What We Cannot Forgive

See it if you are up for the horrible affect of drug and alcohol abuse on a family - good, young actor in first role, good points on rights/tolerance.

Don't see it if you want a flawless production - acting is uneven, set and prop problems, script is long and lumpy, pauses interrupt flow. Long first act.

See it if Jumping from house to house and year to year in a multigenerational addict alcoholic family.

Don't see it if You’d rather not see the devastation caused by drugs and alcohol acted out on stage.

See it if you are a friend of the cast. The cast tried their best with this confusing, sophomoric book, which feels written by a teenager.

Don't see it if you want a coherent, intelligent story about alcoholism and physical abuse. This is NOT it.

Also I'm a fan of 13 St Rep and they put on good quality productions, but this one just is not in that caliber. It didn't help that the "front door" kept getting stuck so by the end of Act I it was swinging in the wrong direction.... Read more Read less

See it if Effects of addition on a family

Don't see it if sad endings.

See it if You don’t mind spotty acting and writing. Sometimes good sometimes not so good

Don't see it if You Require Consistent acting and writing.

Also Needs work both writing and acting.

See it if You are interested in the effects of addiction on intergenerational family life

Don't see it if You do not like non linear plays. You prefer totally happy endings

Also Some of the acting was a little uneven but the actors were given a very difficult task; they had to play evolving personalities over a 30 year period. One thing that was obvious but was touched on only indirectly was that social class mobility and social class have a lot to do with how people turn out emotionally and professionally regardless of how functional the family life is. At times I found the non linear scenes confusing. I would have preferred a linear play and if the author wants this play understood by adolescents he would probably have to change it to a linear format.... Read more Read less

See it if You like plays that deal with family situations and problems. Also if you enjoy a no frills type of show with great acting.

Don't see it if You would rather see a play with a lighter subject matter. Also if you are not comfortable seeing a show that deals with addiction issues.

See it if The cast as alcoholics were spot on. The son did an excellent job. Smart set design. Reminiscent of most alcoholic genes. I enjoyed it.

Don't see it if You dont like addiction portrayals or small venues. There were many pauses with actors off stage.

See it if You like non-linear plays that deal with addiction's pain downstream, inter-generationally.

Don't see it if You don't like non-linear plays. You want something light and fluffy. You enjoy good dialogue.

Also I wanted to like this play, as I thought the topic was interesting, but the acting was very uneven. The writing felt like it needed at least a few more re-writes. The forgiveness aspect, with the "grandfather," came about despite him not changing his behavior. The scenes felt more expository than dialogue. There was a certain aspect of the play (racism with the grandfather) that could've played a part in it, but definitely felt forced and didn't need to be there.

The non-linear aspect of the play was alright, but felt over-ambitious.

Overall, there were a lot of aspects that felt like they needed more work before it would be put up on stage.... Read more Read less

See it if You want To learn about addiction

Don't see it if If you are in early recovery or are depressed

See it if you like family dramas and if the subject of addition and how it effects the lives of family members, especially children, is of interest.

Don't see it if You are not interested in the subject of addition or you prefer lighter theater experiences.

See it if You don’t mind a play that shows how addiction destroys the dynamics of family.

Don't see it if If you can’t handle in your face the reality of what addiction can do to your family and your life.

See it if If you want to listen to yelling and Terrible dialog

Don't see it if If you find terrible scripts unbearable