Steppenwolf - The Flick and Mary Page Marlowe

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 3/24/16 at 9:29pm

Have a biz trip to the Windy City coming up and Steppenwolf is always a great treasure

Has anyone seen THE FLICK (never saw the Off-Broadway production or the new Tracy Letts play?)  I really enjoyed Superior Donuts and of course AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY was among the best pieces of theater...

 

[mpd4165]

Posted: 3/24/16 at 9:34pm

I thought The Flick was simply excellent. Performances were top notch, the design is so specific, and the whole hoopla over the long pauses fee blown out of proportion. I didn't notice them at all

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:10am

I haven't seen it yet but here are some thoughts I received from the folks on this board when I asked about the Flick a few months back. Hoping to catch it next month.

 

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1090142#4762279

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:33pm

thank you for sharing that!

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 9:27pm

Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA is also doing a first rate production of this remarkable play (If anyone is in the DC area, you must see it, the production run has been extended). I can't imagine Steppenwolf doing anything but a brilliant production of this play.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 8:19pm

ah, just read that previews don't start on the new Tracy Letts until March 31st...still incredibly curious at seeing a new work of his and might just bite the bullet and get tickets

and apparently The Flick got a rave review so I'll def see that

[jon5202]

Posted: 3/28/16 at 11:05am

Reviews on The Flick from Chicago critics:

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/the-flick/reviews/7606/

I really liked the play.

 

Some info on Marlowe:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/news/ct-carrie-coon-mary-page-marlowe-ott-0325-20160322-column.html

I am seeing this April 12.

 

Updated On: 4/8/16 at 11:05 AM

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/2/16 at 11:14pm

thanks for sharing that piece 

Curious if anyone had the chance to see the new Letts yet?  Carrie Coon and Blair Brown - also quite enticing

 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 5:25pm

I purchased two tickets to Mary Page Marlowe for this Friday, April 8, at 7:30pm. Regrettably, I can no longer use them. They were cheap - $18 each including fees. The seats are great (front and center) and these limited discounted tickets have long since been sold out. Would anyone like to buy them off me? 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 5:33pm

I'll buy them off of you. I'll send you a PM. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:24am

curious to hear your thoughts

 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:34am

I'll let you know!

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 9:31am

Saw The Flick off-Broadway.  Loved it.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 9:48am

I'm intrigued by the new Letts play. It has quite a large cast (20+) for a brief play, and a lot of good actors in that cast (Blair Brown, Carrie Coon, Ian Barford, etc). I imagine that if it has any merit, someone will pick it up for New York sooner rather than later.

[schmoe]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 10:44am

Seeing Mary Page Marlowe tonight and looking forward to it.  Will report back.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/8/16 at 9:13am

looking forward to your report

[schmoe]

Posted: 4/8/16 at 1:58pm

Saw Mary Page Marlowe last night.  Overall, I thought it was good.  Inventive idea to use different actors to portray the title character at different points in her life and not just to show age differences.  Thought provoking in that she (you) can be different people to different circumstances within your life and that there are going to be proud moments as well as parts that will cause some shame, right or wrong.  Really liked the whole random, not in chronological order of the scenes and the way that it informed you of the whole person.  Also enjoyed the realistic dialog between characters/family members.  Consistently good acting that you usually get at Steppenwolf.  Staging that is a mix of moving pieces on a track and great use of projections as additional information about the scenes.  The ending confused me.  It made me think, which was maybe the point, but I am not clear on it at all.  Not everything needs to be tied up, but this not only did not do that, it added confusion to me personally.

[tgrabon2]

Posted: 4/8/16 at 3:49pm

I'm a huge fan of August/Osage County but didn't care for Superior Donuts. Last weekend I saw an early preview of Mary Page Marlowe and really enjoyed it. The random scenes that schmoe mentioned were like fascinating pieces to a puzzle. One maybe two scenes need work to bring out the humor. The acting talent on stage was impressive. I too was confused at the end. After the show I discussed with friends the show especially the ending. We came up with the idea that the quilt that Mary Page Marlowe was discussing was a quilt of her life. I need to see the show again and really pay attention to what she says about the quilt.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/9/16 at 2:00am

I saw this tonight and overall I REALLY enjoyed it (thanks orlikethecolorpurple!) up until the last scene, which felt abrupt and a little out of place. Nothing that can't be fixed, though, and it sounds from the talkback as though they at still editing the piece. 

 

I really liked the whole idea of this play. Seeing this one woman at different points in her life was a very effective way to tell what was really a simple story in an interesting and compelling way. They use the different actresses very effectively--because a few of them come and go and it's not in chronological order, it felt seamless. The different women embody the character so much that I really did not even notice which actress was which. It worked much better than I anticipated honestly. 

 

The way in which the story was told made me really connect with the character. Seeing her later in life early on, I knew of a few things that would happen, but was left intrigued as to how she ended up that way and what details happened in the middle. What they revealed did not disappoint me personally. You don't know every answer to every question, but you know enough about what made this woman who she is and the struggles she went though.  

 

I saw a powerful feminist narrative that I found compelling. This is a woman who has spent her life trying to be what she thought a wife and mother should be yet she never really knew herself. I was left wondering if this was really a byproduct of the times in which she lived, or if she brought this on herself by seeing herself as merely reacting in the way society expected her to. I suspect it was a bit of both. 

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I found the scene where it revealed how her son died was particularly compelling, and honestly it could've ended with the phone ringing. (Although perhaps that would draw comparisons with the ending to the Herd, which Steppelwolf JUST did.). The last scene just didn't seem that interesting and like others, I didn't completely get it. I felt like every other scene was really a key moment in this character's life that shaped her. The last scene was mundane and didn't rise to that level. I definitely got that the woman in blue she described on the quilt was what she wanted to be herself--she wanted to stand out  and be different. But the description of pioneers and milkmaids on the other panels didn't strike me as her at other parts in her life. I think it was probably supposed to be, but it could've been clearer. And overall my biggest criticism was that the ending was far too abrupt. Everyone's applause was very uncertain when the house first went dark. I just think they need to find a more satisfying way to make the end message clearer and tie it up. (Or, just end it at the prior scene.)

At the talkback they mentioned that it has more of an ending and is more cohesive than last weekend, so it sounds like they're still working on it. I think my dissatisfaction with the ending is completely fixable and this has a TON of potential to be a powerful show that would be an interesting piece on Broadway. I don't know if it will be a big seller because it can't be a star vehicle and the concept isn't going to bring tourists, but I hope more people have the opportunity to see this well-written play. Also, the staging was really beautiful and thoughtful--someone at the talkback pointed out that it reflected her discussion in one of the scenes about compartmentalizing her life. Overall, I thought the staging was very thoughtfully done, and they made a rather complicated piece work seamlessly. 

 

By the way, if you go to a show at steppenwolf, I highly recommend staying for the discussions afterward!  They're about 20 minutes and I've always found them very thought provoking. 

Updated On: 4/9/16 at 02:00 AM

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/10/16 at 10:49pm

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-mary-page-marlowe-steppenwolf-ent-0411-20160410-column.html

4 stars from chciago tribune

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/11/16 at 7:45am

Reviews are positive across the board so far. 

 

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/mary-page-marlowe/reviews/7607/

 

I found Jones's review to be spot on. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 10:58pm

NY TIMES just posted - it's a rave review.   

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/theater/review-mary-page-marlowe-traces-a-womans-evolution-in-phases-and-fragments.html

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/18/16 at 1:18am

Great review!  

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 4/29/16 at 2:27pm

Just announced that Mary Page Marlowe is extending one week only through 6/5. Go see it if you haven't!!