The Sandalwood Box and The Fez

See it if Two experimental works ... work! High energy and a bit dizzying. Not sure what to take away but definitely different and lively.

Don't see it if You don’t like experimental theater.

See it if “The Bats” (Flea actors) bring terrific energy & expressiveness to these wild pieces. I enjoyed being lost in them & left on a high.

Don't see it if You want to understand everything going on. You don’t like weird performance art.

See it if Mac Wellman is a theatre god! Both short experimental comedies exploit/exalt language in an absurdist homage (think Ionesco) Zany ensemble

Don't see it if Wellman is a theatre anti-christ! All incomprehensible drivel leading down rabbit holes Even being mercifully short can't help w/tangibility

See it if You just want some zany fun!

Don't see it if If you’re looking for a tragedy

See it if you want to see cutting edge theater of the absurd performed with inspiring gusto and skill.

Don't see it if you are looking for normal. Exhilarating, but not always comprehensible.

See it if you like zaniness

Don't see it if preferring the sensible

Also "You can only be a virgin once," says the proverb; and being that many elements of this genre have been incorporated into mainstream entertainment, part of me was enjoying this by imaging how I would have been totally mesmerized had I seen it years ago.
But this is a fun show, giving the actors a chance to display their classical comedy chops before the mayhem starts.
This is about energy, this is about chaos. The troupe fully adopted the spirit of the plays, so while this feels dated, it also feels wonderfully fresh.... Read more Read less

See it if you like weird theatre of the absurd

Don't see it if you need to understand what's going on; you want your theater experience to be more than an hour (this clocked in just under)

See it if Want to reflect on the existential fragile character of life. The playwright questions the basis for evil in our world.

Don't see it if You want passive entertainment.

See it if If you like 2 short plays that are experimental theater. Interesting in the way they are preformed. Very enjoyable takes u for a ride.

Don't see it if If you need theater to be straight forward and know everything that is going on this is not for you.

See it if you’d like to see 2 short plays that aren't just unconventional: They plot to blow convention up—& have a huge amount of fun in the process.

Don't see it if an hour-long evening of 2 very short pieces, no matter how exhilarating, is not enough to warrant your coming out to the theater.

Also “The Fez” is a play short enough to be printed on a T-shirt. The script says the piece should start out as the presentation of a superior tradition-bound play. The use of Shaw’s “Pygmalion” here is inspired, & Scene 1, Cockneys vs Gentry out in the London street gives The Bats—Flea’s resident company, an opportunity to take things over the top. Then that traditional play breaks down as a Fez-headed chorus invades & mayhem ensues. I haven’t seen this much true exuberance in a theater in memory. “The Sandalwood Box” might be Wellman’s closest pass at allegory—though not so simple as A stands in for B. The small cast is strong & Dorothea Gloria as the central character is a powerhouse. A melt-down speech tests her physical & vocal range & had the hair on my neck tingling. (I don’t know how her powerful voice sustains it every night but I’m glad I experienced it.) A knotty interplay between the mute & the speaker, & spoken & recorded word, will gratify all you performance nerds like me.... Read more Read less

See it if You like to be thrown off, see theatre taken in its traditional form and thrown upside down! It is a wild ride and tons of fun to experience

Don't see it if You need structure and need to know what is going on all the time... Mac Wellman will not allow you to have that kind of experience.

See it if If you like theatre that takes you outside of the realm of traditional work.

Don't see it if You like traditional, realistic and literal work.

See it if You want to see an interesting spin on a classic...and then something strange happens.

Don't see it if You're not in the mood to think. There's always Netflix.

See it if You want something different and deliciously absurd.

Don't see it if You're looking for more standard fare like a traditional musical or drama.