Anatomy of a Suicide - Atlantic Theater Company

Has anyone seen this? Any thoughts/impressions/opinions?

I saw it this past weekend and thought it was fascinating and beautiful. I had several small technical criticisms of the writing and direction, but overall I found it really moving and creative. I should say that I'm partly biased in that I love when plays/movies/musicals/etc. where time is represented non-literally for emotional effect, and also where they deal with multiple generations, family history/legacy, etc. And this play tics those boxes.

In any given "scene," there are actually 3 scenes happening simultaneously onstage, each of which takes place in a different decade and centers on a different character. So we're essentially following 3 different protagonists, and we see their stories progress and unfold at the same time. The dialogue is written in such a way that sometimes the separate scenes kind of echo each other, or respond to each other, or sometimes clash against each other. So the play does require the audience to put in some real effort into following what's happening, and even then you won't be able to catch every word. But I think the playwright and director do a good job of timing it in such a way that all the important information can be heard without competition.

Personally, I thought the payoff was worth the effort, but others might disagree. The person I saw it with didn't care for the show for that reason.

I loved it, as a daughter and a mother to a young daughter, it spoke to me particularly. I thought the staging and direction was brilliant. Yes, it's dark but incredibly relatable and smart. As others have touched on, this isn't a show for people looking for a fun, light night out at the theater. It's worth seeing, in my opinion.

I thought this was pretty great, all around. It’s challenging, dynamic, and ultimately a must see for anyone who has ever dealt with depression or suicide, even though it could certainly be triggering.

All of the performances are stellar, but Gabby Beans (who I think has the hardest role, in a show full of them) really impressed me. And Carla Gugino continues to deliver great performances that seem to go under most peoples’ radar. She’s truly phenomenal in this. I can’t wait to see her Stella in STREETCAR.

ANATOMY has been popping up on TDF and I think there are a few Access 25 tickets left if you do some searching. It’s absolutely worth checking out, if you like this type of play.

I saw this earlier this week and want to add my voice to the chorus of praise. I found the entire evening to be absolutely riveting, and think that everyone involved is doing wonderful work. I've been thinking about the performance all week, and hope that I'll be able to return to the production at some point before it closes. At the very least, I'm eager to read the script if/when it's published; there's so much beauty and pain and nuance here that it deserves to be revisited again and again.

A few reviews:

NY Times (Critics Pick)

Hollywood Reporter (negative)

Time Out (positive)

The Wrap (positive...I think? Mostly seems like a lot of description)

The highlight of the New York Times review for me was almost like the Times reading my intentions which made me decide to not make my original plans for WHEN to go (Saturday afternoon): "Anatomy of a Suicide” isn’t the kind of show you can see then cavalierly head out for drinks, recycling your playbill along the way."

I did that with "Sister Calling My Name" at the Sheen Center last Saturday, and was totally depressed by intermission (as well as turned off by the play itself.). I didn't have to worry about "recycling" the playbill or losing it as I simply tossed it away. This might be OK for a Friday night where I go home afterwards and can sleep in the next morning, but joining friends for cocktails at a piano bar after a quick bite to eat and dealing with the subject matter on my mind doesn't seem like a good idea.

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