Arizona Theatre Company

This play should become a classic. I suspect it will. I hope everyone interested in our history, the presidency, or in excellent dialog and performance, should see it. The actors all did an superb job portraying these former presidents, without falling into the trap of making them a caricature. The dialog, of course, is fictional. We don't know what these men actually said to each other while waiting for the ceremony at Richard Nixon's funeral, but the dialog certainly fit the president portrayed. I suspect much of it was based upon the historical record. I saw no bias in political sides in the presentation, each president seemed to get some criticism and some praise. It showed the human side of the person who holds this very difficult office. I'd love to know what these men actually talked about during this meeting but I suspect that the play is more entertaining than what they actually said! My wife and I enjoyed it very much and the audience seemed to agree. I would recommend that anyone who finds themselves interested in the relationship between presidents, after watching the play, should read the following book: "The President's Club - Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity" by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. 2012.

I would love to watch it again and again. Some of the lines are amazingly truthful and funny at the same time. What a delightful way to express the sorrow of chronic suffering.

Overall it was a good interpretation of Neil Simon's play. Very talented actors, although I could not connect with Bella who I found to be irritating at times.

Great play, great cast, great fun! Very funny lines.

We left at intermission... Total waste of $130! (However, w love the Herberger theater...)

The last time Irma Vep was in Phoenix we went to see it. I thought it was the funniest play I ever saw. The acting was increadable and the whole play was fun. Well here it is back in town and we decided to see it again. Just as well acted and very much as funny as last ime. I'll see it again next time too.

Very interesting play. Costume changes by the two actors was amazing. Sets were excellent. Performers were excellent. Script had some really funny jokes and some not so funny.

Great seats! Amazing Actors! Clever Script! Ridiculously Funny, I laughed sometime inspite of my self... Delightful Diversion... great value on the ticket for such a wonderful production... I would see it again if my schedule permitted...

It was the most entertaining and funny show I have seen since "Noises Off". The acting was great and very realistic. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and was never bored.

Like a train, it started out slowly, but built momentum getting funnier & more rediculous as it went. Each scene was funnier than the last. Sight gags, quips & puns galore!

Terrific. In the style of classic London - cheeky!

Being relatively new to the area, this was our 1st time attending an ATC production & the Herberger Theater. Irma Vep was such a good time, with great laughs. The 2 gentlemen who portrayed the cast of characters were superb. The Herberger Theater is a wonderful small venue, I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. We sat in the upper balcony and could see and hear perfectly. We look forward to attending other productions in the future.

The play was only mediocre. I would not recommend it to others. I am glad we didn't pay $60 for seats.

The show was tons of fun, they had current evnets and made fun of everything from Obamba' long form birth certificate to old campy horror movies. It was a beautiful old theater with comfortable seating and generous space for everyone to enjoy. I purchased 5 tickets and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The two actors were great and extremely entertaining.

Three friends and I planned a fun fast paced evening of entertainment with tickets costing $220. What a waste of time and money!!!! We kept waiting for the pace to pick up beyond the actors long boring talks. arm waving and " emoting". The only highlight was the scene in the tomb when they brought in a little contemporary humor about Obama's birth certificate. Compliments to the designers of the sets which were really good. Suggest a trip to London at the Criterion Theater where two actors do the " Abridged Complete Works of Shakespeare" in two hours. Take a lesson on how to bring fast paced, quick change mix of Shakespeare and contemporary subjects. I was expecting a similar experience and was extremely disappointed.

We have never laughed this much. The 2 actors were wonderful, They played all the roles to the utmost. We went to the afternoon show and couldn't believe they could perform again that evening....

It seems as though the build up descriptions for the play were over stated. We enjoyed the play, however, we never "laughed until we couldn't breathe".

Sitting in our fantastic seats in the third row, we could only marvel at the flawless costume changes and the adept personality transformations happening before us. The sets and props were incredibly successful at creating a mood of happy horror. Hats off to Drew Boughton and David Kay Mickelsen!. The characters accents, mannerisms, and voices were altered as effortlessly as the clothing flew off and on. Bob Sorenson and Oliver Wadsworth can t be praised enough, not only for their comedic talent and ability to inhabit their roles and make each of them enchantingly real, but for the sheer exertion of carrying an entire production with ease. Not a single bead of sweat nor a character lapse did we see! Thank you for a thoroughly charming and hilarious production, imbued with references to current events (as up-to-date as The Birth Certificate!) and sassy silliness, to boot. What a perfect way to spend Mother s Day and my birthday! (I think I ll keep the husband!)

