Off-Broadway Access Review -
Teeth

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ID: image of the Teeth Playbill in front of the stage with the text "Access Review" on top

 

General Note

This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it. 

This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down. 

For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful! 

I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.

Off-Broadway Note

Most of my reviews are of Broadway shows & theaters. This is not one of them!

The thing about off-Broadway is that the theaters tend to be smaller and tend to not necessarily have been originally built to be theaters. 

This means:

  • The same lighting & sound design as on Broadway will inherently seem brighter & louder

  • There will be more stairs and less of the retrofitted accessibility we see in  larger theaters

  • The budget is often smaller (i.e. retrofitting things for accessibility is way harder for these shows)

Please do not compare my reviews and conclude “Off Broadway is doing a worse job at this and we should focus on fixing that”. It’s a collective issue and Off-Broadway has more against them than Broadway does so let’s not forget that.

Theater

Playwrights Horizons - Mainstage

All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the center of the back row

Bathrooms:

  • no explicitly gender neutral options but there is a sign saying “we encourage you to use the restroom that best fits your gender expression or identity”

  • down a flight of stairs on the far left

  • there is an accessible restroom in the lobby

Other theater accessibility:

  • the theater is up the left flight of stairs

  • each row has a step with the exception of Row E

  • there’s an elevator to each level of the theater, located to the right on the ground floor

  • the theatre offers closed captioning and assistive listening/t-coil compatible devices

Click here for more information on the physical accessibility of this theater.

Light/Sound/Scent

General:

  • the show runs 1 hour 50 min with no intermission

  • I would recommend earplugs for this show

  • the cross that is center stage is outlined in LEDs

  • I’ve heard the lighting is significantly more straining the closer you are to the stage. Also some smoke and some blood occasionally get on the first 3 rows

  • the cross necklaces cause some accidental strobe

  • in regards to eye strain, most of the movement mentioned here was not super straining for me (with the exception of the truthseeker pieces) until the last ~10-15 minutes of the show - also there’s a lot of haze

  • *there is no available tracklist for the show (that I could find), so the precision of this review will not be on par with my others, apologies in advance!

Pre-Show: music playing, started off loud but then became medium volume once the theater filled 

Show:

  • loud start, with the cross LEDs pulsing & screech noises, followed by quick lights on

  • Precious Gift - semi fast light shifts throughout

    • after Dawn’s “your precious gift” solo there are moving lights for ~5 sec, and then single light pulses on beat for part of the song

  • Following scene/song - 

    • “let’s go home” - blue strobing bar moving up and down on the stage (this bar appears during most of the truthseeker scenes) - lasts ~45 seconds

    • ~75 sec of blue pulsing on the back wall

    • “when I did” - loud moment & quick light change

    • down strobe (blue) when truthseekers come back, ~ just over a minute

    • spinning texture on the floor, later adding small downlight strobes for ~30 sec

    • blue pulsing on the back wall ~60 sec (stops after Dawn leaves her bedroom)

    • 3 down flashes on beat - happens three times

  • spinning polka dots on the wall at the end of the song between Dawn and Tobey

  • red downlight flash after My Body

  • blue strobe bar returns after Dawn’s exit, ~40 sec, then moving textured lights (like water) for awhile

  • CW - masturbation, f-slur, beating with a belt

  • ~20 sec blue pulsing on back wall (not strobey like the bar) after Pastor exits

  • Ryan’s song - quick moving, fading, and occasional light pulse, later there are also sparkles and everything gets kind of flashy for the rest of the song

  • “cool beans” and exit - smoke onstage, water textured moving on the side walls that then moves over them when they’re in the lake

  • CW - sex, dubious consent, fake blood (after flash)

  • Teeth

    • moving red across the walls ~30 sec

    • (?) “maybe it’s dark sighting” - 2 white flashes

    • “blood red” - slow spinning pinwheel on floor

    • blood after Trisha pulls hands out of pants

    • fast spinning white on the floor and pulsing cross after each “teeth”, then light flash on each one

    • chorus with Brad at center - pulsing white cross and then semi strobey for ~10 sec

  • “how could I have forgotten the holy word?” - blue cross pulsing ~50 seconds

  • light flash after each “scoot”

  • white spinning pinwheels after the girls come on

  • few flashes at the end of this song, then CW blood 

  • 5 sec flashing after music restarts

  • truthseeker bar is behind the stage this time, ~25 sec

  • lights on quickly

  • after she exits the floor lightly pulses blue for the whole song, more so when truthseekers are onstage, then bar comes on at the end for a bit

  • I’m Your Guy - lots of water-esque movement on the wall (moves more after they lay down) at the end of the song

  • “a little grateful” - red flash

  • Song

    • “hell unleashed” - 5 sec flashing

    • flashing during chorus, blood (hit first 2 rows)

    • spinning on floor after Pastor enters

    • after Pastor - white spinning, some flashing, fire

    • match strike - bright white on audience, then ~3 sec fire

    • flashing red cross, more smoke and fire, smoke hit first few rows

    • scent - definitely smells like smoke 

    • few seconds of down flashes

    • end - white on the audience, holds for ~30 sec

  • light moving like water over audience, then super strobey flashing at increasing speed (red and blue) for ~30-40 sec

  • big thunder, flashing green downlights 

  • red on audience when Dawn points and occasional green flash, also green moving on the wall

  • “at attention” - more flashing and thunder

  • *arm up* “onwards” - 2 sec white flash, then red, then turns green (this flashing lasts for the rest of the song, maybe ~30-45 sec)

Content Warnings

  • sex & simulated sex/masturbation

  • SA

  • physical abuse (parent-child)

  • religion & religious trauma

  • incels/misogyny

  • blood 

  • the f-slur is used once

Despite the content list, this is a comedy that is wonderfully chaotic throughout so these hard things don’t sit with you for very long.