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[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 9:35pm

I'm not familiar with this show at all. Can someone describe Sherie's role? I know it's small but I'm dying to know how small, what does she do, any standout moments? 

Updated On: 10/1/16 at 09:35 PM

[dev101]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 9:00am

I have tickets for Black Friday and I can't wait! 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 2:07pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau played the main roles in the early 1960's movie.

 

They starred in the 1974 film adaptation directed by the legendary Billy Wilder.  It wasn't an early 1960s film.  

 

Yes!...and Susan Sarandon played "Peggy Grant" opposite Lemmon and Matthau.

 

 

 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 1:18pm

CindersGolightly said: "I'm not familiar with this show at all. Can someone describe Sherie's role? I know it's small but I'm dying to know how small, what does she do, any standout moments? 

 

"

Same! She's the reason I bought tickets.

 

[sabrelady]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 2:01pm

Molly Malloy, a prostitute who helped Williams

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

 

, sees Williams' hiding place, and when the other reporters are about to discover him, she jumps out the window to distract them, killing herself. ( tho usually she doesn't die now ) She gets some good invective in about the media who are basically eating Williams  while he is still alive for a a story. So she is knda the conscience of the play.  Maybe 15-20 mins ? stage time.

Updated On: 10/3/16 at 02:01 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/3/16 at 2:26pm

Sherie is definitely not in the play for 15 minutes.  Her scenes are indeed strong but far from 15 minutes.  I don't even think Holland Taylor nor Robert Morse has that much stage time (15 minutes).  

[little_sally]

Posted: 10/6/16 at 9:04am

Saw this last night and pretty much echo everyone else's thoughts. The first act is slow and almost tedious and it starts to pick when Slattery enters. Yes, the pace picks up significantly when Lane finally enters at the end of the second act, and yes he does steal the show, but it practically becomes a different play altogether. Regardless, Lane is very, very funny as Burns. The whole cast is very strong (I especially liked John Goodman, Micah Stock, and Holland Taylor) and the set is gorgeous.

For a play that is close to 3 hours, it never felt that long.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/7/16 at 1:33am

Saw it tonight.  I previously saw productions in the 70s (with Robert Ryan, Bert Convy, Helen Hayes, etc.), and then the Lincoln Center production with Lithgow and Thomas. I thought it was perfect both times.  

This time, I felt that the first act exposition was a little arduous, as others have mentioned.  I can't help thinking that Jack O'Brian should have taken a pencil and made some cuts to what is still a terrific script.  To start with, I think with a little adjustment the entire Micah Stock role could be eliminated, helping to tighten the first act.  His role came across to me as stupid, which is not a criticism of him as an actor, but of the decision to give him that ridiculous accent, and not make some prudent cuts to what his character has to say, since it is totally unessential to the play.  60 seconds discussing hamburgers and ketchup is 60 seconds too much.

It definitely got better as it went along.  The only other real criticisms:

-- John Slattery was solid, but he seemed to me to be 15 or so years too old for the role.  Robert Morse is 40 years too old for his role, but it doesn't matter.  It is not a lead role and he nails the nebbishness of the character in an endearing performance.

-- I thought the woman who played his girl friend was too shrill or whiny...cant decide.  Either way, I can't believe he would have left Chicago for her.

The best thing about the show was clearly Nathan Lane.  Even though he arrived late in the show, he owned it.  It was a joy to watch him every minute.  I also thought that Jefferson Mays was terrific as an OCD suffering prig...he got every laugh possible out of that role.  I also thought that Sherie Rene Scott brought some depth to the role of Mollie that I had not seen before.  I also enjoyed John Goodman very much.

So, I would say Act 1 gets a 'C' rating, Act 2 gets a 'B', and Act 3 gets an 'A-'.  Nathan's reading of the immortal last line was positively perfect.

 

[Gensho]

Posted: 10/8/16 at 8:44am

I walked out after the first act. What a waste of the talent they had on stage. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/16/16 at 12:08am

You should have stuck with it, Gensho. The first act bored me to tears and I was getting increasingly frustrated that I paid so much for tickets to this. Sherie was wonderful in her small role and once again proved that she in a terrific actress. Her scene in the first act was very short, however, and the rest of the act was painfully slow and not funny at all. Act two began to pick up a bit and then the play started coming to life when Lane finally arrived. He is truly hilarious and has the energy and charasma the first act was aching for. The third act has quite a few laughs, mostly belonging to Lane. In the end, I'm glad I went, but, oh boy, that first act really had me seriously worried.

Posted: 10/16/16 at 6:33pm

For me the problem with this production is the play itself. All the elements are done at expert levels, it's just that the play has not held up over the years.

People aren't coming to see that play, they are coming to see that cast...with all those famous people attracting tickets sales why not support a new writer and a new play. It's actually kind of a shame in my opinion.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/17/16 at 12:32am

I was coming to see the play, at least in part, since it formed the basis of His Girl Friday. But I find I'm in accord with the last few posts here - I don't like criticizing during previews, since there's still time for adjustments to be made, but the beginning of the first act was indeed slow, and the shambling machinery of the show didn't really start spinning until Lane was physically present. And that didn't happen until the end of Act II, which isn't great value for a show people are paying over $100 to watch. The old-school misogyny laced throughout the script certainly didn't help lift that early tedium, either.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/17/16 at 1:14am

There were quite a few mysoginistic and homophobic lines.