The play was fast moving, funny and filled with unbelieveable constume changes. How the two of them managed to change so quickly is beyond me. I wear hearing aids and the combination of the English accent and the volume at times, made it a little hard to catch every word. My wife and I were at another play about a month ago and the volume was excellent. It seemed that when the actors turned away, it was hard to hear them. My wife liked the second act better than the first, but both of us agreed it is a show worth seeing. We are glad we went.

The actors were amazingly speedy in their transitions, the play included jokes relating to current events which made it hilarious, actors were wonderful at making each character different, never a dull moment

Nice effort by talented actors, especially on opening night. But after the novelty of the frequent and amazingly quick costume changes wears off, the audience is left with an unsatisfying olio of woefully cliched script, threadbare plot and mediocre props and parlor tricks.

the Gaslight puts on something like this all the time and does it better for less money. I was expecting better from ATC

First off the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson is a wonderful small venue. The stage is perfectly set and sized for so many types of performances. The Mystery of Irma Vep; I was not very familiar with the story line before entering the theater. The two actors portraying the characters are amazing. The settings were wonderfully designed and build for a two man performance. This is one show were I can not give anything away. GO SEE IT YOURSELF. Two full hours of laughter and joy!

If you are in Tucson this week, take a break from routine and go see The Mystery of Irma Vep put on by the Arizona Theatre Company at the Temple of Music and Art. Fantastic venue, great pre theatre meal at the Temple Lodge cafe, open and airy courtyard, art gallery and beautiful theatre. Now, let's not forget the play, well done, great casts and amazing fast costume changes. For a night of art, enjoyment and great laughs, go see The Mystery of Irma Vep before it ends its run April 30th.

Had a great time.....funny!! Would recommend to friends and family.

Unfortunately that was the worst acting I have witnessed in quite some time!

ATC's production of Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" has everything--an outstanding cast, a perfect set, nostalgic music, and, of course, Simon's prize-winning script. Every performer hit the nail squarely on the head, but I was most dazzled by Tucsonans Maxx Carlisle-King and Ryan DeLuca as Artie and Jake, two teen-agers who have to stay with their formidable grandmother. Both young actors gave natural, spontaneous performances at a level I'd expect from seasoned professionals. Judy Kaye gives us "Grandma", a fierce and wounded woman, as she has at San Diego's Old Globe Theater, angry and frightening but also deeply afraid--a difficult job! These three, plus Kate Goehring as a deeply moving and hysterically charming Aunt Bella, carry the show, but that doesn't mean anyone else drops the ball. This is a tremendous show, a great cast, and a wonderful theater. Wherever you are, go see it!

We thought the premise was very good but the script badly acted. The make up was pretty bad altho it was referred to in the prologue comments as being by an excellent artist and very good. We loved the theater and altho we were seated in the last row, per our request, we could see and hear very well. The staging was excellent. We thought the references to Reagan's altzheimers were tasteless and not necessary.

Bush and Carter are especially good. Ronald Reagan character was too plastic and moved awkwardly on stage. His dialog was great however. Lots of laughs and insightful moments. Would recommend it to my friends.

Five Presidents is a smart, funny, show. Well written and terrific actors.

Five presidents was an excellent production. Great theatre

Five Presidents was both funny and poignant at the same time. Everything you would imagine these men saying to one another in a private setting, along with many laugh out loud moments.

I very much enjoyed the show. I attended with my 25 year old daughter who knew a little bit about each president but not as much as the rest of the crowd (most of which were of voting age during the Watergate era). She loved it as well, even though she was not able to appreciate some of the references. The star of the show was definitely Gerald Ford's character. The writer has chosen to portray him as a true president with both gravitas and a sense of humbleness and awe of the presidency. This seemed in contradiction to how the media often portrayed Ford in the decades following his presidency. The other actors were spot on in there portrayals and I thought they handled Reagan's dementia with accuracy and respect. See it with your adult kids -- it will make them see 2016 in a more engaging manner!

