A PRAYER FOR TICKET BUYERS CONSIDERING "A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY"

[Insider2]

Posted: 11/20/08 at 11:34am

Last night, at about 9:45, I said a little prayer. I prayed that I could get the last hour and forty-five minutes of my life back. I prayed that I could reverse the flow of time and NOT click the "buy" button on Ticket Central. I prayed that I could snap my fingers and get my sixty-five dolalrs back. I prayed that Craig Lucas would have just left his horrible new play, A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY in whatever sludge heap it came from. And I prayed that no ticket buyer in this terrible economy would be tempted to plop down money to suffer my same fate.

A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY is a rambling, nonsensical, pretentious, directionless, and mind-numbingly dull piece of garbage. It is the worst kind of play - a play that thinks it has a lot to say but instead says nothing at all...and takes nearly two intermissionless hours to do so.

The saddest part of all is that the actors are absolutely fantastic. To saddle pros like Victoria Clark with this kind of inferior material is just criminal.

The plot is so slight that if you blink you will miss it. It is mostly just a clothes line of an excuse that Lucas uses to hang various preposterous monologues to show us how clever he is...or thinks he is.

The characters are stereotypes - the drunk; the troubled Iraq vet; the neurotic comic relief; the guy struggling with his sexuality; and these people do not interact with each other in any way that makes them feel even slightly real. The overall result is a big whoosh of "who cares".

I would be willing to bet that if this play were written by an unknown writer and submitted to any theatre company in the world, it would never be produced. The only reason this has received a starry Playwrights Horizons production is because undeneath the title, it said "by Craig Lucas". Were this his very first play, it may have also been his last.

If you are thinking about buying a ticket to this play, I would urge you to think again, or at least wait for the reviews.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/20/08 at 12:22pm

The way you describe it, it reminds me of The Designated Mourner. That was honestly one of the most excruciatingly dull nights of theatre I have ever encountered. Getting a filling at the dentist was more fun.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/20/08 at 2:23pm

"A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY is a rambling, nonsensical, pretentious, directionless, and mind-numbingly dull piece of garbage."

Did you see Playwright's Horizons production of "Dead Man's Cellphone"? I would give the same description for that.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 3:27am

This makes me so nervous.
I was hesitant to go originally, but I thought: Victoria Clark and Jonathan Groff, can't go wrong.

But now, I really wanna just tell my friend's who only paid ten dollars to forget it and I go see something else or pay someone to take my ticket.

It was THAT bad?
Was Groff featured a lot?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 5:45am

Please remember: others have posted much enjoyment of the show. (There is another thread that has positive things (quite so at that.) If YOU have interest in a show....go see for yourself.

I have no opinion, personally, as I won't be able to see this unless it extends...and I want to. I'm not saying that original poster is WRONG, either....I'm just saying: different strokes!

Of course if you go and fully agree with the post....I never said a thing!

[Insider2]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 11:16am

I agree. Don't cancel your plans just because I hated it. Especially if you are just paying ten bucks a ticket. And how can I get in on that deal next time??

Everything is not for everyone, as we all know. I will just say that people were actually walking out within the black-outs between scenes. The thought crossed my mind to join them, but I figured I'd just suffer through it and see if anything would happen except more yawns..... Nothing ever did....except more yawns.

But yeah, if you already have tickets, go and see what you think, I guess. Maybe they will improve it, although I can't imagine how.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 1:21pm

A friend of mine has a subscription and she, myself and another friend are going tonight for the small amount of 10 dollars. I just don't want to feel I wasted my money no matter how small a sum.

I will end up going due to prior comitment and all. I just hope I don't feel how you felt leaving it.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 11/26/08 at 11:18pm

Don't know if the show has adjusted in previews or not, but this is easily the best show playing in NYC right now. I am absolutely FLOORED that there is anyone who didn't love it. Perhaps Bartlett Sher is doing work on it in previews...I dunno. But, the show I saw tonight is the best show in town. Without a doubt in my mind.

Everyone in the audience I was leaving with felt the same way, from the sound of their conversations after the show. This is the show I'm telling everyone who comes in from out of town to go see. Well worth any price. I'd love to see it transfer to Broadway.

[Insider2]

Posted: 12/1/08 at 11:53am

This vile piece of garbage will transfer to Broadway when hell freezes over, and not a minute before. I don't know what audience you saw it with, but the audience members at the preview I saw were practically knocking people over to get out the door in between scene changes. I saw an early preview but unless Lucas re-wrote the entire play from top to bottom in the last few weeks, I don't see this as one that can be saved.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/1/08 at 12:41pm

A balls-out rave and a teeth-gritted pan. Sounds like a pretty typical critical response to a new Craig Lucas play.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 12/1/08 at 1:58pm

You can also speak with the numerous people who hated it so much, they walked out (during different times) of the intermissionless piece. Every 5 to 10 minutes, another couple got up and left.