PURLIE VICTORIOUS Previews- Page 3

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/17/23 at 12:17pm

This is a wonderful show, they just need more social media/media presence all over the place. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/17/23 at 5:10pm

Looks like I’m in the minority here, but I guess you could say this was just not my cup of tea. Full disclaimer upfront, though - Kenny Leon’s direction has never really worked for me (outside of American Son which I thought was brilliant). 

The performances are all over the place. Kara Young was particularly baffling. I had no clue what she was going for with her acting choices. Leslie Odom, Jr. was fine, but I can’t say I was as wowed with his performance as most folks on here.

The set is handsome enough with seamless transitions and a cool little reveal for the final scene.

Add me to the camp of people who had no idea what the folding chair was referencing… clearly everyone around me did though based on the laughs. My friend explained to me after what it was in reference to.

I really wanted to like this, but can’t say I personally walked out a fan of much about anything with this. I think there IS an audience for this, but they need to start moving fast and hard to get butts in those seats.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/17/23 at 9:51pm

Saw the show tonight, and it was a really fun time. Great performances all around, but I thought that Kara Young was easily the star and MVP of the show, and the applause at curtain call suggested that many others agreed with me.

Updated On: 9/27/23 at 09:51 PM

[Wallman2]

Posted: 9/17/23 at 11:25pm

Had quite the weekend seeing The Cottage, Gutenberg, Purlie Victorious, The Shark is Broken-- snapshot assessments below:

The Cottage- mildly amusing at best, solid work by Eric McCormack and Alex Moffatt, seemed longer than it was, audience seemed to like it- the staging was non-stop frenetic (which I guess is appropriate for farce)...the set was a treat...

Gutenberg-- I felt  that off-Broadway had come to Broadway, Josh and Andrew are so gifted and likable, I definitely can not imaging the show without them....overall, intermittently funny, it probably could be pared down a little without losing too much...

The Shark is Broken- well-acted but you really have to care about "Jaws" or The Making of That Movie

Purlie Victorious- the surprise of my weekend theatregoing...very funny, outrageously so at times, but also powerful and still relevant...great one-liners, and a beautifully grounded performance by Leslie Odom, with wonderful comic turns by Jay O. Sanders and Billy Eugene Jones and Kara Young is a gifted comedienne...I left the theatre in a joyous frame of mind...and so did the audience...highly recommended

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 9/17/23 at 11:36pm

I do think it's very telling that the "folding chair" reference is generally...not for white audience members? With much respect, that's not a reference that a white audience member would have as much baggage or experience with. What I love about this show is that it decidedly still had nuggets of dialogue and jokes that are going to resonate vastly different with a black audience member versus a white audience member. Leslie's sermon reinforcing that Purlie's intent to be a reverend regardless of whether or not he gets the money for the church, Gitlow's direct eye contact with black audience members during Jay Sander's first scene etc. It's a show that anyone can enjoy, but not every joke or moment will sit the same way because of lived experience. It's a fascinating play and well done.

[Voter]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 11:42am

Seeing this at the end of the month, and I'm still puzzled by the advertising for this show.

I've finally gotten ads on Youtube, with the studio B roll and the purple. I didn't see anything from social media until the first two weeks of rehearsal. The key art still seems awfully lazy (maybe after opening on the 27th we'll get changes?)

I start digging, and it's AKA/Polk & Co doing advertising and press rep. Which is strange-- because I've always thought they did good work. They've also done El Mago Pop, Back To The Future, The Shark Is Broken, and New York New York recently

I know that advanced sales are heavily down across all of Broadway, but a complete lack of advertising leading up to the start of rehearsals just feels like putting yourself at a disadvantage.

Wishing the best for this company, I've heard great things about the performances.

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 12:09pm

Went back on Saturday night for a second time and forgot to post.

It's amazing how much they have tightened the show up in a matter of a week. The farcical elements are more pronounced and the cast seems more at home in their roles. Leslie also definitely feels more plugged into the piece and that odd bit of disconnect between him and the era of the play seems to have gone away with the tighter pacing.

One thing I noticed this second time around is that the final scene engages the audience more and brings them into the finale as a more communal experience, with the cast addressing and making nods to various audiences members. There also seemed to be some moments in that scene where the cast appeared close to breaking and Billy seems to be the mischievous one that makes everyone laugh, usually with sly facial expressions that catch the others off guard. 

Again, I cannot stress enough that this needs to be seen, and the rush is bonkers good - I was Orchestra A2 for $35. You can't get better than that.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 12:18pm

I do think it's very telling that the "folding chair" reference is generally...not for white audience members? With much respect, that's not a reference that a white audience member would have as much baggage or experience with. What I love about this show is that it decidedly still had nuggets of dialogue and jokes that are going to resonate vastly different with a black audience member versus a white audience member.

That's exactly correct. Meaning, the racists of BWW (See the Ain't No Mo' thread and comments on Jordan Donica's gorgeous hair) will have no interest in seeing this because it was not created for them and they cannot handle it. It's sad but also incredibly amusing. 

