GREY HOUSE Previews- Page 9

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/28/23 at 8:15pm

I am VERY curious about the ASL interpretation. I knew they’d be doing it at some point but given how dark the show is, I wasn’t sure how. Can you tell me where the interpreters were and if they were lit at all?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/28/23 at 8:56pm

Was Tatiana still out?

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 5/28/23 at 9:07pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "Was Tatiana still out?"

Yes, Claire Karpen was on for her. I thought she was fantastic.

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 5/28/23 at 9:14pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I am VERY curious about the ASL interpretation. I knew they’d be doing it at some point but given how dark the show is, I wasn’t sure how. Can you tell me where the interpreters were and if they were lit at all?"

They were in the front row on the right side of the orchestra (I was in mezzanine left and had a good view of them). They wore black and were lit for the convenience of the Deaf patrons but blended well into the overall design (Natasha Katz likely factored them in). They interpreted the dialogue and sounds but sat for the quiet moments/during scene changes.

Updated On: 5/28/23 at 09:14 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/28/23 at 9:28pm

Thanks for that. I’ve been wondering a lot about how they’d do it. :)

[boonanas]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 7:43am

Fordham2015 said: "I was at today's matinee. I agree with many of the theories referenced above, but for me the two big jump scares 

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

both involved the Ancient One, first when she appeared above Paul Sparks at the refrigerator and then the couch effect with her and Squirrel.

I wish Laurie Metcalf had a bigger role, but it was still great to see her back on stage. Claire Karpen was excellent as the one "normal" person in the show (at least until the end).

While I was lukewarm on the show itself, I was very impressed with the Deaf representation. There were three interpreters who switched off seamlessly throughout the performance and I saw several groups of Deaf patrons huddling before and after the show.

Re stage door, Laurie Metcalf and Millicent Simmonds both came out right after 4. Laurie was very unassuming, obliged a couple photos and autographs and then walked her dog down the street. Millie stayed outside for a while talking/signing with people and was very personable. "

Sophia did come out of stage door but was fully masked and hat on, rushing out, clearly didn't want to be bothered.  All the young actors in the show were hanging out outside (except for Mr. Man or whatever the little characters name is).  Paul Sparks did eventually come out and was nice (but this was like 30 minutes after everyone left).

[Ensemble1685344264]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 8:26am

First, a question...

I was seated Orchestra, center.  Could not see down the basement stairs.  For those that could see down into it, was there anything to see?  In particular:

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The scene where the girls are playing a game that involves telling the truth.  When a lie is discovered, you hear Laurie Metcalf screaming from the bottom of the stairs.  

I saw the 5/28 Matinee with Claire Karpen, who was fantastic.  I can't see anyone being upset about Maslany's temporary absence unless you are a huge fan of hers.

The play itself?  We found it "interesting" and extremely well done, though not something I would want to see a second time.

I was very close to the stage, approx. four rows back.  What really shocked me was the lack of a sound system to pick up the voices of the cast.  They all talk in a mostly regular volume which I can't imagine anyone in the rear of the theater or the balcony is able to decipher.  I have read quite a few reviews where pieces of dialogue were missed because the cast couldn't be heard.  Kind of curious why no mics were used, and if they were, why it didn't seem like it.

I am kind of hesitant to recommend this show.  It's easily hateable, but we managed to mostly enjoy it.

 

Updated On: 5/29/23 at 08:26 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 8:58am

I saw it a few weeks ago. Sat in the Mezzanine house right Row C and I had no problem hearing.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 5/29/23 at 9:01am

Nothing can be seen at the bottom of the basement stairs. We just hear the noises coming from it.

[Ricey2]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 3:29pm

Hi! I put it in buy/sell, but I have a rush ticket for tonight at 8PM that I can’t use if anyone wants it. Just message me. I got it for the rush $35, but I would sell it for less. :)

[Show Me]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 9:51am

So perfect that such a strange play gets 2 opening nights! Given that reviews will come this evening, I was thinking about it this morning. It probably won’t be successful but I think this is a good example of the producers being smart to take the risk.

