The Cover of Life

See it if you like a story about women going through ww2 period in the south.

Don't see it if Its about 25 minute to long, acting is okay, story line is weak as is the staging.

See it if you’re really pining for a little Southern charm (very little).

Don't see it if slice-of-life period Americana featuring a totally charmless dysfunctional extended Southern white family is not your cup of ice tea.

Also The play begins like a dated movie about a wartime Southern family &, despite a little salty language & graphic talk & action from the bad girl of the family, never rises enough above its affinities with very dated content & format to mean much to a contemporary theater audience. There are far too many catfights among the 4 women of the family (only 1 man ever appears, in flashback or reading his letters home), but none of them ever rises to the level of dramatic conflict. (They did, however, contribute mightily to the headache that had one conflicted audience member wondering whether or not to go AWOL at halftime.) The actors playing Tood & Tommy are strong; the rest are mostly not. (One of them seemed on permanent tape delay, even when she was not phoning in long distance—but of course, tape delay is technology that would have been unavailable in WWII USA.)... Read more Read less

See it if you like to reflect re: times of yore. LIfe Magazine was was a major pubicati of the times. WW 2 was THE EVENT in the 40's.. (see more)

Don't see it if You need a musical and do not want to go back in time. The score was the average partners % & my 8%

Also Women AT HOME during the war had limited options and this play shows some choices and problems. Kudos ro the writer.... Read more Read less

See it if you would enjoy being placed in the 1940's in the south with a strong cast to witness daily life interrupted by the media giant of the day!

Don't see it if you are not willing to spend time with character development and the complications that are faced during the time of war & simpler days.

See it if you wish to see a powerful drama about problems women faced during WW2. The dialogue is excellent and the performances powerful.

Don't see it if you like comedy or do not like discussions of women's problems. Some of the transitions between scenes are abrupt.

Also The performances of the ladies and one man are masterful. It is very real with no frills. I thought the ending could use some improvement. It was too understated. The play was moving and very thought provoking.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see a play set in 1945 in a little town in Louisiana and how their lives were affected when their men went to war.

Don't see it if You're not interested in what goes on in women's lives when their men go off to war.

Also There was so much being said in this performance if you listen. You may like some character more than others. I liked the simplicity yet complexities surrounding each performer. Choices that we make when it comes to family.... Read more Read less

See it if You're interested in a family story set during WWII. The writing and acting were somewhat uneven, but with moments of brilliance.Worthwhile.

Don't see it if you aren't interested in women's life stories, historic plays, or off-off Broadway productions.

See it if You think NYC needs more community caliber theater.I gave this a 30 because 3 of the actors weren't bad.Obviously a rent-a-theater scenario

Don't see it if Play is pretty corny but might have been salvaged by a real director. Everything about this production is amateurish.

See it if You're interested in the story of women relating to each other and coming into their own in the 1940s.

Don't see it if You are triggered by guns, infertility, or Southern accents.

Also After Act 1, I was skeptical of the choice to focus on the least interesting of the three women, but she really came into her own. Sibyl was by far the best thing about the play, infusing every scene with energy.... Read more Read less

See it if You must see every treatment of the homefront in WWII. You're a fan of good acting and strong female roles

Don't see it if you want a light evening in the theatre. With luck it will get tightened up Its about 20 minutes too long

See it if you enjoy nostalgic family dramas

Don't see it if you're looking for a profound script or a happy musical

Also It picked up a little in the 2nd act but needed stronger direction.

See it if You have lots of patients for character development and a good attention span

Don't see it if Your Sleepy

See it if Don't. An engaging idea, poorly executed. Good cast. Bad script. Choppy. Terrible direction. Bad lighting. And much too long at 2 hrs.

Don't see it if So disappointing. Sympathetic characters. Actors deserved better dialog and smoother scene changes.

See it if you want to step back in time and see how life differed for women who were more subjected to the whims of the men in their life.

Don't see it if want a fast paced show because this one is slow but thoughtfully done.

See it if You want a nice historical drama that addresses women.

Don't see it if You want a completely polished show that is too long.

See it if You know someone in the cast-to see some young talent with potential. Other than that skip. Interesting story but script needs much editing.

Don't see it if Want to see a pro production- this feels amateurish with very uneven acting and directing/scene transitions that at times are painful

Also This is an interesting story but needs editing and better direction and acting to make it a better production.Perhaps some performances will improve as the run goes on but the quality was all over the place. The older actors were miscast/ lacked skill/conviction. Some of it was painful to watch and amateurish. The 3 war brides fare better- with Milnor-Sweetser and Carrillo most convincing. The performance that I felt most impactful was the actor with a tiny role -Thomas Kalnas.Felt natural, believeable, of the period and a stage presence. Surprised to see in his bio it is his acting debut. An undiscovered talent - one to watch. But overall it feels very much like bad community theater .... Read more Read less

See it if you want to support amature community theaters or you want a simple, unpretentious, inexpensive alternative to broadway.

Don't see it if you're looking for a big broadway type of experience

See it if your desire to see a show about three sisters married to three brothers in Louisiana during WWII trumps seeing a polished, coherent play

Don't see it if you are looking for a well-written play with great dialogue and a compelling narrative. The actors deserved better material.

Also I really wanted to like this play. The premise was interesting and I was intrigued. But the play didn't live up to its potential. Dialogue was awkward and banal, the characters were two-dimensional and did a disservice to women of that time period. At nearly two hours, it was far too long.... Read more Read less

See it if Well written women's play w/ something for everyone. Exceptional well developed characters with wonderful actors portraying them.

Don't see it if You don't like period piece from the south in the 1940 in a charming intimate theater. great evolving characters beautiful brought to life.

Also Well worth going!
Should not miss.... Read more Read less

See it if You're more interested in writing than performance, you want to think about the role of women/spouses at home during war.

Don't see it if You only like highly-polished shows or you don't want to think while at the theater.

See it if You think NYC needs more community caliber theater. There were a few good actors however most were not

Don't see it if You only like polished plays. The directing was terrible and even the bad actors deserved better with the script

See it if You like off-off theater where everyone is trying very hard but not quite there yet, still working to make the play work and women's plays

Don't see it if You are impatient with inexperienced actors who don't project the words well, don't like small dramas and enigmatic scenes

Also In the end, this was very disappointing. The director seemed to have some personal connection to the show, but didn't really help the actors find the real life of the time or of their characters. Everyone was working very hard and there are some charming moments, but most of it feels like still early in rehearsal and the style of the period and importance of having men at war is lost. The Author is also to blame as he writes truncated, enigmatic scenes which, with better actors might have felt important, but are essentially striving for more than they achieve. So it is interesting as an effort, but the director and author leave the actors struggling on their own to make the play happen.... Read more Read less

See it if your family member is in the cast. Otherwise, don't.

Don't see it if You like good theatre. This is gawd-awful!

Also I understand a badly written play (such as this one) being produced as the writer manages to put together a team of hopeful actors and crew, but I do not understand how in NYC a production couldn't find actors who could act. Truly excruciating.... Read more Read less

See it if Like historical fiction, theater that explores human emotion over a continuous conflict, or like women's theater.

Don't see it if You don't want slow paced theater, or don't like off off Broadway productions or drama shows.

See it if You'd like a show about women wanting to take up space

Don't see it if You want something very polished