STEREOPHONIC @Playwrights Horizons- Page 2

[B212323]

Posted: 10/30/23 at 10:13pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "B212323 said: "WiCkEDrOcKS said: "By and large, I thought this was exceptional. Overlong, sure, but not by some insane margin - I strangely didn’t find it slow at all. It’s supposed to take us along on this band’s experience of recording an entire album - which in itself is often draining, arduous, stressful, and long. That’s the point. But it’s far from boring. I thought the ensemble was up there with the cast of THE COMEUPPANCE. It’s hard to pinpoint a single performer, but Will Brill (always so good), Eli Gelb (very, very funny and heartfelt), and Sarah Pidgeon (giving Marin Ireland with the voice of Adele) each killed it, in particular.

The music is great, the direction is strong, and it’s a technical marvel (particularly the sound design and the set). Overall I thought this was a vibrant, absorbing, hilarious, and ultimately moving piece about all of the pain, joy, and growth that comes from creating art, particularly with other people. (I’d also suggest reading David Adjmi’s note to the patron in the Playbill.)

If you can’t handle three hours and ten minutes, skip it. But you shouldn’t let the runtime deter you if you’re a serious-minded theatergoer looking for some meat and potatoes instead of the candy and fast food being slung at the average ticket buyer nowadays.

I believe it’s opening tonight and I hope the reviews are strong!"

Did it need to be 3h 10m?"

I'm not quite sure how to answer that. Could Adjmi have cut 15 minutes or so? Sure - but at that point, it would be 2 hours and 55 minutes instead of 3:10. It's not a wildly drastic change in runtime. It's not like he could've butchered the entire thing and made it 90 minutes - the material and performances, to me, justify the length. Again, if you know you can't sit still for the duration, then don't go. The length, personally, did not bother me as it seems to for others."

Yeah it seems 15/20 minutes wouldn't make a big difference. I can handle the time (I go to longer operas than that) but I also heard it moves and I'm interested in the subject matter. 

[NYCtheaterguy]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:50am

Did it need to be 3h 10m?

Perhaps people who consider it long might think of it as a regular- or slightly longish-play (say 2:50) with an additional 15-20 minutes of music embedded in it. The first act felt a little long (about 1:45) but there was a lot of "action" in act 2 and that act flew by.

Updated On: 10/31/23 at 11:50 AM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/5/23 at 1:26am

[rachelfran]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 1:29pm

Has anyone tried to get tickets from the waitlist .. they have one that opens an hour prior to showtime.

Thanks!

[MarilynMonroeSmash]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 7:11pm

I did yesterday and got a ticket for $89 for B on the aisle 5 minutes before curtain. 
 

I wanted to get there earlier, but arrived around 6:20 and there were 4 people ahead of me. One person was actually waiting for Sad Boys in Harpy Land tickets, so they didn’t even need to be on line. The first person wanted one ticket and the next two we’re requesting two each, so 5 tickets in front of me when they took the list at 6:30. They do ask if you’re willing to pay full price or if you are a student or young member. The ticket can be anywhere from $65, $91, or $125. After 6:30, people kept flowing in to sign up. The list probably had 20 names on it by 6:45 when I went to sit in the lobby.

Maybe around 7pm the first person was able to buy a ticket and then a few minutes later the second couple requesting two tickets purchased their’s. Then we waited until 7:25 for the next ticket and the box office manager went up to the person in front of me on line, but they were requesting two and didn’t want to leave their friend (even though I think they wanted the box office to hold the ticket until another came and they could go in together), so they approached me. I bought it for $89 like I said and was the last ticket offered. I didn’t see anyone else come in from the line after me, but I did run to the bathroom in the meantime after getting my ticket.

So I think they only offered 4 tickets last night and I got lucky because the person in front of me wanted two when they only had one.

[rachelfran]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 7:32pm

thanks for you for your helpful reply .. I hope you enjoyed the show.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 8:32pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "People complained about the length, but nothing happening ect, subscribers walked out midshow and complained, the artistic director wrote a letter defending it, the length ect ...and then it won the Pulitzer (not saying the last part will happen here) but that review just snapped me back to when all that happened."

I saw The Flick in London and I’m pretty sure I saw an abridged version? I loved it, by the way. 

[JoeW4]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 8:36pm

^I can't speak with authority about whether or not the production you saw was abridged. But I will say that part of what makes The Flick so long are the long periods of silence, which can vary significantly from production to production. Again I don't know for a fact, but I would wager that they didn't abridge the script, just performed it more quickly.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 11/22/23 at 8:45pm

JoeW4 said: "^I can't speak with authority about whether or not the production you saw was abridged. But I will say that part of what makes The Flick so long are the long periods of silence, which can vary significantly from production to production. Again I don't know for a fact, but I would wager that they didn't abridge the script, just performed it more quickly."

Not sure why I thought I saw an abridged version. I’ve looked in various places and that is not mentioned. So I guess I did see the complete version. 