A couple people have pointed out that it’s in the same wheelhouse as some of A24’s films and things like Coherence. And it is a new genre for theater. I guess it could be called Horror Theater of the Absurd. The upside is that many of the movies like Hereditary have received very favorable reviews, but less acceptance from audiences. It now appears that this is splitting audience approval as its equivalent movies have.

perhaps the producers thought a more sophisticated audience would be more into it, but these enigmatic whacked out inscrutable works seem to get similar reactions whatever the medium.

I think these will be some of the most interesting reviews this season.

 

Updated On: 6/1/23 at 09:51 AM

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 10:48am

Ensemble1685344264 said: "First, a question...

I was seated Orchestra, center. Could not see down the basement stairs. For those that could see down into it, was there anything to see? In particular:
 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The scene where the girls are playing a game that involves telling the truth. When a lie is discovered, you hear Laurie Metcalf screaming from the bottom of the stairs.

I saw the 5/28 Matinee with Claire Karpen, who was fantastic. I can't see anyone being upset about Maslany's temporary absence unless you are a huge fan of hers.

The play itself? We found it "interesting" and extremely well done, though not something I would want to see a second time.

I was very close to the stage, approx. four rows back. What really shocked me was the lack of a sound system to pick up the voices of the cast. They all talk in a mostly regular volume which I can't imagine anyone in the rear of the theater or the balcony is able to decipher. I have read quite a few reviews where pieces of dialogue were missed because the cast couldn't be heard. Kind of curious why no mics were used, and if they were, why it didn't seem like it.

I am kind of hesitant to recommend this show. It's easily hateable, but we managed to mostly enjoy it.

"

I was in the very last row of the balcony and was able to hear and understand the play perfectly 

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 12:10pm

Saw this the other night.  A tasty production, tight and interesting, of a not particularly interesting or novel play.  I was sure of where the play was going, just not quite sure of the route it was going to take.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

It was painfully evident in short order that Henry was going to be slain, and that Max would stay in the house.  Was it going to be some kind of fertility ritual, or what -- well, they went for a frankly not interesting Man Bad Woman Good vibe.  All the songs and chanting and gimmicks (look! there's new stuff in the fridge!), as skillfully done as they are, can't hide the familiarity of way too much of the proceedings.

One odd element of the evening was the solid laughter that was heard every time Laurie Metcalf did anything, anything at all.  Was it a nervous response to the creep factor happening on stage?  Or are people unwilling to take her in anything but comic mode?  Was this happening at other performances?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 12:13pm

Laurie was very funny when i saw the show. I even wrote how it’s the most “Aunt Jackie” role I’ve seen her do since “Aunt Jackie”

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 1:10pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Laurie was very funny when i saw the show. I even wrote how it’s the most “Aunt Jackie” role I’ve seen her do since “Aunt Jackie”"

I've never seen Roseanne, but I was sitting there like I bet this is what her Roseanne character sounds like

[EAPEAPMO]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 2:34pm

Roscoe said: "Saw this the other night. A tasty production, tight and interesting, of a not particularly interesting or novel play. I was sure of where the play was going, just not quite sure of the route it was going to take.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

It was painfully evident in short order that Henry was going to be slain, and that Max would stay in the house. Was it going to be some kind of fertility ritual, or what -- well, they went for a frankly not interesting Man Bad Woman Good vibe. All the songs and chanting and gimmicks (look! there's new stuff in the fridge!), as skillfully done as they are, can't hide the familiarity of way too much of the proceedings.

One odd element of the evening was the solid laughter that was heard every time Laurie Metcalf did anything, anything at all. Was it a nervous response to the creep factor happening on stage? Or are people unwilling to take her in anything but comic mode? Was this happening at other performances?"


I think the show itself is just a very funny show, on top of being a literary thirller - I found it to be much funnier than the likes of Shucked or PPGW, AND the humorous lines act to actually progress the plot and characters, unlike those two shows. 

