Behemoth

Water Buffaloes are not cool

I like good plays that screw with narrative structure and this was one of them. I liked the movement work. Shad Cooper's impish grin rendered me gleeful. I like that there was football in the show, and a swimming pool, and a de facto rib-eating contest.

Engaging, Creative, over all the best of theater

Behemoth is a greatly complex and beautifully delivered story. The actors made this performance an amazing experience, the light and sound design contributed to this brilliantly written play. I loved the physicality of the acts with minimal props this play delivered a top notch show. The playwright is incredible, absolutely recommend seeing it.

Confusing and Disappointing

After last year's Orzel Rising, I had high hopes for Behemoth. But the narrative was so hard to follow, it made it impossible for me to get invested in the sisters' story. At any given moment, I could not say if we were watching a memory, a nightmare, a daydream, or WHEN anything was happening. Aside from two throwaway lines from Merit saying her age, I had no idea when anything was happening. Was the school bus scene in high school or middle school? Why introduce the runaway dog if you never resolve that plot? Where do they live that's a village with water Buffalo close to Atlanta? And (spoilers!) why introduce the water Buffalo costume as a real world Halloween costume, only to have the mom wear the Halloween/ Buffalo costume as she passes? If it's truly a Halloween costume, why is she wearing it as she dies and if it's truly a manifestation of the Buffalo, why does she have it for Halloween? All in all, confusing and muddy. I wanted to so hard to care for the sisters, but I never knew what was going on so could never fully muster the empathy I wanted.

Engaging and thought provoking

The physicality of the play really grabbed my attention. The actors are top notch and the ideas explored are intriguing. I agree with those who said the story was a little confusing at first, but the pieces fell in place as the narrative progressed. It was satisfying to develop an understanding of the storyline as it unfolded, and I really liked how the play ended.

Incredible storytelling

Behemoth is a wildly captivating show with abstract storytelling that pulls you in from the start. The actors delivered deeply emotional performances and the light and sound design elevated the story. Such a cool experience. Definitely recommend seeing it.

Moving

See this show!

Came to this show after loving their show last yea

I love this company's use of more abstract and physical acting. All of the actors were very talented. I loved watching the movement from the actor playing the water Buffalo. I do wish there was more clarity with the through line of the story as it became confusing at times.

Surreal and stunning

Beautiful choreography. Top-notch performances. A complex and dreamlike script. Believable characters with emotional depth. This show has all of that and more. Would highly recommend!

Deeply engaging - I'm re-watching this!

Clever script, great cast, amazing choreography and a very fast paced and complex story. I need to go back to catch all the nuances!

Beastly Good Show!

Excellent acting performances, interesting staging and movement, and a mysterious unfolding of dreams and truth in the story make this show a standout. Highly recommend!

Behemoth

The story telling and acting is very good, but I agree that the timelines were really confusing. I had a hard time telling when and where the sisters were at any moment and what moments went in which order. I appreciate that the program explained the history of the behemoth metaphor because I don't think I would have understood as much without that.

Alice and the Water Buffalo

Behemoth tells a bold story from the aspect of one character and her sister. It relies on flashbacks from the main sister’s memories, that include an influential event early in her life involving a water buffalo. Since some actors play more than one character in the first few scenes, it is a bit confusing as to who the other main characters are exactly. But that resolves itself as more of the story is revealed. The story manages to be told in a variety of different settings with very few props. All of the actors convincingly portray their characters, even when a few of them are also playing non-human characters -- who are very interesting and kind of fun to watch! There is a lot to unfold in this story-with-substance that moves right along and keeps one’s interest. It’s a serious story interspersed with humor and touching moments. Behemoth has something to say about the perceptions we hold and our relationships with others and ourselves. You’ll want to see how it ends. Behemoth certainly is worth seeing!

Great acting, intense movement, confusing at times

Everyone's performances in this show were great. The two leads in particular do a great job of taking us through the different memories -- it's a goofy, fantastical, theater-y idea and they sell it very well. Everybody's physical movement was also spot-on: all of the action worked, it was intense, it kept me invested. Special shout-out to Kyra Scanlan's scenes as Behemoth itself -- her fantastic movement skills made her truly ominous and threatening as a hulking mythical beast. My main difficulty was staying invested throughout the show: I had no problem getting into each individual scene, but many of them felt too short, and the transitions were sometimes jarring. Could easily be a personal taste thing -- because when it works, it really works.

Engaging

This show will keep you guessing until the end. Twists and turns and flashbacks will keep you curious and entertained. Check this one out.

Quirky and thought-provoking

We weren’t bored for one second during this edgy, fast-paced, yet ultimately very moving play. Big issues were looked at in intimate ways. The characters grew on me as I watched the play. We enjoyed the trippy time-travel aspects because they were anchored by real relationships and great cast performances.

Thought provoking and beautifully executed

This story has stayed with me since I saw the play. I cared about the characters - they felt real to me - and I cared about the challenges they were facing. Others have mentioned the physicality of the play, and I agree it was very well done! The play offers strong acting and a compelling story cleverly told.

Sorta Surreal Americana Family Time Travel Thing

The cast is great and tackles the demanding and dynamic energy the show requires; the blocking makes good use of the space and often creates captivating visuals; it's overall funny, sad, loud, soft, perplexing, clear, and a unique take on some old ideas.

Upside Down and Inside Out

This was not Orzel Rising, which was my very fave show last year!!! However, the cast did a great job and this show stood alone in it's own right. It was entertaining and makes you think. To parrot other reviewers, the pamphlet was necessary. Had I not read that in the prior to the show, I'd have been screwed. That said, the ending came full circle and was deeply satisfying! :)

A Wonderful Exploration of Time and Denial

This show features impeccable physicality that brings the world and its danger to life. I was engaged throughout the piece and the writing is overall very strong, but I found myself wanting a little more clarity in the overarching goal about halfway through. It becomes clear later on, but I would have liked to follow the path just a little closer. That said, the show has great bones and I would highly recommend adding it to your Fringe schedule. This show will only get better with time and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Confusing structure

I came in very excited after last year's Orzel Rising, which was such a beautifully told story. I think Behemoth had potential to be just as good, but the story got muddled in a unconventional Storytelling choice. If "dream scenes" were more concretely established and/or outside of the dreams storyline was more linear, I think I would have liked it more.

Large Ideas and Ferocious Performances

I strongly recommend reading the pamphlet that is handed out prior to the performance. Behemoth had compelling acting and visuals but I felt a few steps behind on the plot—and then I read the pamphlet and audibly said “ohhhhhhhhh” This is a very high concept show but all the actors are more than up for the challenge. I noticed one continuity error: for many scenes there was a pink string in actor Mahmoud Hakima’s hair but at some point this string vanishes.

Has promise

This play has promise, but I agree with the other reviews that the story was at times confusing and not as fleshed out as I would have hoped. This play also suffered from too many transitions to shift the cubes into a new “location”. I really enjoyed the actors performances, especially Shad Cooper as the father.