[inception]

Posted: 11/23/23 at 8:04am

If you read the script of The Flick, without the pauses, you could probably perform the thing in 25 minutes instead of three hours. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 11:25pm

Some premium seats showed up for the December 10 evening show, for those looking!

[annang]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 10:13am

Looks like it’s all wheelchair seating, and I’m betting someone who is not a wheelchair user is going to try to buy them anyway and be in for a rude awakening when they arrive and there’s no seat there, just an empty space.

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 11:15am

annang said: "Looks like it’s all wheelchair seating, and I’m betting someone who is not a wheelchair user is going to try to buy them anyway and be in for a rude awakening when they arrive and there’s no seat there, just an empty space."

There's a notation on the website to call the box office after purchasing if you'll be using the seat without a wheelchair. At this point, I'm sure MANY non-wheelchair patrons have bought and used them with no issue. Also, FWIW, I've never seen any of those spaces occupied by an actual wheelchair. That row is all free-standing chairs that can be removed and added, if necessary.

Updated On: 11/29/23 at 11:15 AM

[annang]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 2:38pm

So, I was able to snag a premium seat for 12/10 (non-wheelchair, just a regular seat). But it would be much, much easier to go this weekend when I'm already in the city rather than making a special trip to go next weekend. I don't suppose there's anyone who would want to swap a ticket for any performance this Saturday or Sunday in exchange for my 12/10 evening ticket? 

Updated On: 11/29/23 at 02:38 PM

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 10:34pm

I’ve always followed the rule that if the only seats left are handicap seats, they’re fair game. 

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/6/23 at 11:22am

anyone have information (as opposed to speculation) about the possibility for an additional extension (i.e., beyond the 17th)?

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 1:06pm

Rumor is this is going into the Golden for the spring. 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 1:58pm

InTheBathroom1 said: "Rumor is this is going into the Golden for the spring."

Hopefully with the same cast. Don't mess with a good thing.

 

[jasmiinda]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 4:19pm

I hope the rumors are true. Someone on Reddit said they got to speak with someone who's a part of it who also said it was going to transfer. I finally got to see it on Sunday and I was blown away. I didn't feel the length, I really loved the music. It's pretty much everything I wanted but didn't get from either version of Daisy Jones. I'd love to see it again.

[Sauja]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 4:25pm

I would also happily see this again. 3:15 flew by like a breeze. And what. A. Cast. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 4:28pm

Got to catch the Sunday evening performance and I definitely see where all the raves are coming from, as it was just such a transporting experience for me--I truly felt like I was living in the world with these characters and their frustrations and successes.  The sound design of course was impeccable and I do hope they record an album of these songs (and honestly I'd listen to any of the songs Will Butler had wrote and then cut earlier in the process too).  The actors are all incredible and it's quite astonishing how well they can really come together to sound like an actual rock band.

The beginning was a little confusing for me structurally, because it seemed like any time they were going to start a song, the scene would jump to another place in time, and it happened enough where I was almost doubting they'd actually be playing songs, so I'm not sure if there used to be songs there and they were cut for length or if that was done for some other reason.  After intermission I did think the first few scenes lost a bit of momentum in the second act, but it fell back into place after a bit.  I think I would've preferred it more as an intermissionless show just in terms of pacing becuase it's just a series of small scenes, but act 1 was already asking a lot in terms of timing (it ran almost 1:45 when I was there, with the whole show being around 3:20).

But quibbles aside, I think this show really achieved its goal of bringing me into the recording studio and seeing how these musicians create the art that they love so much despite other ups and downs around them.  I had never really considered what went into an album as far as the sound engineer's job or a band improvising licks together, and part of what kept me engaged in the play was also the "behind the scenes" aspect of that, but as we spent more time with the characters, the more I grew to appreciate them as individual people as well.

I hope the rumors of it transferring are true.  I don't know if it would work on Broadway, but I'd definitely see it again.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 4:28pm

Loved this play so much - it shot right up into my top 5 of the year. If a transfer does happen I’m just praying the same cast, especially Sarah Pidgeon, comes with it. 

[jasmiinda]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 5:14pm

Yeah, I agree about that cast. It's not like it would stop me from seeing it again, obviously, but there would be a little disappointment if people got replaced. Like you said, especially Sarah Pidgeon. What a voice.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 5:16pm

Aside from the play itself, the production is a marvel of design and direction.

[raddersons]

Posted: 12/13/23 at 12:17am

Quiet a bit of buzz about the transfer on the standby line today. Not sure if they got their info from this thread or they have other producer contacts, but word is going around. Considering I didn't get a ticket, I really hope this is true. Curious if this would be categorized as a musical come Tony time. Sounds to me it's firmly a "play with music" (similar to Lady Day at Emerson's...). I wonder how this would fare in the Best Score category.

Unrelated but they had a copy of The Flick in the lobby and I took a look at the length. 126 pages. It's long even without the silences. After seeing Infinite Life I'm considering buying a copy to read.

Updated On: 12/13/23 at 12:17 AM