ALL IN: COMEDY ABOUT LOVE Previews- Page 3

[Kad]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 10:54am

MemorableUserName said: "Holding the opening night "gala" on a night before everyone is distracted with holiday stuff...but holding the actual Opening Night--and specifically, the reviews--to the Sunday night before the holiday when people likely will be otherwise distracted seems completely fitting with how they've handled everything else. Just more subterfuge."

Or it was easier to get the many A-listers they had in attendance to show up if it wasn't a holiday week.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 11:06am

Yes...that's exactly what I said?

"Holding the opening night "gala" on a night before everyone is distracted with holiday stuff" i.e. getting the A-listers to attend.

Yet still holding the reviews for another week (for a show that shouldn't require a long preview period since it's...people sitting in chairs reading) for no possible reason but wanting to bury them.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 11:22am

MemorableUserName said: "Yes...that's exactly what I said?

"Holding the opening night "gala" on a night before everyone is distracted with holiday stuff" i.e. getting the A-listers to attend.

Yet stillholding the reviews for another week (for a show that shouldn't require a long preview period since it's...people sitting in chairs reading) for no possiblereason but wanting to bury them.

"

A number of productions in recent years have separated their red carpets / parties from their official opening dates. Yes, it helps ensure good publicity because red carpets garner far more coverage than reviews, but it's hardly underhanded.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 11:42am

Separate parties and opening dates isn't the issue. Needlessly holding one's reviews until Sunday, December 22 is.

While a different production may deserve the benefit of the doubt, the fact that this one has a history of trying to hide what it actually is is what makes it seem underhanded to anyone who's been paying attention.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 11:56am

Or maybe they're not holding anything, since critics actually have to see the show to review it, and there have only been a handful of previews, so far. 

[veronicamae]

Posted: 12/17/24 at 8:40pm

I read the reviews here knowing I had tickets as a gift to see this Sunday evening and was apprehensive about it, but honestly, I enjoyed my evening and laughed quite a bit. 

I also didn't spend any money on the ticket because it was a gift, but the person who did also enjoyed herself because she wanted to see Mulaney being funny on a stage and that was what she got.

[Wick3]

Posted: 12/18/24 at 2:57pm

veronicamae said: "I read the reviews here knowing I had tickets as a gift to see this Sunday evening and was apprehensive about it, but honestly, I enjoyed my evening and laughed quite a bit.

I also didn't spend any money on the ticket because it was a gift, but the person who did also enjoyed herself because she wanted to see Mulaney being funny on a stage and that was what she got."

You have a generous friend!!! I'll be seeing the performance later this week and am excited!

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 8:42am

I saw this last night and kind of fell in love with it.


If you’re on 44th between 6th and 7th and you want to see four actors and a live band give a nuanced and profound take on the nature of love, this is definitely your second best option. 

(Spoiler for ‘All In’ and ‘Maybe Happy Ending’:)

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Fireflies are this season’s hottest metaphor.

All four actors are perfect and perform/read the material beautifully. They remain seated for the entire show, but that restraint lends itself to an intimate and charming evening. It’s like a live taping of a podcast. Very NPR coded. How soon before this ends up on Audible? 

Renée Elise Goldsberry does some great physical comedy in the confines of her overstuffed chair. It’s a shame she’s too often relegated to the token female role in male-centric stories, but when she gets the spotlight she steals the show.

If you see this show, see it with John Mulaney. I suspect it’s going to turn into a cringe fest once LMM takes over. 

The music is a highlight, but there’s not enough of it. During a couple of the more rambling, lengthier stories, I found myself waiting for another song. There are three numbers from 69 Love Songs and a deep cut that I’d never heard even though I’ve been listening to Stephin Merritt since that album was released. It got me excited for the Magnetic Fields’ upcoming 69 Love Songs 30th Anniversary tour. Maybe Simon Rich should have conceived this as a jukebox musical. 

Fred Armisen came out after the curtain call (in a story-related costume) and joined the band on guitar. By that point half the audience was out the door, but it was a fun surprise and a great photo op for the stragglers. 

 

[inception]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 8:54am

shill

noun

an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others.

"I used to be a shill in a Reno gambling club"

verb

act or work as a shill.

"your husband in the crowd could shill for you"

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 10:38am

J’Accuse?

I’m giving an honest reaction to a show I paid a lot of money to see. I wouldn’t consider my review a rave or even a recommendation. I think it’s clear people are better off seeing the similarly themed ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ at the theatre next door.
 

The show is what it is. I went in ready to be disappointed and instead I enjoyed myself. I wasn’t “all in” but I was halfway there.

I’ve been reading this board for years. Created  account several months ago and finally started to stick my toe in to posting myself only recently. TBH, I was hesitant to get involved because of the toxicity here. Being accused of being a shill after contributing my well-considered opinion is not encouraging. Maybe this board isn’t welcome to newcomers?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 11:03am

Honestly:

- Yes, there are a lot of toxic people around there. Stick around long enough and some names will become familiar as constantly being negative, or bitchy, or pedantic and condescending, or just plain mean. Fortunately there's a Block function so you don't have to see anyone you don't wish to. Go to Settings in the top right corner, then under Message Board, click Block Message Board Users. 

- For some around here, every positive comment comes from a shill; every negative comment comes from a hater who doesn't like anything, or someone who's just jealous, or a racist peddling microaggressions, etc. It's impossible to avoid all of them, but they're best ignored. 

[Observation]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 11:58am

I gotta admit, I had zero interest in seeing this because of how it was described earlier. Essentially readers theater with four actors in chairs. However, the photos they just released actually piqued my interest. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 12:15pm

I’m starting to dread seeing this on Sunday, especially since it IMMEDIATELY follows Oh Mary.

I do love Mulaney and Kind though.

Did anyone do stage door?

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 12/20/24 at 9:30pm

Saw it this evening. I'll caveat with saying I am a huge fan of Mulaney's work. With that said, the show was *just okay.* Some stories had me laughing out loud. Others had me glancing at my watch. The actors are doing the best they can within the confines of the show. Most of them were just occasionally referencing their books rather than fully reading off of them. Mulaney and Kind were the standouts for me.

Overall, as a Mulaney fan, I am glad to have any opportunity to see him perform. As a theater fan, I don't really know why this show exists other than as a cash grab.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/21/24 at 12:33am

.

[EmceeHammer]

Posted: 12/21/24 at 8:50am

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel said: "Saw it this evening…
Overall, as a Mulaney fan, I am glad to have any opportunity to see him perform. As a theater fan, I don't really know why this show exists other than as a cash grab."

This show would have been the toast of the town if it was a two night affair at Town Hall. As it is… it feels like the most luxurious and ludicrous reader’s theater in human history. 
 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The joke at the end about this show being in the final season of Broadway cut deep, probably unintentionally. This “cash grab” felt like the nadir of Broadway opportunism, despite its sterling credentials. 

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/21/24 at 9:43am

After seeing it this week and feeling somewhat overcharged for the experience, a friend mused about what word of mouth would be like if this had started off-Broadway in more of a "scrappy bootstraps" production with much lower average ticket prices and then transferred and increased pricing.  Similar to in spirit to Merrily although that original NYTW production obviously would not meet the scrappy bootstraps criterion.

Updated On: 12/21/24 at 09:43 AM