[lily carver]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 7:15pm

Does anyone know of discount codes? I really want to go but can't do full price

Thanks

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 7:19pm

the folding chair reference went stright over my head. thank god sutton is here to explain that this makes me a racist.

the more time passes, and the more i think about this show, the more impressed i am with how well they pulled it off. i mean that as a criticism of the underlying script (out of date, creaky) and as a HUGE compliment to this production and the enduring beauty/power of the piece as a whole. im going to go again, and i urge yall (racists and nonracists alike!) to see this thing.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 8:25pm

Hey Lily, you can use the discount code PVDIRECT

Enjoy the show! 

[lily carver]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 9:42pm

THANK YOU!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 9:46pm

Always!

[xoxobwayjohndoe]

Posted: 9/18/23 at 10:02pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "the folding chair reference went stright over my head. thank god sutton is here to explain that this makes me a racist.

the more time passes, and the more i think about this show, the more impressed i am with how well they pulled it off. i mean that as a criticism of the underlying script (out of date, creaky) and as a HUGE compliment to this production and the enduring beauty/power of the piece as a whole. im going to go again, and i urge yall (racists and nonracists alike!) to see this thing."

 

Unless you identify as having "no interest in seeing this because it was not created for [you]," the good news is that there's no reason to suspect Sutton thinks you're a racist! 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/21/23 at 11:52am

I enjoyed this quite a bit and need to echo the praises for Kara Young. She's quickly become one of my favorite theater actresses working right now.

I need her and Gabby Beans to do something together - I don't care if it's reading the ingredients on a shampoo bottle, I'll buy a ticket. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 9/21/23 at 8:40pm

“Again, I cannot stress enough that this needs to be seen, and the rush is bonkers good - I was Orchestra A2 for $35. You can't get better than that.”

quizking101, how were the sightlines from that seat?

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/21/23 at 9:49pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "“Again, I cannot stress enough that this needs to be seen, and the rush is bonkers good - I was Orchestra A2 for $35. You can't get better than that.”

quizking101, how were the sightlines from that seat?"

Perfectly fine. The stage is high but you don’t miss anything

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 9/22/23 at 12:06am

Loved this so much! Leslie and Kara were wonderful (the entire cast is), and it was great to see Vanessa Bell Calloway as well. Excellent direction from Kenny (who is the hardest-working man in show business!). Mr. Davis and Ms. Dee are looking down from Heaven and smiling at this revival.

I had no issues understanding Leslie's dialogue, nor did anyone else around me. Updated On: 9/22/23 at 12:06 AM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/22/23 at 1:05am

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "I enjoyed this quite a bit and need to echo the praises for Kara Young. She's quickly become one of my favorite theater actresses working right now.

I need her and Gabby Beans to do something together - I don't care if it's reading the ingredients on a shampoo bottle, I'll buy a ticket."

I had the same thought watching this. I want to see her do something really goofy with Gabby Beans.

[aislestorm2]

Posted: 9/22/23 at 12:59pm

I believe what Kenny Leon has done here is simple- a live-action Warner Brothers cartoon send-up. I'm not saying that's bad-on the contrary, it's sidesplittingly funny. I'm thinking of Jay O. Sanders's Foghorn Leghorn, Kara Young's hilarious Bugs Bunny-in-drag scene, Noah Robbins's cartoon voice...my only problem was Mr. Odom's speeding through his lines. He may know what he's saying, but I believe the audience misses a lot of dialogue. I did and I was in Row F. If he could only slow it down a bit. But it's a great night in the theatre, and the audience gobbles it up with a spoon.

Updated On: 9/22/23 at 12:59 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/24/23 at 1:46pm

Just picked up tix thru Audience Rewards for this. Very excited, after all the very positive buzz I've seen, I chose this over Here Lies Love.  (I may regret that, because I'm not sure when I'm going to make that work!)

 

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/24/23 at 2:09pm

aislestorm2 said: "...my only problem was Mr. Odom's speeding through his lines. He may know what he's saying, but I believe the audience misses a lot of dialogue. I did and I was in Row F. If he could only slow it down a bit. But it's a great night in the theatre, and the audience gobbles it up with a spoon."

Purlie is, by design, a very charismatic preacher man who is also trying to pull off a con. With con men, the more they slow down their cadence, it gives their target more time to process what they are saying and see through their scheming.

We know from the outset what Purlie’s intentions are and the comedy derives from him getting over on Ol’ Cap’n with Lutiebelle, Gitlow, and company at his disposal. 

At one of the earlier previews, Odom’s cadence was slightly slower and it felt like he was a bit separated from the character and play (as I noted in my earlier review) which could be deadly for a play of a farcical nature. As they’ve tightened the pacing, Odom righted his (already pretty on course) ship and now the show is snappy and quick as a farce should be.

[jagman1062]

Posted: 9/24/23 at 3:53pm

dramamama611 said: "Just picked up tix thru Audience Rewards for this. Very excited, after all the very positive buzz I've seen, I chose this over Here Lies Love. (I may regret that, because I'm not sure when I'm going to make that work!)

Please let us know where your tickets are located when they're confirmed by AR. TIA.

"

 

[In The Jackson Heights]

Posted: 9/24/23 at 5:35pm

I saw the matinee today and had a great time, so add me to the chorus.  I expect strong reviews and multiple Tony nominations.  A wonderful bit of theater!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/24/23 at 6:31pm

H 105 &106. Can't complain about those!