1984 Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 9:08pm

First previews thread of the 2017-2018 season!

Previews for the stage adaptation of George Orwell's classic 1984 begin in two days (Thursday, May 18, 2017) at the Hudson Theatre. Penned by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, the show arrives on Broadway following a number of runs in London since 2013. Starring Tom Sturridge, Olivia Wilde, and Reed Birney, the production is set to officially open on June 22 for what I believe is a limited run through October 8, 2017.

Who's going?!

Updated On: 5/16/17 at 09:08 PM

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 9:31pm

I have tickets for the first preview on Thursday (unfortunately bought long before they went up on TDF). 

[carnzee]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 9:59pm

You say "following a number of runs" is it normal in London to have multiple runs of the same production in a short time frame? 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 11:20pm

Return engagements, yes, this production had a run in the Almeida, two West End runs and I think 3 UK tours now, plus a brief US tour last year.

can not wait to see this again, the last 10 minutes are crazy

[ak72090]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 5:52am

I'll be there on the 3rd. Very excited and anxious to see reviews here

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 7:50am

I'm going Saturday night, May 27. Scored one of those $8 orchestra seats!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 8:44am

I will be there tomorrow night!

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 6:14pm

Lot666 said: "I'm going Saturday night, May 27. Scored one of those $8 orchestra seats!

"

What promotion was that?  Amazing!  Any word on a rush policy?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 8:47pm

What makes the ending so crazy? Like staging wise or story wise or what?

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 12:41am

BroadwayLuv2 said: "Lot666 said: "I'm going Saturday night, May 27. Scored one of those $8 orchestra seats!

"

What promotion was that?  Amazing!  Any word on a rush policy?

 

"

I thought it was a system error but I snatched a $199 seat for 18 dollars (fees included).

Updated On: 5/18/17 at 12:41 AM

[@z5]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 8:20am

What was this $8 ticket promo?!

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 8:24am

@z5 said: "What was this $8 ticket promo?!

 

"

I guess it was not a promo, more like a system error. Some day last week I checked the Hudson website and found that they had tons of tickets on sale for $8, but they were back to the normal prices when I checked again a few hours later.

[@z5]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 8:27am

Wow, that's so odd. But lucky you found it

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 8:35am

@z5 said: "Wow, that's so odd. But lucky you found it

 

"

Thanks. Actually, I still worry whether they'll cancel my ticket last minute. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 9:02am

BroadwayLuv2 said: "Lot666 said: "I'm going Saturday night, May 27. Scored one of those $8 orchestra seats!"

What promotion was that?  Amazing!  Any word on a rush policy?"

It was purely a stumble-upon thing. I had been monitoring availability and pricing for my travel dates because the show was on my "maybe" list, and one day last week I checked early in the morning and most of the seats were coming up at $8 plus taxes/fees. I added orchestra center row F, seat 111 to the cart and proceeded to checkout, expecting the site to either throw an error or show a different price at the payment point, but it didn't. I paid, got an email confirmation from the theater, and the charge showed up immediately on my credit card statement. I posted my experience on this board and then checked the site again a few minutes later and all the seats around mine had gone up to $299. 

Since it changed so quickly, perhaps it was a website glitch or someone entered/mapped some data incorrectly. Or, maybe it was simply an incentive for early risers.  I've received no additional communications from the theater (since my confirmation) and I've been checking the site every day, where my seat still shows as "unavailable". If they try to deny me at showtime I will raise h*ll.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 9:17am

I had no idea this was beginning performances this week. To be fair I've been pretty wrapped up in our country crumbling around us!

[LxGstv]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 9:48pm

They were offering $40 tickets to those who didn't win the lottery today... wonder if someone took that offer, and if yes, where were the seats... I know that lottery is front row, just wondering is the "losing offer" is in the orchestra as well or somewhere in the balcony...

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 10:26pm

...any reports? 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 5/18/17 at 10:59pm

Was 4th row center tonight thanks to TDF. My thoughts are very convoluted, so bear with me.

Up until 90 minutes into the show, I really, REALLY hated it. I was so bored, and hadn't the slightest clue what they were trying to achieve on stage, even though I am familiar with the book. I thought the writing was poor, the direction misguided, and the performances rivaling that of any community theater across the country. 

 

But THEN, there's the moment. And yes, it was cool. But I spent the majority of my time on the subway ride home not pondering the plays political stances or theatrical (attempted?) achievements, which are blatant and in-your-face, but whether this is a good show or not. I still can't say. 

 

Some random observations:

- Olivia Wilde was the strongest of the evening, by far. 

- I strongly disliked Tom Sturridge's interpretation of the character. I found him mainly annoying, and didn't root for him at all. 

- Reed Birney is being WASTED here, in a role anyone could play. He is at the height of his talent, and I truly wish he had taken a new role that stretched him as deep and wide as Man From Nebraska or The Humans.