As for your spoiler tag, it's amazing how split some people are on that. I feel like some people think it's evident/obvious, a lot of people feel like it's mysterious and a fun puzzle, and others just completely turn off and say it's incomprehensible without really trying (although to be fair, there's been less of that as previews have progressed, I saw it for a 3rd time last night and there is an entirely new transition between two scenes to very clearly spell out a key point, as-if the writer is saying, "Here, you all said this wasn't obvious, let's shove it in your face!", as well as 4 major line changes to really spell out some of the implied meaning that were part of the puzzle).. the show also posted some of their own spoilers that were inside the playbill as an insert/link to the website, which was new, so they're trying really hard to make the show accessible for a variety of people it seems. They also had a talkback with one of their co-producers who is some YouTuber after the show, and it was the most people I've ever seen stick around for a talkback. Maybe half the orchestra stayed and 1/4-1/3 of the balcony/mezz? Had to have been at least 200-300 people... the audience discussion got through 4 questions in 45 minutes with a ton of pretty exciting theories. It was pretty impressive to hear such a variety of theories and meanings that people took from the show. 

To me it's like Broadway theater has transformed post-covid to be almost entirely spoonfed and incredibly simple. Rarely do you get a Broadway show to make you think for this many hours, and the talkback I saw last night as a testament to how the show is truly thought provoking and beautiful in its construction. The commentary on cyclical abuse runs so deep and w/ every scene packed with connecting imagery and staging, I can easily see why Mantello loved this as a project... even something like Kimberly Akimbo, you sort of just walk out and say, "man, absuive families suck!" and "that was a fun musical!" that's basically it... conversations about the meaning and subject rarely last more than 30 mintues, let alone the hours and hours and hours of discussion I've had with my friends and at/after that talkback last night. 

I am really rooting for positive reviews on this. I think this is a show that Broadway needs, needs more of, and if it does well it'll open the door for a lot more thoughtful productions to come out in the future. Updated On: 6/1/23 at 02:34 PM

[teresa2]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 6:58pm

I have been seeing shows on Broadway for over 40 years and this was honestly one of the worst shows i have ever seen.  Obviously  people on this board saw something there that I did not. Laurie Metcalf couldn't even save it. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 7:29pm

Tatiana is out tonight. I went to the box office and got a refund. She was very nice and said they were told she’d be back tonight but now have no idea. Hope she feels better soon. <3

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 7:49pm

Then it looks like the review embargo might not lift tonight either... but we'll see in a few minutes. 

[coreman009]

Posted: 6/3/23 at 1:59pm

Saturday, June 3rd update on Tatiana Maslany: I’m seeing the matinee but she’s still out 

[Jumpin_J]

Posted: 6/3/23 at 2:23pm

Embargo is lifted. https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/grey-house/

[persephone88]

Posted: 6/4/23 at 7:26am

Saw the show last night. Tatiana still out, Claire was fine in the lead.

I enjoyed the show and trying to figure out the mystery. What I did not enjoy was the group seated next to me in the orchestra who CACKLED like hyenas throughout the entire show. Yes, some of Laurie Metcalfe's "zingers" could be read as amusing, but these people laughed at EVERYTHING, even moments from other characters that were obviously serious. Like "ha ha oh wow this could get bad hee hee so funny!" Chortling and snorting during moments the majority of the audience were silent. Totally took me out of the moment and nearly ruined the performance for me. I felt bad for the actors hearing these people cutting up during moments meant to be tense. I know some people laugh when they are nervous, but this was constant and made me want to belt the guy next to me. >:/

I liked the play a lot, my friend did not - felt it was too ambiguous and let too much to interpretation. I thought the game was well done (other that the hyenas hooting everytime they heard a certain noise - which was bizarre to me and made me wonder what kind of sadist I was sitting next to).

A question - we were close to front orchestra. What was on the floor during the game sequence and what was the chalk used for?

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 6/4/23 at 8:21am

persephone88 said: "

A question - we were close to front orchestra. What was on the floor during the game sequence and what was the chalk used for?"

I’m blanking on what you’d call it but here’s a picture of the floor - 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsbDTk8udlz/?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ== 

Updated On: 6/4/23 at 08:21 AM

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 6/4/23 at 9:31am

I won the lottery for today’s mat. Front row center if anyone’s keeping track. Read all the mixed feelings on those seats so I’ll def report back. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/4/23 at 9:40am

Anyone know if Tatiana is back?