JUNK Previews

Previews for the New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Ahktar's Junk begin in just a few days (Thursday, October 5, 2017) at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Starring Steven Pasquale and featuring direction by Doug Hughes, Junk is set to open officially on November 2 for a limited run currently through January 7, 2018.

Who's going?!

Updated On: 10/5/17 at 08:16 PM

I'm coming for my birthday October 25.

Junk starts tonight! Can't wait to hear first preview reports.

So was anyone there tonight? If so, how was it?

Junk is "American Psycho: The Play" with Steven Pasquale filling in for Patrick Bateman, minus all the murder, torture and rape- at least of the literal kind. This is the other side of the story told in "Sweat;" there we saw the plight of the workers, here we see the corporate takeovers and dismantling of companies.

I really loved Disgraced and here Akhtar shows he can really switch up his style. Disgraced basically felt like one 90-minute dinner scene. Junk is much longer, but the scenes are short, extremely fast-paced and crammed with dialogue. Akhtar must have binged watched a few Sorkin series while writing this, as the play has that sort of feel. It could easily be adapted for film or an HBO mini-series.

Robert Merkin (Michael Milken stand-in played by Pasquale), in reality TV terms, is given a winner's edit. He's ruthless and a grade A asshole, but not only do you know he's going to win, but Akhtar (and Pasquale) actually make you want him to win. The plot centers on Merkin's inside trading racket to manipulate stock prices and buy up troubled companies, only to break them apart and sell off the pieces- all with the use of junk bonds. His latest target is Everson Steel, a floundering steel company with a profitable pharmaceutical division run by Tom Everson (Rick Holmes, in a touching performance).

All of the performances are already very strong, but special mention must go to Michael Siberry, who is excellent as usual. I also got to nerd out over Ethan Phillips (Neelix on Voyager!!) in a small, but funny role.

Act one is very tight and zips right along. I couldn't believe it flew by so quickly. Act two meanders a bit as the Everson Steel plot wraps up, but we still stick with Merkin to find out his future fate. The final scene is affecting though and worth it. There are MANY lighting and sound cues, all of which when off without a hitch. The set is somewhat reminiscent of the Birdie "Telephone Hour" boxes designed in the style of "American Psycho: The Musical." It's a minimalist approach so the focus stays firmly on the words and acting.

I definitely recommend this. It's just too bad that instead of a 1984-esque warning about a scary future, Junk is already an American history lesson.

Design wise, how do you think the view from the extreme sides would be? I sat there for Act One, and didn't mind it all, but just curious if it's an obstructed view.

What time did the 8pm performance end?

I was there last night and was underwhelmed. The most obvious thing for me is that it is in the wrong theater for this show. It is staged like a standard proscenium arch space, but in the Beaumont that leads to the sides of the audience looking at the sides of peoples heads and missing most of the projections. For Act 1 I sat front row on the side and really did not get a good view of this production. I would avoid the sides completely for this. I found the staging to be rather cheap and disappointing (though if they wanted to stage Assassins on that set I think it would work well!).

I enjoyed Act 1 well enough. I found the subject engaging and some of the writing pretty sharp. Act 2 is a meandering mess. The conclusions with each and every side character is frustrating and pointless. I think this show could very well accomplish its goals in 90 minutes and be much sharper. I enjoyed Pasquale and Siberry. Overall I wanted to like it more, but found that it lost its steam in act 2.

Theater3232 said: "What time did the8pm performance end?"

It came down at 10:31.

I would really like to see this. I saw Akhtar's Invisible Hand at NYTW last year, and it was one of my favorite plays of the year. I went out of the theater thinking that Akhtar really understands finance.

I found this incredibly dull. I wasn't even partially engaged. They're all horrible, greedy people. The staging is weird and not a good use of the space. Act 2 just wanders around. It felt like it either needed to be a bigger, more epic story or a shorter more intense play. The acting was good, but nothing that is a "must-see." Wouldn't recommend it unless you are into Wolf of Wallstreet type material, and I am not. The projections were cheesy and the transitions very odd. At one point in Act 2 there is a screeching guitar playing and lights flashing all over, and then we end up in a scene with a man putting on a tux? Not sure why the transition needed to be so epic. There's a lot that happens upstage, but if you're on the side you'll be blocked by glass walls, which makes for a weird view. No one plays to the sides. And I felt bad every time a woman had to hustle down black stairs, in the dark, in heels. Also I found the costuming confusing. I'm assuming the "narrator" was purposefully not suppose to look 80s? And then I was confused by the time periods and locations. If you're on the side you'll miss projections that might help identify that. I moved to the balcony and had a better view, but still couldn't engage in it. I liked Disgrace, but it never lived up to the Pulitzer hype for me. Something about it rang false.

I have to admit, you do make me laugh!

Updated On: 10/7/17 at 02:06 PM