My husband didn't even want to go to this play and after watching it said it was the best play he has ever seen. It was very funny and we didn't look at our watches once

This was an innovative idea for a play. It was both humorous and touching. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The best time we've had at theatre in quite a while. The play is a joy with one joke after another -- jokes that we all understand because we all lived through the times the presidents talk about. There are enough serious topics to keep the play relevant for today. The actors are all well suited for their roles; but they never resort to caricature. We were part of a full house audience and that made the experience even better as we shared American history revisited.

We are not regular playgoers, but I saw the ad for this in the AZ Republic and the play appealed to me. Also, we were watchers of West Wing and enjoyed the writing of Rick Cleveland. We were not disappointed! The actors were very good, the theater had great acoustics, and the back-and-forth between the "presidents" varied nicely from historical to humor. We are recommending it to our friends.

I would have liked the play better if the portrayals of the Presidents were less trite characterizations and more grounded in their real personalities. Bush, Clinton and Carter came close, but Reagan was way off (he wasn't likeable, as in life). Ford was too obnoxious. The dramatic element of anger/apology was overused. This play has real potential, but the script needs work.

When you have lived through all these presidents it becomes difficult to see them through the eyes of a playwright. You hope the playwright captures the essence of each one be it the positive or negative aspects of each president's tenure. They were all fairly well portrayed except Clinton. A brilliant man seemingly portrayed as a bumpkin. The new kid on the block who seems a little wet behind the ears. All I can say is that if this was a "world Premiere" in Arizona, then good luck trying to reach Broadway. New York does not have the mindset of the Arizonain wild west and will not tolerate Bill Clinton portrayed as a horny fool with little redeeming value.

Portrayed the frailties and the strengths of Ford, Regan, Carter, Bush, and Clinton. It was an intelligent and fair portrayal of each president. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Five Presidents is a great way to get to know these men as real people. It touches on their foibles and accomplishments with a sense of humor that keeps them human. The characters are well researched,and the actors make them believable through their mannerisms and speech. A wonderful play!

Fantastic.. The script was great, quick paced and the actors truly authenic and excellent. Not a dull moment and insights brought to awareness. This is a must see performance.

My wife and I saw Five Presidents in the majestic yet intimate, confines of the Herberger Theater in Phoenix, AZ. We both loved the play and thought the production was first rate. We especially enjoyed the portrayal of Gerald Ford and really feeling like "a fly on the wall" during that day's proceedings. Excellent production and highly rated.

The major disappointment is the depiction of President Reagan. Rather than depicting him as a person with the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease the director/playwright depicted him as a buffoon. Other than that there were times that the actors' voices could not be heard and the voice over music was at times not clear.

Acting, dialogue, and set design were topnotch! Nice venue. A very enjoyable experience.

Why does every new show have to have so much bad language in it. Do they really think it adds anything and do you think we really want to hear it? Ruins the show for me

This play was funny with great dialogues. They made fun of themselves and one another. They were confrontation, combative, and compassionate with one another. They brought up the stereo type the press made and the underpinnings of holding such a powerful and demanding office. It was well cast in appearance, speech patterns, and personality. It was witty well timed and a great performance.

Our first time to the Herberger Theater. We thoroughly enjoyed the venue and the show! We found the location to be wonderful for dinner before the show and drinks afterward. Will be watching for more events to attend!

Great writing, good acting in super scenario in this premiere which has the bloodlines for Broadway

Five Presidents was the best play I've seen in years! Smart, funny, and a strong reminder of the challenging times during the presidencies of these five unique men.

A friend and I attended Five Presidents last Sunday for the matinee. It was a fun experience with lots of laughs and history. So nice to be reminded of the events of each administration and see the personalities of the Presidents come through. A novel idea and certainly entertaining afternoon.

Enjoyed watching the 5 presidents! Ihad a great time didn't know what to expect but the performance and content of the play was excellent. Actors where great cant wait to attend the next show.

