An adaptation of the original " Time Machine " was well staged with a very competent cast of actors. Unfortunately, the story tries too hard to make it dramatic and exciting. Mixing fiction with Albert Einstein doesn't quite work. We never really understand who the opposition is. The Source is the mysterious glowing rock from deep space via an asteroid? The machine that transports the heroine and later her granddaughter to Paris then back to present day just to get a letter from H G Wells seems a stretch. But, it's science fiction after all. The ending is sweet with reunion of the family after a tragic loss. But, that even begs the question that time travel to bring back a dead loved one isn't quite realistic or believable.

Hale Center's Time Machine is the weakest offering I have ever seen from the company. Firstly this piece is terribly written with stilted dialogue and a story ridden with plot holes. Furthermore it is callously woke with the author among other things deeming it reasonable to save a character from death, but not disability as that wouldn't be politically correct. The protagonists are unlikable and the villain is unbelievably pathetic. The stage fighting is clearly choreographed by someone who actually thinks three hour self defense classes work. The plot inches forward pulled by a pathetically thin McGuffin. To the author: Take a writing class, write something we want to see not something that impresses your radical friends. Every part of this play was disappointing. It is not worthy of the H.G. Wells IP, or its fanbase. It is a piece of fan fiction by a fan who hated the book.

From the name of the show and talk from the initial review, it seemed like it had a good chance. That quickly vanished after the play began. I don’t know where to start on how many things weren’t working together or even by themselves. It was very confusing to know who the show was about, who the good people were, the bad people…. It just felt awkward to watch and disappointing to think of how much we spent on tickets for that small of stage, low quality set, bad music, terrible plot and loud dialog. Please save your money and invest in something that doesn’t steal two hours out of your life.

Hale Center Theater's "The Time Machine" disastrously departs from H.G. Wells' classic, feeling more like amateur fan fiction than a respectful adaptation. It retcons key plot elements, introducing new characters and altering dynamics that disrupt the original's essence. Heavy-handed insertion of contemporary political themes like gender roles and historical prejudices further undermines coherence, while shallow antagonist development and unrealistic conflicts make for a disjointed narrative. Sacrificing historical authenticity for modern relevance, the production ultimately fails to honor Wells' timeless narrative integrity.

This was painful to watch- awkward dialogue, nonsensical plot, and forced "heartfelt" scenes. I honestly feel bad for the actors that had to perform this. We should definitely have left at intermission. Don't waste time or money.

The script for this show was sooo hard to get through. The words weren’t natural, important pieces of the story were brushed over, and the unimportant things were stretched out. There were lines that were awkward and uncomfortable, and parts where characters stated underlying feelings as if we as an audience weren’t smart enough to pick up on it. The blocking was also very unnatural and hard to watch. As for the acting, the stakes didn’t seem high enough for most of the characters, especially in life-or-death moments. The show in its entirety was hard to watch. Not to mention that the night I went to the show, a set piece fell off the stage and almost crushed an audience member!! The only saving grace for this production was the projections and borders/portals. Wouldn’t recommend seeing this show at all personally, in fact, I recommend you save your money and not see it.