The Life and Times of Lee Harvey Oswald
About the show
La MaMa and the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre present this puppet theater exploration of three 1963 national traumas: the assassinations of President Kennedy, his brother, and Martin Luther King. More…
In 'The Life And Times Of Lee Harvey Oswald' the main protagonists inexorably approach the Grassy Knoll, guided by fate, like marionettes are led by their strings, as a Greek chorus of over a dozen ventriloquist dummies representing FBI, KGB, and TV agents warn them in vain to avoid the path of destruction. For Ages 12 and up.
“A surprisingly fun, interactive environment for exploring one of our nation's darker chapters...The marriage of puppetry and treason is a wise choice on creator/director Vít Hořejš' part...The marionettes give the play a highly presentational feel, but this should not be mistaken for a family-friendly evening...'The Life and Times of Lee Harvey Oswald' caters to true-crime fans, yet there's a whimsy about it that one might find in an improv show. All around, an evening worthy of a chuckle." Full Review
"This is an ambitious project...The first issue here is the difficulty in actually seeing the little guys...Mostly the intent is inscrutable...The real problem, however, is that the puppets never become characters, as they have in the troupe’s best work, and are reduced to cumbersome props. Unfortunately, this redirects our attention to the cast, whose acting is too uneven to bear the scrutiny." Full Review
See it if You want to see a variation on the JFK myth--- the stretching of time and depth of character analysis was fascinating.
Don't see it if You want to see more work with marionettes, the staging made it hard to really enjoy the puppets, although the actors were all great.
See it if you love experimental theater, no matter how weird. Subject (LHO) is interesting but treatment is incoherent. The charming marionettes are..
Don't see it if too small to see, even fr close seats. Having m'ettes shag often isn't funny. Storytelling crawls..almost 2 hrs w/o intermission. A misfire.
Also I left after 30 mins (luckily, I sat near an exit). LATOLHO had nothin... Read more Read less
See it if you need to witness truly horrific theatre to convince yourself that God is dead
Don't see it if you value your quality of life
Also this is why people hate "experimental" theatre
See it if marionettes are your thing... amazing use of all sizes
Don't see it if you will be disturbed by the content
See it if You like puppetry, wanna know more about the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, & dig great experimental La MaMa Theater!
Don't see it if You have bad eyesight & hate non-linear storylines.
Cast & Creatives (15)
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