Hopefully this fabulous play will go full circle and play nationwide!! wonderful dialogue and the actors portrayed their president to a T! Loved every minute!!!

The dialogue was overly focused on historical details. I was hoping for more personal revelations about the characters. Also, the portrayal of Reagan's struggle with alzheimers was grossly exaggerated.

Amazing script and and very engaging. I looked forward to the performance but was blown away.

Good pace of dialogue, stand in did well for Gerald Ford, Reagan a little over done, Carter and Clinton about right, G.H. Bush weakest of all.

Five Presidents was a well-written play with humor, history, and new understandings of each president.

Would loved to seen it again. He was so much fun to watch! I learned alot too! The theater was great.

The evening was great. Herbert Siguenza is very entertaining as he becomes Pablo Picasso and engages the audience in the experience. He talks to the audience, scolds, warns and compliments us during the performance. The theater is intimate and engaging. This was our first visit to Arizona Theater Company, but we will attend more events.

Absolutely loved this one man play! Can't say enough great things about the performance!

Although Herbert Siguenza tackles the role of Picasso with a lot of energy and verve, the script is meandering and tedious. There's no plot, no tension, no transformation of the character--and these are necessary for a fulfilling night in the theatre.

We so enjoyed the artist at work and the conversation with the audience. As fans of Picasso, we felt his personality sparked and dazzled the audience.

The performer does a superb job in exposing the heart, passions, and simplicity of Pablo to the stage, entertaining from beginning to curtain call. Brilliant!

Friendly, helpful staff. Great venue (not a bad seat). Play was fun. Love the live drawings/paintings. That is the reason I went to the play. The actor was very enjoyable. Special effects were great. If there was only one negative point, he smoked during the performance off and on as part of the performance. I had a front row seat and didn't expect cigarette smoke. It never occurred to me. It may not have been an issue for anyone else. I enjoyed a fruit bowl in the lounge before the performance. Would highly recommend.

I have never seen anything like it! One person , a quick 90 min, multi media, political, personal , historical, funny, intimate,

Nothing prepared me for this multimedia composition! The actor as Picasso quickly transformed into his historic presence, sharing the political climate and the social commentary that surrounded the artist and influenced his drawing. This context seemed to exponentially explode on the canvases, several which were discussed and others painted in front of us. Thankfully, I did not miss this show, this playful vignette!

Thoroughly entertaining show. I felt like I truly was listening to Picasso. Highly recommend for Picasso and/or art enthusiasts.

My Grandson who is 15 and reading Romeo and Juliet in his 9 th grade Engkish class, andnIntrulybenjoyed this Dolce Vita - James Dean version of the Master! We also loved the prologue set up with the actor which set the stage for this creative version. Millennial especially would love it but even an elder such as I could really enjoy it. Congratulations to the ensemble and all who made it possible !, Next stop! MacBeth or Hamlet! Thx

BORING, Language was not understandable... I thought it would be a 'pun' on Shakespeare... it was the actually with modern day technology.... GREAT ACTING. TERRIBLE PLOT, changes to the plot, absolutely the worst play!

I had trouble understanding language sorry but it was not what I expected

Great entertainment! Well presented and very interesting.

Lovely, great show! I would reccommend to all ages. We plan on taking family when they come in Town to go see it again =)

With pictures of a moped and updated clothes I didn't realize that the play was in actual Shakespean language. It took way too much concentration to understand what was being said. And it was very lewd and suggestive. We left at intermission.

The play was excellent. Actors convincing. Nurse particularly good The reviewer from the AZ Republic must have been like the Peter Sellsrs critic movie that was actually with his mistress when the theater burned down. That critic liked the play

Great performance. Strong acting, fantastic humor.

This play was a nice departure; set in the 1960's while still using Shakespeare's language with modern dress (and motorcycle). Definitely worth seeing.

This play was fantastic. I found myself captivated especially by Mercutio. The friar was also amazing, and his interplay with all the characters was masterful. The scenery on stage was very well done, and surprisingly varried. The scene changes were seemless, and the costumes were excellent. It gave me a whole new appreciation of the play.

Romeo and Juliet was an awesome play. I would recommend it to all who enjoy theatre.

