A Soldier's Play Previews

I didn't see a thread for this and figured I'd start one since I was at the invited dress last night. Previews officially begin tonight, with opening January 21 at the American Airlines Theatre.

Overall the show is in great shape- definitely more of an All My Sons than Rose Tattoo for Roundabout.

Blair Underwood is an extremely charismatic lead who keeps the mystery involving the whole way through. He also takes his shirt off at the top of act two, which made many in the audience swoon.

David Alan Grier and Jerry O'Connell each take characters that could've been stereotypes (the bloviating colonel and the racist captain, respectively) and invest them with a lot of depth.

Design is very simple- sliding wooden panels and beams a la Hamilton. There are jarring gunshot sound effects at the beginning and end.

Kenny Leon's direction is mostly unobtrusive, The one choice I wasn't totally on board with was that he tried to make it more "relevant" at the end by blasting rap music during the bows. The bows themselves are staged really inventively, though (the actors come forward like an army unit, complete with "Atten hut"

The show ran about 1:55 including intermission- started at 7:10 after a short speech from Leon and finished at 9:05.

Updated On: 2/10/24 at 10:04 AM

TotallyEffed said: "They screamed when he took his shirt off in that wretched production of Streetcar from like eight years ago."

That was the only time I’ve ever left a broadway production at intermission. I was thinking about how I could be doing my laundry rather than sitting in the theatre.

i too had a poor experience seeing Streetcar in 2012 or whenever it was, with lots of hooting and hollering. but i really liked the production, and thought Nicole Ari Parker in particular was outstanding.

Saw it Saturday night. An excellent production of a very good play. Nothing wrong with it. Sets, lighting, direction, staging, casting all spot on! I predict strong reviews for this one!

And yes get rid of Blair U buttoning up his shirt at the top of Act 2--has no context to the play and the cat calls were ridiculous at the performance we saw.

Updated On: 12/30/19 at 03:01 PM

I didn’t hear any catcalls at my performance Sunday afternoon. It was so quick. He walks downstage buttoning up his shirt. You can’t really see anything!

I loved the show and found it very moving. Performances were great all around. I loved that songs and stomping were added (I’m assuming. I didn’t see the original production). To me it subtly brought to mind the workhouses and chain gangs of yore.

Our seats in Row C of the mezzanine were fine, very good view. But good God, why didn’t Roundabout put a center aisle up there? I must have stood up 17 times to let people pass. We even had to stand up for someone who wasn’t in our row! How that seating passed the fire code, I don’t know. The next time I have tickets up there, I’m getting to my seat right before curtain.

Updated On: 12/30/19 at 07:14 PM

macnyc said: "I didn’t hear any catcalls at my performance Sunday afternoon. It was so quick. He walks downstage buttoning up his shirt. You can’t reallysee anything!

I loved the show and found it very moving. Performances were great all around. I loved that songs and stomping wereadded (I’m assuming. I didn’t see the original production).To me it subtly brought to mind the workhouses and chain gangs of yore.

Our seats in Row C of the mezzanine were fine, very good view. But good God, why didn’t Roundabout put a center aisle up there? I must have stood up 17 times to let people pass. Weeven had to stand up for someone who wasn’tin our row! How that seating passed the fire code, I don’t know.The next time I have tickets up there, I’m getting to my seatright before curtain.

"

At least you have the home training to know to stand up to let people pass. The last couple of shows I have been to ( tour shows and concerts), at intermission, both the men and women just sit there and I have to squeeze my 6'3 body and size 12 feet, by them. I have come real close to stepping on their feet because the space is so tight. They just look at me.

i was in the mezz but looked like the front rows had fine views.

unfamiliar with the play, i thought it was anti-climactically told. it has its moments, but the story at times felt stale giving where we are in 2020. That said, this is a top notch production from start to finish. The simple set is used well, and the flashy ending was powerful. Its in tight shape, runs smoothly- especially Act 1, which sorta flew by.

the cast was great all around- Jerry O'Connell is doing understated, nonshowy work, and kudos to him. Nnamdi Asomugha is powerful, though of the supporting players I thought J. Alphonse Nicholson stole the show. But the play belong to the two leading men- Blair Underwood is solid- he spends alot of time observing or reacting to stories told to him but he lands his moments. But I thought David Alan Grier was a revelation in a very tricky role. He physically handled the role beautifully and broke my heart.

Underwood walks downstage at the top of the second act, buttoning up his shirt. The audience went wild- stopped the show and forced him to break character. I found it really frustrating, especially given the seriousness with which all the actors are treating this play, to have that bizarre moment of sexual hollering. I couldnt tell if Underwood's smile was polite way of getting it to stop, or him enjoying the moment but i will say this: there is simply no reason the production doesnt just eliminate this entirely. there is no plot point whatsoever in any way relevant to the buttoning of his shirt. if this is happening at every performance (as it seems from this thread), just button his damn shirt beforehand and let him deliver his lines?

FWIW, TDF Center Mezz C. It really is comical how long those rows are.

While there were parts of the play and production I thought were enjoyable enough, it ultimately left me feeling flat.

Tend to agree with much of what Nasty khakis stated, as I also found it pretty dull.

While Underwood was fine enough, I just couldn't take O'Connell seriously. Going against the popular belief, I thought David Alan Grier was woefully miscast. His character is so central to the play working, I just did not believe he was successful portraying a man who was desperate to be accepted by the white world.

nasty_khakis said: "I saw this Monday night and really found it dull.

The entire time I kept thinking there were only two possible "who dunnit?" solutions and was painfully right. There was no shock, emotion, OR empathy in who did it. Just kind of "yup."

Even though I enjoyed this more than you did, i agree with this. the play is weak and i like the way you phrased it: its a whodunit but there are few options, and you can see the end coming a mile away. the first act flew by because the mystery remained, I guess, but the 2nd Act slogged once it was clear what was happening.

to each their own, and i certainly can see the musical interludes and O'Connell not being everyone's cup of tea. But i am shocked to read that anyone thought David Alan Grier played a clown. From the first scene (obviously) to the end, Grier was dead serious. he gutted me. shrug emoji

JDonaghy4 said: "Even though I enjoyed this more than you did, i agree with this. the play is weak"

The play is weak? I mean, I haven’t seen it, but it won the Pulitzer Prize. Just sayin’.