A PLEA! Run to see "Stain" at the Kirk on 42nd

[toomeytwopiece]

Posted: 8/7/08 at 2:39pm

I don't normally do this, but in light of some of the HARSH reviews this play has received, I wanted to do something to comnbat that.

I went to see the play "Stain" last night at The Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row (west 42nd at 9th ave).

I won't go on and on, I'll just get to the point.

ACTING: amazing... seriously, I haven't seen so uniformally an excellent group of performances in a play in a LONG time. It's not easy material either, and the cast pulled off an incredible night of theater.

DIRECTION: excellent as well. the director is brave and has assembled a team that not only was able to meet the demands of the material, but also make the material shine

PLAY: gut-wrenchingly honest... it's good, people. It has its flaws... what DOESN'T??? but it tackles some painful material...

you must see this play. you may hate it - you may want to punch the playwright immediately after it ends, but I guarantee that after about 5 min, you will realize how wonderful the experience was, despite how upset you might be... and you will have grown, because the playwright, director, and cast have challenged you to see life through the eyes of another... instead of letting you sit there and NOT think...

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm?int_news_id=14620#comments

[EugLoven]

Posted: 8/7/08 at 3:20pm

Yeah I've heard good things too... I'll plan on grabbing tix soon.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 8/7/08 at 5:26pm

I enjoyed it immensely, but I can't say I liked it. Still, a great play to discuss afterwards, with some good performances.

Warning: the theater is COLD. Bring a sweater. A guy sitting in the row in front of me turned to me and said "Goosebumps look good on you." Which was a little weird. Bring a sweater.

[BenjyStone]

Posted: 8/8/08 at 1:52pm

I don't normally write reviews but considering some of the reviews I've read for this show and toomeytwopiece's comments, I thought I would put in my two cents as well...

I have seen some of the reviews for this play but stopped reading them because I think they are quite off. This is a worthwhile piece of theatre that should be seen and people should go see for themselves. I found this play refreshing, exciting and interesting. Perfect? No...but definitely worth my money, and then some!!

Here are the specifics:

I think the highlights are the Arthur and Thomas scenes on the park bench. The dialogue is incredible and Jim O'Connor eats this dialogue for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It flows out like vomit, but you love him for it because #1: He's charming as hell, #2: You maybe somewhere kinda agree (though not with EVERYTHING he says, of course) because as Avenue Q says "everyone's a little bith racist", and #3: He reminds you, at some level, like your own father (at least, he did for me). His skill for layering this wonderful character you are supposed to despise is deftly done, and you are in awe of his talent from his first word.

Tobias Segal as Thomas (who I also saw in FROM UP HERE AT MTC) is pretty amazing too. The way the dialogue seems so real and natural, its sometimes hard to remember he's in a play and performing for you. He can be a little, what I call, "handsy" for me...constant movement of hands and jutting them forward can be a bit distracting, but I got used to it because of his skill and talent at combining it all to create this frustrated 15 year-old boy simply looking for guidance, and getting none.

Summer Crocket Moore does a nice job of flying under the radar for the first couple scenes, which I think is on purpose, so that her slingshot into the drama seems so sudden and traumatic. She is the quintessential divorced mother...guarded, stubborn and a selfish. Her subtle beginning gives her character an incredible arc to play with and she does it extremely well. By the way, visit her website. The girl does SO many commercials, including a bra commercial and after seeing her in Stain, it almost seems like a different girl. Kudos Ms. Moore. Kudos.

I think everyone else does a good job, with a standout from Joanna Bayless. She does have a clipped, almost random British accent, but it works. She is well beloved by the audience and charming in her own right. Her first two lines are delivered like a musical comedy performance, but after that she delivers the dialogue well and has good comic timing, though teetering on inconsistent with the beats.

The direction is solid and interesting, considering the lack of space in that uber skinny theatre, the Kirk. The set is designed like a Transformer (its more than meets the eye), and the use of "space" was used well within the scenes. Scott C. Embler assembled an amazing group of people that work extremely well together and the chemistry is great. This is difficult and dark subject matter, which could look melodramatic or heavy handed in the wrong hands. Embler helps balance the comic and the dark with natural movement, great stage pictures and reigning in some of the "melodrama-esque" moments as to no alienate the audience from the play and make it too much in our face. I'm looking forward to his next venture and he will definitely be a director to watch for in the future.

I think Glazer's dialogue is his strength, but the story here is compelling regardless. It's complex, yet not too far out of our world to make us go "oh, please" or "yeah, right." I always think that balancing comedy and dark drama is such a skill, and Glazer has it in heaps. You laugh, you gasp, and your stomach churns for these people floundering for understanding, power, love and accountability.

So, those were my thoughts. Please go see it. I love seeing new plays and this one deserves the audience. It's bold, makes no apologies, and is compelling. GO SEE IT!

Oh, and yes...bring a sweater. It was like a meat locker in that theatre. WOW!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/8/08 at 3:27pm

and its on TDF too, guys!! for $21.50:

Available Dates
Sundays: August 10th 7:00PM, August 17th 7:00PM
Mondays: August 11th 7:00PM
Wednesdays: August 13th 8:00PM
Thursdays: August 14th 8:00PM
Fridays: August 15th 8:00PM
Saturdays: August 9th 2:00PM, August 16th 2:00PM


J*

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 8/8/08 at 3:33pm

There's also a lady from the first season of "24," Karina Arroyave, in it.