See it if You want a show about marital detachment. Good directing. A show that can be gritty but doesnt follow through. Can be funny at times.
Don't see it if If your not interested in a show about bad marriages. The ending is not up to what it could be. If you want an ending that lives up topotent
See it if You want to see three great actors in a piece like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe on acid! Stick with it. They tie it up nicely at the end.
Don't see it if You don’t have the patience to sit through what seems like nonsense to get to the real purpose and meaning.
See it if you are interested in a beautifully acted example of the interplay between metaphor and reality,
Don't see it if If you get impatient with surface appearances. The characters reveal themselves over the course of the play.
See it if you want to see an intense, stunningly acted Albeean domestic dramedy about suppressed grief, repressed feelings & the elephant in the room.
Don't see it if you have no predilection for Absurdist drama. Read more
See it if You enjoy "comedy of the absurd" w/a couple in a humdrum marriage & a cop who runs in (to escape the tiger). Photo at end explains the show.
Don't see it if Pacing could be picked up a bit - would work stronger with a 20 minute cut.
See it if you love to be kept on your toes through quirky dialogue and superb acting.
Don't see it if you are looking for fluff. This is intense while also being quite funny, at times.
See it if you like smart dialogue performed by a smart cast. The tiger metaphor works well even though the symbolism is obvious.
Don't see it if you expect realistic, well developed characters. This is an absurdist play but the big reveal was rather trite and not up to its potential.
See it if You want to see a quite lovely lead actor. I never wanted to leave. Interesting reworking/combo of classic plays yet original.
Don't see it if You have difficulty with unresolved grief. If you prefer refined acting rather than loud (effective) effusive acting. Read more
“‘Borrows many Albeean aspects, and folds in an absurdist element that is meant to elevate the action and doesn't...Is the tiger for real? Is the cop? We won't know for a while, and what's worse, we won't care. Chrisler's dialog is flat and repetitive, and director Jaclyn Biskup hasn't figured out how to get these two off the couch enough...Chrisler calls 'Worse Than Tigers' 'a comedy (until it's not) in two acts.' For me, the 'until it's not' came pretty quickly."
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“An affecting look at one dysfunctional heterosexual marriage alternates between hyper-realism and absurdity to illustrate what happens when we distance ourselves from what we’re feeling...It’s raw and well-played...Chrisler’s script addresses how we numb ourselves to keep from feeling anger, fear, grief, and sadness. In so doing, Chrisler suggests, we cut ourselves off from much of what makes human beings human. If this sounds preachy or heavy-handed, rest assured it’s not.”
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“You'll like this play if you like the truth about complex relationships...Braeson has no fear to dig deep in order to deliver a performance that will never leave the audience dry...Sullivan shows in-depth emotion in the midst of devastating odds. Her last actions are perplexing but somewhat believable...Zach's portrayal...is near maniacal, entertaining and unpredictable. A shocking and stunning performance of an officer, seemingly bipolar...but still holding on by a thread.”
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"It’s all quite absorbing...The action starts to drag...The second act reveals further depths, but too often by telling rather than showing...Intermittently funny and unevenly powerful, 'Worse Than Tigers' is amusingly absurdist and patently symbolist, yet on another level grittily real. That’s thanks in part to sharply defined performances by the excellent cast, marshaled efficiently by director Jaclyn Biskup...Consistent drive is what the play lacks."
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“A bone-chilling, panic-attack inducing, primal, bloody, life resuscitator…and its funny. It’s a theatrical ‘Black Mirror’...It’s sneaky. It engages your intellect with complex, clever, funny dialogue revealing marital detachment, and then it pounces like a stalking animal...Biskup’s strong directorial vision is evident in the intricate, sensitive character development and the stakes that she manages to keep high throughout...A tight, well-paced, excellent show with polished performances."
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