The Landing

[jdrye222]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:03pm

I can't find the old thread as it was ages ago. And as they start previews tonight, I thought we could have a new thread.
Would love to hear people's reactions as they go. I have tickets for later in the month.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 10:32pm

Can't wait to hear about this one.....

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:14pm

I saw the workshop. All I am going to say is that it is a very, very unconventional show, and I think opinions are going to be extremely divided.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:55pm

How would you describe the score?

[JBC2]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:04am

I'll be going on opening night, so I, too, am interested in reading those comments from those who attend previews.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 10:41am

I also saw the lab last June and loved it. It's a strange and beautiful little show. I can't wait to see it in its full and final form.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 4:41am

how do the three acts relate to each other?

[jv92]

Posted: 10/6/13 at 10:42pm

SPOILERS!!! BEWARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE SURPRISED!!!


THE LANDING was just as dazzling as I remembered it in its Lab. And no, not dazzling as in lots of big sets, flash, and glittery costumes. It's just dazzlingly inventive. I've heard carping that the music is "secondary" in the show. The show is almost constantly underscored, there are motifs of recitative for each story, (And not the kind of boring, long winded, tiresome stuff one gets in LES MIS. Kander will set one important line of dialogue that will keep coming back throughout the show.) and there are full blown songs in each one-- three in each, maybe two in the final story. The first story, "Andra", is about how a lonely, precocious little boy befriends a carpenter who teaches him about constellations (and much more, too-- but that's the gist), the second "The Brick" (which is hysterical and odd) is about a woman obsessed with old TV reruns of "gangland/mob" movies of the 20s and 30s and in turn, purchases a brick from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The final, and most effecting and devastating of the three, is "The Landing", about a gay couple that adopts a seemingly perfect little boy, who turns out to be "the angel of death." (My wording, not Kander and Pierce's). Each story is about how the things we desire aren't always what we hoped they'd be, and perhaps not worth desiring. But they playlets are deep and full of resonance that I think mine could be just one interpretation.

The cast is wonderful. I've heard people complain that Julia Murney is underused. Just because she doesn't have a big ballad to belt out doesn't make her underused. She's quite good. David Hyde Pierce turns in his usual fine performance, and is particularly wonderful in the final story. Paul Anthony Stewart gives fine performances for each of the characters he plays, and the little boy, Frankie Seratch is spectacularly good. From the moment he walks onstage and speaks his first lines, you can tell this kid is a good actor-- far superior than anyone in ANNIE, MATILDA, POPPINS, or any of the other kids working in far bigger musicals in far bigger houses.

It's bound to polarize people. It's not a traditional musical. It CERTAINLY isn't a Kander and Ebb musical. It's different and unique-- refreshingly so. John Kander, at 86, has written the most youthful, surprising and odd show of his career (thus far), and this is coming from someone who really loved the K&E collaboration. But Greg Pierce proves to be an adept, and often clever lyricist, and a very good librettist. (Both men get credit for conceiving the stories in the program credits.)

I was there yesterday afternoon, and had the unique and weird privilege of sitting behind John Kander. Unique because even after going to previews for shows and seeing authors, directors and the lot in the audience, I have never sat that close to a member of the creative staff. Weird because I felt like John would be hearing my reactions (laughter, whatever) the whole time. And of course, he wouldn't and didn't. There were 100 other people there. But it was strange. And so is THE LANDING. Strange and beautiful.

[15minutecall]

Posted: 10/6/13 at 11:10pm

Lovely response to the show MC. Thanks very much.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 12:40pm

I don't know who MC is, but you're welcome.

[15minutecall]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 12:42pm

How bizarre jv. I typed jv into my ipad and it decided I must have meant MC. Sorry. Must proofread.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 1:25pm

Ah, the horrors of autocorrect! Happens to the best of us.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 12:56am

I see they have extended two weeks, and it is still well over a week before they open. I expect they are selling well. I wonder why the extension was not made into a bigger deal. But I guess vineyard tends to build in extensions from the start. Even if people don't love the piece, I think it is a curiosity and a must-see for theater people, for the sake of seeing the new Kander piece, etc

[willep]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 2:19am

I've never been to the Vineyard, what are sightlines/stage height like? Is the stage too high for the front row to be good? Thanks for the help!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 2:57pm

I saw The Landing on Friday night and unfortunately I found it be near awful. The bottom line is that if this set of three one acts didn't have Kander's name on it, the piece would never have never have even made it to NYMF.

I guess some slight spoilers here- honestly there's nothing really in any of the stories to spoil as they aren't heavy on plot.

