Posted: 4/4/17 at 5:07pm
Reading it will help you appreciate this more, as Hnath peppers the script with references and even mirrors some plot structure.
Posted: 4/4/17 at 5:44pm
You think it will be nominated? We already have Oslo, Indecent, Sweat, Significant Other, Oh Hello, and Play That Goes Wrong. Strong season for new work.
Posted: 4/5/17 at 12:01am
Just got in from this evening's performance. I also reccommend reading the Wikipedia synopsis. They do a good job of giving you the basics of what happened but there are a few things in the synopsis that will help you understand a few lines in this play.Trust me, you will be glad you read it.
Well....what an evening of theatre! It it nicely paced so the 90 minutes does not drag and it always keeps your attention. For those who have seen pics of the set, the bareness is explained at the beginning. As mentioned, the comedy just flows out of the book. That is because it is quite well written. The dialoug flows like natural/real conversation. It almost feels as if someone gave the actors the scenario and then said "Aaaand go!"
Metcalfe was wonderful, as expected. Houdyshell and Rashad upped the acting ante when they were on. Houdyshell is just brilliant. Rashad's "segment" was electrifying. I had my hands up to my mouth for most of it. Her delivery, body movement and eye movement were perfection. (I was sitting row H center). At one point she sat and stared directly into our section and I found myself holding my breath. She was flawless. Just flawless. Chris Cooper supplied the drama for the evening and did a fantastic job. He conveyed all of the pain and frustration Torvald would have had all those years.
The end was a bit confusing. I rolled it around for a bit and came up with what I thought it meant seeing the action in the final moments.I think it can be tightened or changed a bit.
Also loved the costumes. Metcalfe and Rashad had GORGEOUS dresses.
I also like the way they broke it into segments, so to speak.
A side note....Dave, I listened for the music and heard it at 9:21. I think it was coming from BANDSTAND next door and only lasted a minute or so.
If you are on the fence about seeing this, jump to the seeing it side. I am a bit of a theatre geek and I have this thing about stepping out of a Broadway theater clutching my playbill after seeing a good show. After living here and seeing a lot of shows and being around the business I have found that that does not happen as often as when I flew in for vacation. I am happy to say, it happened tonight.
Updated On: 4/5/17 at 12:01 AM
Posted: 4/5/17 at 2:23pm
SPOILER ALERT--SPOILER ALERT---Saw it last night- got TKTS- $75 per seat in the fourth row center- which actually was in the first row at the tip of a stage that jutted into the audience. I found the play really thought-provoking. Thematically, it concerned itself with Nora- who was a woman who lived life on her own terms- very independent, no regrets- did her own thing at a time when'd women simply did not defy the norm. She went to her husband Torvald's to get the divorce she thought had been signed years ago- basically, when she find out that a divorce filing would ultimately cost her husband his standing in the community, not to mention violent reprisals for misleading his neighbors about his situation- Nora was not dead- she ran away and abandoned the family- she decided rather than cause Torvald any pain or repercussions- to just go back to her life and face the music-a judge is going to force her to apologize for her writings and state publicly that she was wrong in her ideas- and it ends with Nora, as usual, hoping that the times catch up with her in years to come- when she will be understood and accepted on her own unorthodox terms. This is what I got- anybody else want to chime in?
Updated On: 4/5/17 at 02:23 PM
Posted: 4/5/17 at 2:31pm
SPOILER ALERT----Seeing Dolly tonight- row 2 center orchestra- Menagerie tomorrow night. Anyway, Doll's House Part 2 really explored a woman who was different and did not conform to society's norms- she did not hurt or impose herself on anyone- and lived a life on her won unique terms. I highly recommend this show. And you do not need to know anything about the Ibsen original to totally get the message- and follow the storyline- of the play. This is a woman who lived a life free of imposed ideas and concepts- all she wanted was to live her authentic life- true, she did leave her children- but they were cared for by a nanny in a living home- so not regrets there. All in all- very tight storyline that made a lot of sense but the time the play ended.
Updated On: 4/5/17 at 02:31 PM
Posted: 4/5/17 at 3:31pm
BWAY Baby, you might want to put a spoiler alert in your first post. It kind of gives away a plot twist.
Updated On: 4/5/17 at 03:31 PM
Posted: 4/5/17 at 3:58pm
uncageg said: "BWAY Baby, you might want to put a spoiler alert in your first post. It kind of gives away a plot twist.
Exactly. I started to read the post and quickly stopped. It seemed like a basic description of the entire show. Should keep in mind those of us who plan on seeing it and not spoil it for us. There are some great reviews on here about the show that make me look forward to it without giving away the plot lines.
"
Posted: 4/5/17 at 4:34pm
I put spoiler alert before my first post- I am so sorry that I forgot to do that. My mistake- and I will not do that again. I do not want to ruin the plot for those who have not seen it- but I did want to share my perceptions with others who have seen the play. If you do want to share- write SPOILER ALERT and I will know you are also writing your perceptions of the play- probably most of us here know that but I am new to the site.
