9 / 10
A memory play with a musical soundtrack. A Southern gospel-infused, folk-rock opera. A deeply personal, emotional, and spiritual purge told through requiem-inspired song and story. Animal Wisdom is difficult to categorize. But what matters most is not what it is but how it is: visceral, unusually powerful, and at once primal yet sophisticated.
5 / 10
Toward the end, a large, superfluous chorus enters, and soon the stage is plunged into complete darkness for about 20 minutes of singing. In this portion, as in much of the piece, it’s difficult to hear the lyrics, with the band too loud and the singing not amplified or articulated clearly enough. Because the piece can be hard to follow and is very long (an unseemly 130 minutes with no intermission), Animal Wisdom is perhaps asking too much of its audience.
Signature Theatre is presenting the off-Broadway premiere of Heather Christian’s Animal Wisdom, which will be led by Kenita Miller. Read the reviews in our roundup.
Signature Theatre will present the off-Broadway premiere of Heather Christian’s Animal Wisdom, which will be led by Kenita Miller. Learn more about the production here!
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