The Life and Death of Queen Margaret NYC Reviews and Tickets

69%

(17 Reviews)

Positive

76%

Mixed

12%

Negative

12%

Members say

Ambitious, Absorbing, Great acting, Intelligent, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Real Live Theatre presents a dance-theatre piece which liberates some of Shakespeare's most poignant feminist writing from plays about men and their experience of history.

Queen Margaret was a fierce, strong-willed, and independent woman, both historically and in Shakespeare’s 'Henry VI' trilogy and 'Richard III.' This piece brings her to the forefront of her own story by combining extant scenes from Shakespeare and occasional adapter-written chunks of iambic pentameter. What it cannot tell through words, it shows through choreography.

Member Reviews (17)

Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Great staging, Intelligent

See it if you like a very intelligent show using excerpts from 4 Shakespeare's plays that include Queen Margaret, a fascinating woman.

Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare or stories about very strong minded women. Women play all the roles Read more

Banal, Confusing, Disappointing, Dizzying, Excruciating

See it if I cannot think of a reason, it was awful

Don't see it if No ifs, don't waste your time

Clever, Entertaining, Great acting, Ambitious, Thought-provoking

See it if you like Shakespeare and unique takes on Shakespeare, are interested in the life of a very interesting historical figure.

Don't see it if You don't like Shakespeare

Absorbing, Entertaining, Great acting, Refreshing

See it if you enjoy a kind of Shakespeare backstory; very well done combo of 3 or 4 plays

Don't see it if if you don't know anything about Henry 6 or Richard 3; or if you are not a Shakespeare fan; 2.5 hrs

Sincere, all-female cast, imaginative, earnest,

See it if you enjoy The Bard, care to see females in all roles, creative staging.

Don't see it if easily bored, don't love The Bard, ...if you want a laugh or two.

Ambitious, Absorbing, Thought-provoking

See it if you know and like the Shakespeare history plays, you enjoy theater that mixes classical and daring ideas

Don't see it if either Shakespeare is sacrosanct for you or you can't stand Shakespeare in any form Read more

Confusing, Entertaining, Indulgent, Avant garde

See it if you're a Shakespeare buff looking for a solid, community theatre-level production of a lesser-known work.

Don't see it if you don't like genderbent casting, or conversely, if you want a nuanced, innovative use of genderbending. The dance elements felt extraneous

Ambitious, Confusing, Great acting

See it if You are a Shakespeare scholar interested in Shakespeare's women.

Don't see it if You like action.

Critic Reviews (1)

"As a result of Bercovici's and Dan Morbyrne's tight script (woven from Shakespeare but 'funneled and augmented') and Myka Plunkett's beautiful acting, Margaret of Anjou becomes decidedly whole and decidedly human...And the choice to cast an all-female ensemble, in a reversal of the Shakespearean norm, is a perfect touch. Music, lighting, dance, and inventive staging combine with a wise script, a unique aesthetic, and powerful acting to create the ultimate 'total work of art.'"
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