The first musical was the weakest and extremely dull. You will certainly be thinking about Caroline, Or Change as it deals with a young boy named Noah who develops a bond with a carpenter who is remodeling his parent's kitchen. Instead of teaching him how to blow smoke rings, this worker teaches him about constellations; Julia Murney really could have told him: Go on to bed Noah. Stop botherin' the night! The boy develops an attachment to the carpenter's unseen family, just as Noah does with Caroline's children. There's a fight, some salty teardrops fall, and then it ends.

Whenever I see a group of three one acts there's always one that I don't like as much, so I nervously hoped that this first act was that one I didn't like...

The second piece was absurd and grew tedious. There was a stronger idea, but the music wasn't interesting enough. Walter Bobbie had a couple of nice directorial ideas, but they weren't enough to keep it afloat.

The final piece was the strongest by far. It could have been an X Files or Supernatural episode. A gay couple adopts an odd little boy who appears to be the perfect son. Something is not quite right about him though and at least this one held my interest as the mystery of the boy unraveled. David Hyde Pierce gave a nice performance here and sang only the song that I thought had any worth.

The actors all tried their best, and the young boy was really quite good. He truly would make an excellent Noah Thibodeau, and I hope he finds a production to be in stat.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 4:28pm

Your CAROLINE, OR CHANGE comparison is reaching too much. The name of the child is about the only thing that story has in common with CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. And I usually agree with you Whizzer. Oh well.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 5:06pm

Let me start off by saying that after seeing this show I know how AfterEight feels during 99.9% of his theatregoing experiences.

I find very little to compliment but I want to commend Paul Anthony Stewart for giving me a few rare moments of joy during this excruciating evening of theatre. He handled the comedy well during that absurd second piece and got a few chuckles out of me. David Hyde Pierce was serviceable but didn't really have much of a chance to showcase his talent.

Moving on to the negatives (of which there are plenty). I realize that Frankie Seratch is a child and I shouldn't be too harsh on him but after witnessing the talented kids a few blocks away at The Public I feel like criticism is warranted. This kid was TERRIBLE! He had a smirk on his face through every single piece and I don't know why because he wasn't charming and he just made me want to smack him. Julia Murney who I have loved in the past was not doing it for me in this either.

In terms of each piece, I'll say that The Landing was the least worst of the three. Maybe if this was expanding and you actually cared about these people rather than just "they're a gay couple who adopted a child so clearly they're saints" then I would have had some modicum of emotion for them. The Brick was one of the most agonizing things I've ever had to sit through. It never seemed to end and became one endless joke/dance after another. I have no problem with absurdist stuff but this seemed so jarringly out of place with the other two that I wonder how someone could have thought it a good idea to combine them all. Andra was whatever. You see the "twist" coming from a mile away.

The music did less than nothing for me. I couldn't tell you one thing about any of it because it was such a non-entity. There was one moment when I just prayed for it to stop.

It seemed to me that the rest of the audience was unenthused because each piece was met with what I can only describe as polite applause. I've seen DHP performances and shows in the past met with rapturous applause and this was nil. If you're looking to spend 100 minutes connecting with real characters and actual emotions then I would definitely recommend FUN HOME rather than this crap.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:14pm

I feel like such a weirdo for liking this as much as I did since it's been more than polarizing people. But I still REALLY LOVED it.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:28pm

Uggggg
Seeing it this weekend-:that bad?
Thinking about giving no my tickets and catching Glass Menagerie instead

[jv92]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:44pm

Well, I LIKED IT! jbm, MENAGERIE, as great as it is, is running till February. Give this one a shot, since it's only running till mid-late November.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:45pm

I would say more than just you need to like it in order for it to be "polarizing people." From here and the audience I was with everyone seems to uniformly dislike it (albeit maybe not as much as I did).

If the choice is between this and GLASS MENAGERIE then go with GLASS, hands down.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:56pm

I will say, though, that despite the negative reception, I really enjoyed reading why both Clyde and Whizzer disliked it. I totally disagree, but they didn't just say: "It sucked. Peace." So thanks for sharing, guys.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 7:09pm

jv- I usually tend to be on the same page as you, but like you said, we can't always agree!

I think part of what heightened my disappointment was that I had been so eagerly awaiting The Landing since it was announced last year. When I found the text so dire it drove me to a deeper despair than when I endure something like A Time to Kill, which I never had high hopes for in the first place.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 7:17pm

I guess this is awful to say, but when I saw the Lab last summer, I thought, "Oh well. It's good John wants to keep writing without Fred." and didn't expect much other than a few nice tunes. I DID NOT go in expecting a masterpiece...or even to really feel enthused about it. I didn't know Greg Pierce's work at all. But I've found him to be quite a good writer, judging by this and SLOWGIRL.

In any event, the fact that you guys have taken the time to articulately express your dislike is helpful, and interesting. It starts a discussion. I'm all for it.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/19/13 at 12:25am

I was really looking forward to this show.
It was bad. With no intermission, I felt like I was being held hostage.

I hate that I wasted a night of theater on this.