See it if You like Toulouse-Lautrec and Moulin Rouge and learning/seeing some history in an intimate setting with cocktails
Don't see it if You don’t like immersive theatre in a cocktail lounge. The audience sits in the lounge and actors move throughout. You don’t like sexy fun.
See it if you are interested in a quirky biography of Toulouse-Lautrec as presented unconventionally in an unusual space
Don't see it if if you want a linear narrative or complete historical accuracy. This is movement-theater.
See it if You like immersive shows and you don't mind that they are probably still working on it. Fun! Clever staging.
Don't see it if You don't like dark rooms, nonlinear plots, or Can Can dancing.
See it if You enjoy immersive theater and stories about historical people. This is an entertaining staging by a young, ambitious, energetic ensemble.
Don't see it if If you don't like intimate, immersive theater and like to take chances seeing work by a new and young ensemble.
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 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 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 like non linear performances that incorporate dance, acting and singing. You like interesting salon spaces.
Don't see it if You do not have the patience to experience uneven acting and singing as the performance level overall is not quite professional. Read more
“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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