Updated On: 4/5/17 at 04:34 PM
Posted: 4/5/17 at 4:48pm
I didn't notice it when I first read it. Probably before you updated it. If you don't know how to use the toggle (I still don't) just do this:
*******Spoiler Alert*****
Then put your spoiler here and then..
****End Spoiler Alert****
:)
Posted: 4/6/17 at 10:10pm
A delightful play in a a good strong production with three top notch performances. The 4th (Cooper's) is, to me, weak enough to make the show merely good when it could be terrific (with a stronger actor in his role). I would also not recommend paying full price ($147), if you can avoid it. (But there are few Broadway shows that I think are worth full price.)
Updated On: 4/7/17 at 10:10 PM
Posted: 4/7/17 at 8:50am
What an enjoyable night at the theater! This is a really well-written play with fantastic acting (Metcalf is as great as everyone has been claiming.) It's also really well-paced, and the 90 minutes just flew by.
I do think this is Hnath's most conventional play, so I wouldn't let negative opinions on his previous works deter you from seeing it. Also, I don't think you need any in-depth knowledge of "A Doll's House" to get it or enjoy it.
Posted: 4/7/17 at 12:54pm
May try and catch this Sunday... if a friend is traveling with her 11 y/o daughter would this show be appropriate. And, beyond that, would an 11 y/o potentially find it interesting at all?!? heh. I'm seeing a show with them Saturday night, but just in case they want to do the Sunday, as well...
Posted: 4/7/17 at 1:03pm
I would not recommend this for an 11 year old. Other than a few F bombs, it's somewhat talky and heady, particularly for a prepubescent, all about issues and problems that strike us in adulthood; I think it would go right over most kid's heads.
Posted: 4/7/17 at 1:44pm
newintown said: "I would not recommend this for an 11 year old. Other than a few F bombs, it's somewhat talky and heady, particularly for a prepubescent, all about issues and problems that strike us in adulthood; I think it would go right over most kid's heads."
Thanks! We're already seeing School of Rock specifically for that reason on Saturday night, so not sure what else would be good that I also want to see, heh. 
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:09pm
Im looking at the seating chart. How are those onstage seats?
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:14pm
There is no onstage seating for this production.
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:17pm
For what it's worth, the stage didn't seem very high either (I was further back in the orchestra though.)
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:22pm
AC126748 said: "There is no onstage seating for this production."
So you don't recommend them then?
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:24pm
Well, there are four chairs onstage, two with cushions, but the actors are generally using them, so I think it would be quite rude for an audience member to take any.
Posted: 4/7/17 at 2:26pm
Was there a recent production at the Golden that DID have onstage seating? I certainly can't recall one.
Posted: 4/7/17 at 5:48pm
Can anyone who has seen the show clarify what the view is like from rows A, B, and C in the orchestra? My guess is that those rows offer a side view of the stage. I'm basing that on (a) BWAY Baby 2's comment that he sat in "the fourth row center- which actually was in the first row at the tip of a stage that jutted into the audience", and (b) the seating chart on Telecharge's website, on which rows A, B, and C look like they're trailing vertically down from the sides of the orchestra like the ends of a Fu Manchu mustache (which is different from any other seating chart for the Golden I can find, and which explains why people who were looking at that seating chart might have gotten the impression that there was onstage seating for this show).
Anyway, the only orchestra seats Telecharge keeps offering me are in row B, and if that really is at the side of the stage, I think I'll go for a mezzanine seat instead.
Posted: 4/8/17 at 7:23am
The stage is low- and front row is great- I have seen shows where the front row is awful because the stage is high and you are forced to look up- and you cannot see the actors feet- not for this show. I was in the front row where the stage just out into a triangle - we got the tickets at TKTS for 150 for two tickets- and the view was incredible- perfect. I highly recommend close seating for this show as the actors facial expressions add to the drama of some very intense situations. This is a heady, talky, intellectually stimulating play- and an excellent play if you understand it- I did- my sister did not- but for those of us who love drama- this is a great play. I highly recommend it for a very thought provoking and satisfying night at the theater- the play is a very interesting character study of a strong willed, and opinionated woman whose strength of character and willingness to live her life by her own terns is very interesting to watch.
Posted: 4/8/17 at 9:50am
The actress playing the part of Nora in the West Coast production, Shannon Cochran, resembles Laurie Metcalfe so much I thought this was a picture of her. 
Posted: 4/8/17 at 10:12am
AC126748 said: "There is no onstage seating for this production.
I purchase onstage seating for Doll's House.......could it be possible that they won't add onstage seating til later in previews maybe? My tix are for Memorial Day weekend.
"
Posted: 4/8/17 at 11:03am
There's no place for onstage seating at all.
I'm looking at the telecharge seating chart- are you referring to the three rows at an angle in the orchestra? Because those aren't onstage- the stage thrusts out into the audience.
Updated On: 4/8/17 at 11:03 AM
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