[CaseyBrent41]

Posted: 10/19/16 at 4:17pm

Could someone tell me how long each act is?? I saw a few conflicting reports about running time and intermission times. THANK YOU!!

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 10/20/16 at 4:54pm

I saw it last night. It promptly started at 8:05 and ended at 10:40. The first intermission was definitely longer than 5 minutes as previously reported. It was more like 12 minutes as the ushers were saying. The second one was shorter though - probably 8 minutes. Also the Playbill is different from the one previously posted. It is now a black and white picture of just Lane and Slattery. If I know how to post a picture, I'd do it. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 12:47am

Saw this tonight on a whim. I went to the box office as the matinee was letting out - 4:30ish - asked if they had standing room for the evening. He said "Yes, how many?" I said "One" and then he said he might have a rush seat left - $50, which is crazy high, but with this cast I understand. So I took it! So those wondering about rush/SR it seems easy.

I'm glad I saw it, but also didn't love it. Didn't even really like it. The plot wasn't very interesting to me, and none of the performances particularly struck me. Nathan Lane was by far the best, but he basically just screams. But the whole show just needed something. Can't put my finger on it. But it never built to hysteria or even comedic antics. I figured with alll those characters it would be a riot. But it was more clever than funny. Nice design and direction. 

[ryankon]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 1:43am

Agree, if not for Lane and Morse I'd call this production close to disastrous.  My performance had numerous walkouts.  The woman next to me at the end of the second act turned to me and said "please tell me it's over."  When I said no, she and her bf had a fight and reluctantly stayed.  He slept through the third (and best) act.  A parade of misogyny, a group of wonderful actors all seeming to be in a different play, a high energy play that has no propulsive energy(I know that feels like a contradiction in terms)...all of it seemed misguided.  All the wattage in the world doesn't hang together--no giddy fun, no sense of event, no sense of the thrilling timelessness of the play.  Just a disappointing realization that it takes a bit of a miracle to pull off a great production.  With so many moving parts so much can go wrong...and here, while not disastrous, very little went right.  Bless Nathan Lane.  

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 9:33pm

I saw this today, and all I can say is they should spare the audience the trouble of the first 1.5 hours. Just start at Lane's entrance. The pacing up to that moment was a mess, but what he does to turn the production around is nothing short of a miracle. Even his co-stars suddenly find their stride playing opposite him. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 9:48pm

Just a strange evening! Was the cop suppose to be German? Kind of went in and out. And why Holland Taylor would take that role is beyond me. 

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 9:56pm

RippedMan said: "Just a strange evening! Was the cop suppose to be German? Kind of went in and out."

That would probably be my best guess at the accent he was doing, but then again, I wasn't too sure. His character was so extraneous to the proceedings. 

[Robert16]

Posted: 10/23/16 at 11:26pm

The wife and I left during the 2nd Intermission - Act 1 was a bore & Act 2 was better when Nathan arrived but as always Nathan can only play Nathan, as entertaining as that is. John Goodman mumbled through every line. Instead of Act 3 we opted for cheesecake at Juniors. Glad I didn't pay full price for the tickets. The new season hasn't been too exciting so far - Holiday Inn was cute; Falsettos was just OK but I did enjoy Heisenberg. Looking forward to Sutton in Sweet Charity and Dear Evan Hansen.

[hork]

Posted: 11/3/16 at 12:43pm

I saw this yesterday and loved it. I can't believe anyone thinks this is boring; I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. I don't feel like the first act dragged as some have said, and in fact I was surprised when the first intermission came down because the time just flew by. 

I thought most of the cast was good to very good, with Lane, Mays and Stock being particular standouts. I know a lot of people (including the two I saw it with) didn't like Stock's performance, but I adored him and thought his line deliveries were priceless. I actually thought the two elder statesmen, Robert Morse and Holland Taylor, were the weakest links in the cast (along with Halley Pfeiffer, whom I didn't care for at all).

The set was beautiful and elaborate, especially for a show with such a limited run. You could tell no expense was spared. The lighting and special effects were also kind of brilliant. A first-rate production all around. 

[brdwybuff]

Posted: 11/3/16 at 11:53pm

The best part of this was when Lane finally arrives in the 3rd act. The first two were a bit slow. Lane made it the show it should be. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/3/16 at 11:57pm

Personally, that seemed pretty stupid to me, as every review I can call thought Act 3 was terrific.  I laughed out loud.  I agree that Nathan may be Nathan, but that's why people buy tickets mainly when that is the case.

[sppunk]

Posted: 11/7/16 at 1:45pm

Saw this Saturday night. My wife and I are reformed journalist and this is in of our favorite movies ever so we are a targeted audience for this. 

I loved it. Sure Act 1 is a little slow and could be trimmed but it isn't bad or boring IMO. It's true to newsrooms for God's sake. 

I think John Goodman was my least favorite character, I just didn't feel anything positive from his performance. 

John Slattery was great. Nathan Lane brought the excitement. I loved the set design and costumes. 

A friend is in the cast and afterward he showed us around backstage and how they do some of the things (the exploding lights, the broken glass, etc). Pretty cool stuff. 

It's a great theater night to witness to me.