text, and would like the opportunity to view one of Arthur Miller’s seldom produced play.

Don't see it if You do not like wordy plays or have difficulty following philosophical dialogue.

See it if I must say I went into this play with low expectations. But I really enjoyed it, good acting, and really kept me engaged.

Don't see it if You have trouble sitting through serious plays for almost 2 hours without an intermission

See it if U’re a fan of Arthur Miller and want 2 c an unseen (in NYC) play if his. I enjoyed the story’s closeness 2 our days of Trump. Funny moments.

Don't see it if You’re looking for something light and airy.

See it if Dissident writer, American author, communist sympathizer, and poetess/actress in Eastern Europe react to crackdown by government agents.

Don't see it if If you are confused by a plot that is a thinly camouflaged description of actual historical events and has no clear resolution.

Also Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in Czechoslovakia as a Communist state after World War II. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), and continued until 21 August 1968, when the Soviet Union and other members of the Warsaw Pact invaded the country with tanks to suppress the reforms.
The Prague Spring inspired music and literature including the work of Václav Havel, Karel Husa, Karel Kryl and Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being.... Read more Read less

See it if Obviously, if you're a Miller fan or interested in expanding your own knowledge of Miller's works.

Don't see it if You can't sit for an intermissionless show; or if a slower moving pace in a show won't hold your interest.

Also I have to say that the show does move slowly. Perhaps it's one of the reasons this work hasn't been done in NY before. That being said, I believe the actors and directos did as much as they could to make this piece work. And the sense of atmosphere created by both the actors and directors made it more thought provoking .... Read more Read less

See it if you want a drama about political climates and who you should believe and trust.

Don't see it if you want more lighthearted fare.

See it if you love Arthur Miller & want to see his less popular plays. Very good production of a quirky 2nd rate play. Interesting, but not his best.

Don't see it if you expect it to be like Miller's iconic masterpieces. Or a fast-paced modern play. Actors & director can only do so much with this script

See it if you like to know how dissident writers must have felt in Eastern Europe (much hints to Prague) during the Cold War. Great acting+atmosphere.

Don't see it if you don't like 105 min plays w/o intermission or if you prefer lots of "acting". This is mainly talking. The created atmosphere felt right.

Also I do not have first-hand knowledge about living in Eastern Europe (other than a few visits as a kid) but we did have visitors from Eastern European countries and this play very much reminded me of the atmosphere they talked about: never knowing when somebody listens in but trying to live with it and make the best of it. Also, that you never knew who is friend and who is foe. And, I could very well understand why the dissident writer did not want to move abroad: many people in countries with dictatorships (Communist Eastern Europe, Nazi Germany etc.) thought that way and enough unfortunately had to pay with their lives. So in summary: apart from the somewhat strange ending and slightly slow pace (thus not a higher rating) I liked the play and was entertained.... Read more Read less

See it if If you are an Arthur Miller fan with good acting in a play that is not that well written

Don't see it if Slow long play that repeats over and over again so that the characters become annoying since they have nothing new to say.

Also One of the characters is so poorly written so that she is almost not there.... Read more Read less

See it if Show for the people who came from the countries where spying and destroying dissidents were normal.Gehling,Meth,Morger, Spano are stars

Don't see it if Small theatre, dirty sits, 1h 40 min, no intermission. Slow at times, a lot of talking about "them" who might install spy equipment

Also Show is not bad at all. Better to go if you have some at least basic knowledge about situation in Europian countries in 70th-80th, how goverments were able to destroy people for a book against system or even word and how citizens had to make their choice. If viewers have no idea about history-they write bad reviews about the show. So if you have nothing to say-do not post a bad review... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Arthur Miller and can sit for a long drama

Don't see it if you're not interested in plays about Eastern Bloc politics or can't follow fast-talking, accented actors

Also I didn't find much of a plot, just a series of nebulously (un)connected scenes that changed everytime a character entered/exited the living room (or hallway)... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of Arthur Miller.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy plots that keep going around and around which could have ended much quicker.

See it if Being spy on, watching your back for friends, family and government.

Don't see it if It moves slow and long. No intermission. A lot of just talking.

See it if Meeting of four minds is this unclaimed Miller play. Thinly-veiled of historical events drama with Miller perhaps sympathising w/ each view.

Don't see it if Difficult to not draw parallels to what's unfolding today w/ spying, which makes for a relevantly dated evening. Two hours w/o a break?

See it if Classic author Miller play not the greatest acting by some actors. Fine acting by others

Don't see it if Bad attempt at accents and Mediocre acting would get on your nerves.

See it if Politically inspired plays are your thing

Don't see it if You expect a typical Arthur Miller, this one has a bit confusing plot

See it if you must see all of Miller's work and for the the group of actors who are generally good on a great set.

Don't see it if you want some action - this all takes place over 100 minutes in the same place and is mostly talk among the five characters.

See it if you are an Arthur Miller fan

Don't see it if you don't like wordy plays with very little action

See it if Actors deserve credit for trying. No bad seats at Urban Stages

Don't see it if It is not Arthur Miller at his best. A set exists. The comparison to today is a stretch

See it if you love Arthur Miller and want to see one of his less frequently performed works (which is why I went).

Don't see it if you don't love Arthur Miller and you don't like plays that are set all in one living room.

See it if you'd like to see a rarely performed play by Arthur Miller w/a lot of interesting themes & ideas/

Don't see it if It's slow and very talky. There's really not much of a plot and the ending seemed very abrupt to me.

See it if you’re a Miller completist, though this play is not among his best and this production not ideal.

Don't see it if Unwilling to overlook some clumsy staging, can’t sit for 100+ minutes of play that is short on dramatic action

Also Set in an unnamed Eastern bloc country resembling Czechoslovakia circa Prague Spring, an American writer, a poet, a dissident writer and socialist editor with a supposedly Danish mistress in tow find themselves thrown together in the editor’s well-appointed apartment, an erstwhile rectory. Saturated with an effectively evoked cold war era paranoia, any one of them could be a spy, and betrayals of various kinds are spoken of. Unfortunately, there’s a lot talk, some of it repetitive, and little action. The actors seem to have been directed to underplay everything, so the evening feels shapeless, with little sense of rising stakes as suspicious circumstances accrete. The result is a murkiness to the proceedings; however even though nothing spoken or experienced here can be taken at face value, the production meanders to a slow finish.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like Arthur Miller

Don't see it if Period pieces