A KID LIKE JAKE First Preview?

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 6/2/13 at 11:13pm

Just wondering if anyone here saw the first preview of LCT3's A KID LIKE JAKE tonight at the Claire Tow Theater. I'm very interested in seeing this but don't know if I'll be able to make it to the city during its run--I would love to hear what people thought to know if I should make the extra effort!

[whatever2]

Posted: 6/4/13 at 10:37am

l'il bump ... curious about this production as well.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/9/13 at 7:42am

A couple tries to get their four-year-old son into an elite private school and to come to terms with his gender identifcation. I found this an affecting play -- taut, well written, dramatically compelling. I felt empathy and understanding for all the characters, on and off stage. The show is a little slow getting into focus, but once it does, the dramatic tension builds steadily. It runs off the rails a bit in the final two scenes, as the tone shifts jarringly.

Carla Gugino continues to impress in a role of multiple complexities and shadings. Peter Grosz is just as good, and his mastery of nuance is superb.

It's well worth seeing.



Updated On: 6/9/13 at 07:42 AM

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 6/9/13 at 12:33pm

Thanks After Eight!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/9/13 at 7:19pm

I saw it this afternoon! And I liked it quite a bit. I did think the show would have benefited from including the character of Jake in the actual show...but for a play that doesn't expose us to him directly, you really do feel for him and care about him a lot. Which is clearly a testament to the precise, lovely writing. By excluding Jake from the proceedings of the actual text, all of the much discussed tension that is simmering between Jake and the other characters that is crucial to the crux of the show explodes offstage, which is a bit of a detriment to the impact of the show. That's not to say that the show isn't impactful though. Furthermore, the penultimate scene didn't work all that well for me...it seemed a bit too ambitious for its own good. It feels a bit out of place and completely disparate from the preceding hour and thirty minutes. But all that aside, this is a very ambitious play that tackles quite a few themes...but it does so in an effective and insightful manner. My only real problems with the piece came from what wasn't included here...what is included in the text is quite strong and touching. There is a lot of heart and dramatically-compelling meat behind the show. The characters are all so clearly defined and so beautifully performed that it nearly made me forget the shortcomings in the writing. All three leads are simply exceptional...they are giving their all. Carla Gugino, in particular, is sensational. I was blown away by her performance, from the second the lights came up. She's truly breathtaking.

I was ultimately moved by it...it's certainly worth seeing (especially for $20 a ticket! I got mine this morning!) I didn't think it was anything incredible, but I am definitely glad I saw it.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 10:41am

I saw it this weekend and liked it a lot. Carla Gugino is giving a great performance, and it shouldn't be missed for that alone.

I liked the dialogue a lot and agree with WickedRocks that for us never getting to see Jake, I really cared about him and his well-being.

WR- Have you ever seen the excellent movie Ma Vie En Rose? If you haven't, you absolutely must check it out.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 10:55am

No, but I will now! I was in the front row yesterday so I was lucky enough to get to appreciate her performance from the closest possible angle, and I was just so impressed by her work. And I was reminded how good she was in DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS a few seasons back.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 11:24am

To be clear, Ma Vie en Rose doesn't star Gugino. It's a french movie about a little boy who likes to wear dresses and escape to musical dream worlds. It's a beautiful film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119590/

Gugino was the best thing about the Desire Under the Elms revival. Too bad she got stuck in that snoozefest, The Road to Mecca, last season!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 1:37pm

Whoops, my bad! Totally misread...just added it to my Netflix queue!

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 7:44pm

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone! Glad to hear that this one is worth the $20. I'll see if I can snag a seat and arrange for a visit to Lincoln Center for the end of the month.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 7:53pm

It appears that the entire run is sold out already. Is it just because of the $20.00 ticket price? This is the third LCT3 show in a row that I'm missing out on. I guess you have to buy as soon as the tickets go on sale?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 8:02pm

I'd keep checking, Matt Rogers. When I looked a few days ago, the earliest date with availability was the 18th. Yesterday morning, I checked on a whim and snagged two tickets in the front row for that afternoon's show.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 8:28pm

Matt,

It's a combination of the $20 ticket price, and the fact that it's a very small theatre.

It's best to buy tickets early to these.

But I'd keep checking. Maybe one will turn up, as happened with Wicked Rocks.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/10/13 at 10:32pm

Thanks you guys. Will do so!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:51am

Some reviews are in...

Time Out NY is positive, with four out of five stars: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/a-kid-like-jake

NY Daily News is mixed to positive, with three out of five stars: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/kid-jake-theater-review-article-1.1374991

NY Post is positive, with three out of four stars: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/he_prefers_pink_n8P6pDWUJRxmbmhcOUzcKO

Variety is mixed to negative: http://variety.com/2013/legit/reviews/legit-review-a-kid-like-jake-1200497792/

NY Times is positive, and a Critic's Pick: http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/theater/reviews/in-a-kid-like-jake-the-title-character-worries-his-mother.html?pagewanted=all

TheaterMania is mixed to positive: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/06-2013/a-kid-like-jake_65385.html

Talkin' Broadway is -SURPRISE!- negative: http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/6_17_13.html

Can they just can Matthew Murray already? I mean, really...

[Hank]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:41am

Seems like scoring a ticket to this show is tougher than getting your kid into an elite school. I'm very interested, and hope they'll extend. I'll keep trying.

[breathyfemalevocal]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:55am

Hank

I tried to pm you, but looks like you don't accept pms. FYI- my two front row center seats for A Kid Like Jake for this Monday 6/24 7pm may be available. It is unlikely we'll be able to attend. Any interest if this is the case? Will sell for paid ticket price of $20 each. Tickets are being held at will call, so I'd need to just have the name switched. I'll know for sure later this week.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 1:47pm

Whoever is running DidHeLikeIt.com clearly didn't read the review, saying its "on the fence." That's happened more than a few times with the NY Times reviews recently.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:10pm

I would've said it was mixed, too, though. It ended on a very mixed note.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:50pm

Sure, he didn't rave about it, but I would imagine being a Critic's Pick would indicate that overall, he enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:56pm

I'm also not particularly fond of Did He Like It. I prefer Stagegrade, despite it not being as prompt with its aggregation.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 3:38pm

Same, Kad. I very rarely check Did He Like It anymore.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:33pm

Aggregation. Ingenious instead of ingenuous. Illicit instead of elicit. Tenant instead of tenet.

Please, do yourself a favor and refrain from using big words that a) sound ridiculous and/or b) whose meanings elude you.

Remember those lyrics from Dolly,

"If you ain't got elegance,
You can never, ever carry it off."

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:51pm

What the hell are you talking about? Kad used the word properly.

AGGREGATION, noun ?a-gri-?g?-sh?n

1
: a group, body, or mass composed of many distinct parts or individuals
2
a : the collecting of units or parts into a mass or whole
b : the condition of being so collected

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:53pm

It sounds ridiculous.