Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

tl;dr there’s literally nowhere in the city that your $ 11-​$ 16 will go farther than going to see the SF Neofuturists on a Friday night
long: I’ve been watching the Neos for over a year now, and TMLMBGB still hasn’t gotten old. With a show that changes out up to a third of the content each week, it’s a completely different show in a month and a half — «if you’ve seen the show once, you’ve seen the show once!». The plays are funny, cryptic, sad, and sometimes amazingly well choreographed. Many involve audience participation — while you’ll never be forced to participate, you’ve advised not to sit in the front row if you don’t want to be in the spotlight :).
The energy between the cast and the audience runs high all night, with everyone becoming invested in getting through all 30 plays. (Despite what they say, it’s 30 plays OR 60 minutes, whichever comes first!)
If you’ve never seen the show before, you only have $ 16 max to lose and everything to gain! See them at their Chicago and New York locations as well — I’ve found that in general, SF is funnier and prone to choreographed pieces, Chicago is more thought-​provoking, and New York is quirky and more likely to make you say «WTF did I just watch?».
Note: The SF Neos changed their venue recently — Unilocal currently lists them as being located at 505 Natoma St (the Boxcar Theater) but they’re now performing at One Grove St, the SAFEhouse for Performing Arts, for at least the next year. Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm. Note: cash only, unless you buy online.

In short — I’ve grown up in theater, and this is as good as it gets!
With a small budget, a show is stripped down to the important things in theatre; good writing and good acting — and the Neo-​Futurists deliver both in heaping mounds of messy, tasty goodness. My wife and I had a real fun night here.
It’s difficult to say much more without giving anything up to potential new audience members, so if you are looking for a night of fun — just go! Trust me! It’s a little warm on the third floor, so dress light.

We found the show on Goldstar. Three of us attended the ⁷⁄₁₈ show. The cast was great, and the plays were mostly funny with a few that were insightful or melancholy. At the end of the night, a die is rolled to see how many plays will be pulled and replaced with new content (all plays are written by the cast based on real life experience). Next weekend will have 12 new plays! On average, they said the show completely refreshes about every 3 months. I would definitely go again — fun and cheap night out!

A few years back I had the pleasure of seeing Too Much Light out in Chicago, so when I found out they were in SF I had to see what was up. The end result was just as awsome, albeit different, than my experience in Chicago.
The concept of TML is simple: a bunch of performers write their own plays, and they try to perform 30 of those plays in 60 minutes. The concept is fantastically simple, and in practice, it leads to an energetic roller coaster that runs you through the entire emotional spectrum. One minute you’ll be laughing and the next you may be contemplating just how much you care about your family the next.
As another reviewer mentioned, this show is a bit more esoteric than the Chicago version of the show. That being said, there were still moments of humor during the show, and I enjoyed many of the plays which weren’t as humorous.
The best part about the show is that it changes every week based on a die that the audience rolls. So, if you’re a fan of the show but want a new experience in a few months, you can go back and the whole thing will be completely fresh.

Amazing, original concept.
Superbly executed by the supremely talented cast.
Cannot recommend highly enough.

Due to the sheer dynamism and immediacy, TMLMtBGB must be experienced to be grasped. Its structure is well laid and rigid (30 plays in 60 minutes); its sequencing is dictated by audience; its core is written, short plays; its edges bend and contort with improv; and you may just get wet and/​or have some unsuspected snacking.
The performers are fantastic and energetic, and will mingle with you before & after the performance. They are passionate and the lengths they go to within the plays will prove this. You may gasp. You may cry. You will laugh.
The venue is (usually) the Boxcar Theatre, which has a warm, intimate vibe, with options for a snack (hotdogs, popcorn) and drinks (beer, wine, whiskey, rum). I’ve attended three times now, and it’s the kind of show where you look around and NO ONE is futzing with their technology; they’re immersed.
The best part, aside from the people, is the way in which the roster of plays changes over time. The audience helps determine, randomly, how many new plays are introduced each week (and, by the same measure, how many are retired.)
Bring your friends and bring yourself.

I love it! I had no idea what to expect going to the show for the first time earlier this year, and it turned out to be SO FUN. The cast is so great– sweet and funny and genuine (and sometimes kinda naked). And it’s like the fastest hour of your life because you get so wrapped up in the plays. I’ve gone about 5 times now and it’s a completely different show every time. Very excited for the pride show!

Having seen and loved the Neofuturists in Chicago, we came to the San Francisco version. The experience is really similar– you enter, roll the die to determine how much you’ll pay, get a silly nametag, and sit down. Then, the usual drill of 30 plays in 60 minutes (though they only did 28 our night… so close!)
A lot of the plays are really great and really fun, but I have to say this version of the show is much much more esoteric than the Chicago version. It’s much more performance art-​y, rather than the Chicago show where the plays, though short, do tell stories with clear purposes, and which are more recognizably comedy or drama. This one is a very San Francisco experience, which is great if you’re expecting and hoping for that… I may be too straitlaced, but I still think I prefer the plays with a more apparent message or at least a more directly conveyed feeling.