The Suitcase Under the Bed

See it if To see plays that were never produced but an unappreciated and forgotten writer.

Don't see it if Wish for action.

See it if You like old Irish short stories. Nice that they haven't been done before. Good actions. 2 of the 4 short plays were stronger.

Don't see it if Don't like works from another period in time or slow Irish think pieces.

See it if you like Irish storytelling, old fashioned one act plays; love seeing actors appearing in different roles (in different one-act plays)

Don't see it if you would not be able to get over an extremely weak 1st play, frustrated in not knowing more in one or two plays..

Also LOVED Cynthia Mace in every role.

Annoyed by scenery in the last play and the clouds in all of them (looked like garbage bags)... Read more Read less

See it if You like period one-act mid 20th century dramas/comedies. Teresa Deevy is an Irish playwright who follows the norms of her times. Enjoyable!

Don't see it if Expect full length play with elaborate sets. Modern costumes and fast pace or action scenes.

Also Mint Theater Company resurrects long list plays from the 1900s. These one act plays were found in a suitcase under a bed. Deevy is a playwright who has been highlighted by the Mint theater for a number of years.
Her plays are very typical of the times and the costumes are wonderful. The actors really capture the mood and statements of living in the 20s 30s and 40s. There are Irish accents, but easily understandable.
Deevy's plays are the type that you just sit back and enjoy with no profanity or sexual acts. It is good old-fashioned fun. I compare her to Horton Foote.... Read more Read less

See it if you are hooked on Deevy as we are. Of the four one acts, two were very good Clever use of the scenery to show various sites.

Don't see it if you want to compare the one acts to the 3 major productions already produced by the MINT. They are unapproachable.

Also Almost all of the 7 actors are asked to play 3 or 4 roles and make the switch quite well.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy seeing Irish plays. Some of it is very charming. Great cast let down by dull, slow-paced direction and forever scene changes.

Don't see it if long scene changes between every one-act annoys you. There are better ways to design the set so the changes take minimal time.

Also I have been a fan of the Mint for over 20 years. It pains me to write this review. Looking forward to their future productions.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy thoughtful and clever one act plays. The King of Spain's Daughter was particularly interesting.

Don't see it if You want a single narrative with a conclusive ending. These plays were short stories with less of an sharp ending.

See it if You want to see rarely/never produced plays. You enjoy Irish dramas. You want classic plays performed by well-trained classical actors.

Don't see it if You want to see contemporary drama. You dislike short plays. You don't like Irish plays.

See it if like suspensive, surprising, uninevitable, charming, Irish comedic drama set in the 1930s but timeless in relevance and exquisitely produced

Don't see it if you have no taste for nuance, Irish irony, charm and brogue, or prefer "diverse" casts and themes, dance, raucous comedy, hip hop or musical

See it if you're a fan of Irish playwrights and of the short-form one act. These are bite-sized plays, respectably mounted, that don't always add up.

Don't see it if you don't like old-fashioned style writing, slight plays about Irish life, or a smorgasbord theatrical shorts.

See it if time period pieces written from the perspective of a female playwright which are rarely performed

Don't see it if you prefer more upbeat and lively action

See it if you enjoy older stories about the Irish.

Don't see it if you don't like older plays and specifically Irish subject matter.

See it if You like one-acts, are familiar with melancholy in Irish lit, appreciate the pacing of these older plays. They all seemed the same by end.

Don't see it if Want crisp scenes/snappy dialog. Director has slowed pace down even further than the playwright intended. You want happy endings/resolution.

Also I'm feeling neither good nor bad about this evening. It was generally pleasant and serviceable theater and many people may enjoy this considerably more than I did. I wasn't bored, just overly aware of the pace. My concerns had mostly to do with the dragginess and extended bits of dialog that don't have much purpose.

Saw this mid August, 2017 at Theater Row.... Read more Read less

See it if You like short plays. You want to see great acting. You are or are not familiar with Teresa Deevy. You want to enjoy the theater.

Don't see it if You don't want to enjoy a night out. You need a fast paced play.

See it if you want to see well-written and thoughtful short plays - previously undiscovered - that explore love and marriage compellingly.

Don't see it if you want flashy spectacle or extreme drama. These are fully fleshed out but bite-size stories that will stick with you for a while.

See it if you enjoy one-act plays. These plays are, at best, uneven. The second act curtain raiser was my favorite.

Don't see it if you do not like Irish one-act plays. Or if you have trouble understanding accents.

Also Warning: They turn off the air conditioning once the play starts. It gets very warm and close in the theatre.
Even though they turn the a/c back on during the intermission, it is not enough time to make the theatre comfortable.
Like the plays, the cast is uneven. Some actors are very good; others deserve to be in community theatre.
The direction by Jonathan Bank is not great. He is better off spending his time researching lost plays and playwrights.... Read more Read less

See it if You like old Irish plays

Don't see it if You don't like one act plays. If you don't care for dated material

See it if you want a change of pace from modern theater. Charming accents and dialogue make this worth sitting through.

Don't see it if you like meatier rather than slight theater.

See it if you can enjoy the show for what it is - 1 act vignettes without a clear beginning or ending.

Don't see it if you prefer a more hashed out play that fully incorporates all the essential story elements

Also i liked this production. the actors were versatile and changed characters seemlessly. i took this play for what it was, which made it more enjoyable. also, i really liked the mellow irish celtic muisc played before/in between acts.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to discover a hidden gem with classic-style Irish characters, dialogue and poetry delivered by wonderful actors

Don't see it if you want a play complete from beginning to end

Also Teresa Deevy was a most unusual playwright. Read her bio in the program before the show begins... Read more Read less

See it if You like short plays. Four short plays from a seldom seen female Irish playwright from mid 20th century. Tender eye opening stories.

Don't see it if You don't like quiet stories that ask you to look at your life or place in society and perhaps see it from another point of view.

See it if Poignant snapshots into the human comedy beautifully articulated in charming Irish brogues sounds good to you.

Don't see it if You prefer dramatic action with lots of plot rather than quiet quirky characters revealing their humanity between the lines.

See it if you have enjoyed previous Mint productions of plays by Deevy or if you like seeing actors play a few different roles in one evening.

Don't see it if don't like one-act plays, particularly those that seem like fragments of a longer play.

Also Sometimes manuscripts are left in a suitcase under the bed for a reason.... Read more Read less

See it if you like charming, prim Irish writing. Amusing characters. Some nice acting, especially the handsome AJ Shively.and the older women.

Don't see it if you don't like one-acts -- some of which are lame. Also if you don't get Irish brogue. Some of the women's costumes are delightfully silly.

Also The best parts for me were the entr'acte poetry readings

See it if You don't mind starting in the middle of a plot and mostly leaving unresolved. Actors were unique in each role. Accents affect etc.

Don't see it if You want a linear narrative with a beginning, middle and end. It's important to have parity in the talent and quality of the stories

Also I missed the first one so can't attest to it.