- Michael Potts makes the most of what is a small and unforgiving role.

- The sound design is atrociously loud, and I was very disappointed on how heavily they rely on cheap scares throughout the evening. People were plugging their ears all around me because it's just incessant - yes, theatre should make you uncomfortable, but this was unnecessary. 

- There was no standing ovation for the majority of the curtain call, until about a third of the audience stood at the very end. I cannot recall the last time I saw a show in NYC (and I'm at over 60 shows this year), where there wasn't a full standing ovation by the end. 

- The show was far over an hour and 20 minutes, longer than the advertised "101 minutes" insert in the Playbill.

 

----

 

TL;DR

The show is attempting great things, but fell incredibly flat in my eyes. The politics of the show are shoved in your face and the show ultimately plays out like a poorly directed episode of Black Mirror.

Very interested to see what others thought. Definitely not a must-see in a time where Broadway is filled with truly incredible pieces right now.

 

 

Updated On: 5/18/17 at 10:59 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 12:19am

I was there. 

This show is a total hot mess. 

If you are not familiar with the book, you will have absolutely no idea what is going on. The script to this play assumes familiarity with the source material. I read it in high school and figured I knew enough about it, but nope. 

Most of the first section of this takes place in what seems like a conference room with a bunch of random people saying random things that do not advance the action of the play. Did Annie Baker ghost write this??? Audience was audibly turning on it, with the usual coughs, etc. 

In the play we're obviously in some sort of dystopian universe and there are obvious and welcome parallels to what is happening in the USA today, but the whole thing is so confusing and scattershot that what's the point?

Also, a lot of the action takes place off stage. That's right. For a lot of the play, you may feel like you paid $100+ for a movie, because the actors leave the stage and then (I assume it's not pre-taped) are shown on a screen. I don't mean a few seconds. I mean entire scenes. Long ones. 

Also, they make Olivia Wilde look like a frump. I'm not a fan or a non-fan (and I'm also gay and don't care) but if you decide to cast someone like this, please do not parade her around in a shapeless house dress.

The last section of the play gets interesting for all the wrong reasons - it turns into torture porn - just like the Hostel movies. But at least you will stop dozing off as fingers and teeth are removed. 

The entire thing is a a really unpleasant evening. The only thing I can really recommend about it is the theatre itself. That Hudson Theatre is truly magnificent. I can't wait until it has a show there that matches it.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 1:36am

^ It did, the Sunday revival.

Updated On: 5/19/17 at 01:36 AM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 1:47am

VotePeron said: "The show was far over an hour and 20 minutes, longer than the advertised "101 minutes" insert in the Playbill."

Um...you might want to double-check your math there...

 

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 4:44am

Matt Rogers said: "
Also, a lot of the action takes place off stage. That's right. For a lot of the play, you may feel like you paid $100+ for a movie, because the actors leave the stage and then (I assume it's not pre-taped) are shown on a screen. I don't mean a few seconds. I mean entire scenes. Long ones. 

Also, they make Olivia Wilde look like a frump. I'm not a fan or a non-fan (and I'm also gay and don't care) but if you decide to cast someone like this, please do not parade her around in a shapeless house dress.
 

"

I don't see why being gay should have anything to do with your being overly and unfairly judgemental here. This is not by any means a play of beauty pageant, and you should've known this when you bought the ticket. If you indeed read the book as you said, you should've known, as it is one of the major things in the book, that sex is only an act for the government to keep up procreation. Anything beyond this is forbidden. I don't see how your version can stay true to Orwell's words.

Also, isn't playing the scene on the screen the whole point of the play and the book? You are being watched, even when you think you are not and are emboldened by the perceived freedom to do things as intimate and private as sex.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 4:44am

Matt Rogers said: "
Also, a lot of the action takes place off stage. That's right. For a lot of the play, you may feel like you paid $100+ for a movie, because the actors leave the stage and then (I assume it's not pre-taped) are shown on a screen. I don't mean a few seconds. I mean entire scenes. Long ones. 

Also, they make Olivia Wilde look like a frump. I'm not a fan or a non-fan (and I'm also gay and don't care) but if you decide to cast someone like this, please do not parade her around in a shapeless house dress.
 

"

I don't see why being gay should have anything to do with your being overly and unfairly judgemental here. This is not by any means a play of beauty pageant, and you should've known this when you bought the ticket. If you indeed read the book as you said, you should've known, as it is one of the major things in the book, that sex is only an act for the government to keep up procreation. Anything beyond this is forbidden. I don't see how your version can stay true to Orwell's words.

Also, isn't playing the scene on the screen the whole point of the play and the book? You are being watched, even when you think you are not and are emboldened by the perceived freedom to do things as intimate and private as sex.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 4:56am

Not sure how you would ever think 1984 was going to be a pleasant evening.  I agree, many of the things you are complaining about are the essence of e piece.