Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (34)
See it if You love immersive theater experiences and/or love the Moulin Rouge aesthetic. Small, but interesting show.
Don't see it if You prefer proscenium-style shows.
See it if you have an interest in Toulouse-Lautrec and his work. The performers are attractive and clearly interested in sharing a good time.
Don't see it if you are expecting a serious biographic play. The facts are there but sandwiched between cancan and other amusements.
See it if you’d enjoy an hour’s entertainment in a milieu evocative of a Parisian fin-de-siècle nightclub.
Don't see it if you are looking for deep insight into art-making in general or, in particular, how Toulouse-Lautrec translated milieu into enduring images. Read more
See it if You’re up for an enjoyable and imaginative site-specific evening of song, dance and biography, well done by a fun and attractive ensemble.
Don't see it if Expecting a theatre or straight narrative; you enter a Belle Epoque red light bordello, grab a drink and are immersed in the action. Read more
See it if You enjoy immersive shows in which the setting (a smoky bar here) is almost as important as the action. If you like stylized, quirky shows.
Don't see it if You require a comfortable seat; many were stools. If you like a linear, clear plot this is not your show. But it did keep my interest.
See it if you want to see attractive people dance and pose in period costumes while learning about an important painter. Enjoy low humor
Don't see it if you want any roleplaying in your immersive theater or a large degree of interaction with actors, want a strong plot. Read more
See it if You are around the area and are in the mood.
Don't see it if You have a better or another plan. Read more
See it if you love immersive theater, la Belle Epoque, and game performers.
Don't see it if you want a straight up biography, plot, 3 dimensional characters.
Critic Reviews (6)
“A series of 20+ vignettes skimming the life and times of notable and troubled French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec..What hinders this production is not the performers themselves, but the cramped performance space that affects lighting, actor movement, and audience sight lines...'Unmaking' is a contemporary example of immersive devised theatre...Although restrained from a space perspective, the Bated Breath troupe is not short on creative ideas.”
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Score: 88% "The Moulin Rouge is a place where Lautrec felt he belonged. Madame X bar and 'Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec' just might be a place where you belong as well."
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“’Unmaking’ has all the ingredients and passion of something provocative and immersive but I feel your tale needs a larger less confined space and more distinct visuals to flourish. Although hemmed in, your upbringing and your deformity are high kicked out by a much determined cast, and as conceived and directed by Mara Lieberman, the drama creates a thirsty desire to find out more, read more, and understand more.”
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"As with 'Moulin Rouge,'…thrilling from the moment I entered the West Houston bar where it takes place…until a few minutes after it began…a vivid example of site-specific theater...at best inventive, at worst amateurish, and overall a mishmash."
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"This intimate one-act presents the artist and the legendary Moulin Rouge in shadowy high relief and with an aura of weirdness. An all-in cast and crew quicken the proceedings with slinky dances...Standout stagecraft energizes the action...Altogether 'Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec' is a weird and wonderful little show. It puts those ubiquitous posters in context, and it possesses enough theater magic to entertain people unfamiliar with the artist and his haunts."
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“While some vignettes are stronger than others, the ensemble’s collaborative relationship helps each scene flows seamlessly into the next...Overall, ‘Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec’ represents both excellence in devised theater-making as well as some good escapist entertainment...May not enlighten audiences, but it does provide enough meaningful moments and quality content to delight both interactive theatergoers and bar-hoppers alike.”
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