The Antipodes - Signature Theatre- Page 2

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 11:11am

I hope that one day I'm as assured of my opinions as you, After Eight.

As for The Antipodes, it's definitely more minor than most of Baker's previous work, but I really enjoyed it.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 11:43am

"As for The Antipodes, it's definitely more minor than most of Baker's previous work, but I really enjoyed it."

 

Good. And now you can enjoy it five more times.

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 12:13pm

Yup!

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 1:25pm

Quick question, the way "antipodes" is pronounced, it rhymes with Euripides, correct?

[clb10162]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 2:14pm

Correct.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 2:25pm

Thank you love.

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/22/17 at 6:38pm

Oh damn. Second viewing and it all clicked with me. Not minor at all. Very very major. Eschatological in the best, most terrifying way. Now I wish I were seeing it a hundred more times. Most of the people around me thought it was godawful (After Eight, I can feel you about to reply, and I don't need you to tell me that I'm wrong and that the older people are right. Just let me enjoy the show) so I might add this to a list of shows that I find to be masterful yet I wouldn't recommend anyone go see.

And how the hell did they pull out the boxes of takeout!!!?? I told myself this time that I would pay close attention and I was bamboozled once again.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/22/17 at 11:14pm

"Oh damn. Second viewing and it all clicked with me. "

Gee, what took you so long? 

"Not minor at all. Very very major. Eschatological in the best, most terrifying way."

WOW! Thanks for filling us all in!

"Now I wish I were seeing it a hundred more times."

Only a hundred? 

"Most of the people around me thought it was godawful "

I can't imagine why.

"After Eight, I can feel you about to reply, and I don't need you to tell me that I'm wrong and that the older people are right. Just let me enjoy the show)"

Who's stopping you?

"so I might add this to a list of shows that I find to be masterful yet I wouldn't recommend anyone go see."

That makes a lot of sense. About as much as the play. No wonder it fits you to a T.

[lyceum]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 11:23am

Me and a friend both really enjoyed this show on Friday evening. Neither of us are completely objective as we have both worked on Baker plays in the past but we went into this one not knowing anything about the show and came out of it fairly in awe. 

Baker isn't for everyone but I find her particular brand of mundanity at least intermittently touching and almost always funny. I think this show is asking a lot of hard questions about the relevance of theater in today's world and mostly refuses to answer them. What it does provide though is several absolutely transcendent moments of the simplest kind of theater that exists: people telling stories to each other. 

The whole ensemble is doing really wonderful work in this show. The energy they created and maintained for the hour and 45 minute run of the play was consistent and engaging. The beauty of a piece this spare as an audience member is being able to take the time during a play to really study the bodies and faces of the actors and experience the moments of boredom and silence throughout the show so completely involved in the characters on stage. I especially enjoyed Nicole Rodenburg as the receptionist with a possibly supernatural past.

A word of warning though: this show feels MUCH longer than it's run time. There were times during this play when I genuinely wondered who among my loved ones would be dead by the time I left the Signature Center. For me this worked for the play. At points I was genuinely convinced in my body and heart that I had been sitting watching these people talk for months. 

Also congrats to the sound designer for truly excellent and effective work at it's most subtle

Julienne Moore was in the audience with me on Friday. Does she own a place in the city?

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 7:21pm

I LOVED The Flick and I really want to see this, but I'd have to go alone. Is It scary/disturbing? Something gave me the impression that it was. I don't like to be scared when I'm by myself.  

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 7:31pm

^

Glittergrrl,

It's not scary, put there's sufficient disgusting conversation to make you want to cover your ears.

Basically, it's just stupefyingly boring, pretentious, and obnoxious.

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 8:44pm

If After Eight hates a show, he's nearly every other post in that show's thread.. if he loves it, he posts once.

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 9:33pm

Glittergrrl, to answer your question instead of giving you some condescending lecture, it's scary, but more in the existential sense. Nothing goes 'boo', but it might make you more wary of the possibility of an apocalypse.

[little_sally]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 9:58pm

I really enjoyed this, although it's not perfect by any means, and it's certainly not The Flick or John. It's compelling and well-written, and the acting is all around great. I recommend this even if you think you don't like Baker's work. 

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 10:50pm

New York Times Critic's Pick

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/23/theater/the-antipodes-review-annie-baker.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftheater&action=click&contentCollection=theater&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 4/23/17 at 11:24pm

Any chance this show will extend?

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 12:01am

It has extended a few times already. June 4th currently.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 3:43am

FYI, unfortunately, they don't offer the $30 tickets on the extensions, just the originally announced initial run.

 

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 5:15am

"New York Times Critic's Pick"

 

Well, surprise, surprise!

It reminds me of a song title in Ben Franklin in Paris: "How Laughable It Is."
 

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 5:01pm

lyceum said: "Me and a friend both really enjoyed this show on Friday evening. Neither of us are completely objective as we have both worked on Baker plays in the past but we went into this one not knowing anything about the show and came out of it fairly in awe. 

Baker isn't for everyone but I find her particular brand of mundanity at least intermittently touching and almost always funny. I think this show is asking a lot of hard questions about the relevance of theater in today's world and mostly refuses to answer them. What it does provide though is several absolutely transcendent moments of the simplest kind of theater that exists: people telling stories to each other. 

The whole ensemble is doing really wonderful work in this show. The energy they created and maintained for the hour and 45 minute run of the play was consistent and engaging. The beauty of a piece this spare as an audience member is being able to take the time during a play to really study the bodies and faces of the actors and experience the moments of boredom and silence throughout the show so completely involved in the characters on stage. I especially enjoyed Nicole Rodenburg as the receptionist with a possibly supernatural past.

A word of warning though: this show feels MUCH longer than it's run time. There were times during this play when I genuinely wondered who among my loved ones would be dead by the time I left the Signature Center. For me this worked for the play. At points I was genuinely convinced in my body and heart that I had been sitting watching these people talk for months. 

Also congrats to the sound designer for truly excellent and effective work at it's most subtle

Julienne Moore was in the audience with me on Friday. Does she own a place in the city?

 

Don't know if she has a p!ace here but she attended and was part of a talk back at. "Church & State" at New World Stages on Wednesday the 12th.

 

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 6:10pm

BakerWilliams said: "Glittergrrl, to answer your question instead of giving you some condescending lecture, it's scary, but more in the existential sense. Nothing goes 'boo', but it might make you more wary of the possibility of an apocalypse.

 

"

With Trump as president I'm already worried about the apocalypse. *Zing* I'm here all week.  Thanks for the reply.  I think this sounds like it's really in my wheelhouse.  I love plays, and film, where nothing happens.  I read Brantley's rave and I'm all in.  I'm going to check it out.  I may message you with one question though, ok? I'm a big pansy. 

[EthelMae]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 10:44pm

I was thinking of buying tickets to this as I loved The Flick and John-saw them both twice. Saturday the ticket prices included a $60 ticket. That seemed reasonable, I didn't expect the $30.ticket price Signature charges initially. I wished I had purchased them then because today I see, after the Times rave, the ticket price is $90. 

So I will wait and hope for a transfer like with The Flick, which went on TDF. 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/15/17 at 11:23pm

Has anyone rushed this?