The play Five Presidents was just wonderful! Brilliantly written and acted and a most enjoyable theatre experience.

We loved it! Funny, perceptive script and top caliber performances.

I am a huge West Wing fan...seen every show 100 times. The writer of this show worked on WW. Well, this show was no WW. It was a very light comedy, not nearly as in-depth or serious as I would have hoped it would be. There was a WW episode where the living Presidents got together and that was great. This was just OK. I had a real problem with the Clinton sex jokes. It was cliche and boring. And most of the jokes about Reagan were about his memory failing. Alzheimers is NOT funny. I could not imagine why the audience was laughing at his forgetting things. Clinton and Bush were OK. The star is Ford who, thank you very much, was the only one to speak up and project his voice to the audience. Everyone else mumbled and it was hard to hear. There are NO microphones so it is a loud voice or nothing. I would love to have a conversation with the writer. This could have been so much better. There is so much we can learn from past Presidents. This show was not it.

By the end of the show, I felt like I knew each of the 5 Presidents in a personal way. Absolutely loved it!!!

All in all, this play was entertaining, though it took some factual liberties to get there. The actors were chosen for their slight resemblance to the Presidents, save for Reagan who was too heavily made up and played as a caricature. Ford was played as crass but funny when in reality he was much more composed. Carter was excellently played but was shown drinking scotch when he is a well-known teetotaler. Bush 41 was probably the closest to reality. Clinton was presented as oafish, which he is not. These diversions from reality, though, made the play much more entertaining. With the surrounding story and very well done scenery, it portrayed an unusual event -- the gathering of 5 Presidents.

Very nice, intimate theater. Acting was very good - accents matched the real presidents! Dialogue was intriguing, with lots of history. We thoroughly enjoyed the play from start to finish.

No matter your personal opinion of the individual person, political party or hot issues of the times, it gives a deep appreciation for those who hold the position of U.S. Presidency. Is is thought provoking with the right amount of humor.

Just didn't seem to have an objective.....definitely wasn't historically accurate, was it supposed to be a comedy? If so, fell pathetically short, just too many awkward moments that the audience just didn't get and/or the actors just didn't convince. The conclusion seemed to leave the audience rather depressed that these five guys were portrayed as a pathetic, laughable group getting together to memorialize and remember one of the MOST pathetic and laughable figures in Presidential history. What in the heck was the point??? Total waste of time and money.

History comes alive watching five Presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (1), and Clinton) have some humorous, insightful, touching, and believable moments together before attending Richard Nixon's funeral. It was obvious the script was well researched and as historically accurate as possible. A wonderful entertaining evening that I highly recommend you see.

Most suspenseful play I have ever attended. I saw the movie in 1967 and did not think the play could be anywhere near as "edge of the seat" as the movie, but it was.

Great show. Very intriguing and well acted. The staff was very accommodating and the theater was beautiful

The cast did a very good performance. Their diction was clear, which is very important to me. The details of the set were first rate. It was well done and very enjoyable.

What a wonderful performance in an intimate venue. The actors were all wonderful, and the play was so well done. Kudos!!

Great cast and effects made this work. Not the same as move - thankfully - it was a little different and made it interesting. Acting superb - especially the leads. Go for it!

The play was well done, and the actors were excellent. The only thing that would have made it better was maybe some fake blood used in the stabbing scenes...it seemed odd to have to just imagine injuries...

Great plot. Great suspense. Great twists. Just great!

Wonderful cast, set everything. They made me jump and nervous even tho I know the plot very well.

I thought that the stage setting was quite good, however, a bit of overacting on the part of some of the actors. They did not make it quite "real" for me.

Totally enjoyed this play. All the actors were terrific. Spike was not hard on the eyes either. It was funny and enjoyable and well done all around. Thanks.

This is Durang at his least consequential. The performances were unnecessarily broad, with unabashed mugging throughout.

Very talented actors! Comedy is certainly not easy, but they made it seem like a really believable family dynamic. Spike's attire was a surprise, imagine he will be happy when the show is over so he can eat again. Well done - bravo

The casting for this play was outstanding. Each character was excellent.