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Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

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#1

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/2/10 at 11:57pm

Very interested to hear reports.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#4

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 2:46am

I thought they were fantastic. I liked Jeff Daniels more as Michael than as Alan. Janet McTeer was hysterical. Lucy Liu was really able to pull off a transformation starting off very timid and then really loosening up at the show went on. Dylan Baker was his usual snarky self, which fits the character perfectly.

The show is in really good shape with the new cast and I think once it's re-reviewed business will pick up. I was in the mezzanine and maybe the front half of the center was full and a handful of people in the front few rows on each side. It seemed heavily papered, myself included.
#5

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 3:15am

I actually think this new cast might get me to see this play. I hated "Art" by the same playwright, so Im still 50/50 about seeing this. Frogs: How did you get tix to see this?
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-
#7

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 9:27pm

I saw the new cast on Tuesday and thought they were fabulous. I adored the original production, and hated the second cast. But this cast has really reworked the piece, and it feels like a new show, and definitely explore their characters to where they feel completely fresh.
#10

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 9:51pm

Thanks for the reports! Really curious: Does McTeer use an American accent?
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#11

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 9:57pm

Yes she does. And quite well, I think. She's got one of the greatest speaking voices I think I've ever heard in an actress. I'd be curious to hear how different her experience is with the Americanized circumstances.
#12

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/3/10 at 10:01pm

I'm really happy about that. She does a killer American accent, as evidenced in Tumbleweeds, Songcatcher and The King is Alive.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#13

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:41pm

Just walked in from seeing the brand new cast. And I have to say, this cast is definitely a winner. In my opinion, even better than the originals.

Dylan Baker brings a sense of pompousness and boredom to the role that even Jeff Daniels didn't touch. His Alan is repulsively obnoxious and chauvinistic in the best possible sense.
Jeff Daniels shows no traces of Alan in his Michael. It's astounding how he has transitioned between two totally different men. His unease with the whole situation of the play begins cracking through from the opening moments and erupts with a natural intensity (and hilarity), as opposed to what could be completely over the top.
Lucy Liu makes quite the Broadway debut. Liu's Annette takes some seriously sick joy in the misery of others and she lets every inhibition go on that stage. Starting off very meek (with some very apparent cracks showing from the get-go), when she lets loose... watch out. The tulips could very well have landed where I was sitting in the mezzanine.
Janet McTeer is sensational. What struck me most about her performance is not just how well she deals with the ridiculous hilarity of the character, but also how moved I was. Lines made into screeching tirades by her predecessor and Tony-winner (a fact I find funny, since Janet is replacing Marcia who won Janet's much more well-deserved Tony), Marcia Gay Harden, she turned into passages that revealed so much more than just a crummy marriage, but a wounded woman. This can be said of all four actors.

Unlike the original cast and (from what I hear) the second replacement cast, this cast elevates the play to a level that doesn't make it seem so slight. Sure, it's still sitcom-y, but it's also actually intriguing. When these marriages deteriorate, you feel something. It's not just funny anymore. The laughs tonight were even louder and longer than I remember them, but there was also a chill when that blackout came. This cast is, in a word, brilliant.
#14

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:46am

I agree 100%. The original cast was entertaining enough, but I felt like I was watching a weak play with good performances. The second cast was really, really lame and over the top at the same time. This cast takes the play to a level that I didn't think was possible.
#22

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:00pm

I literally just left the show. I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed and let down. They're all very good, it's not like they're bad, and my audience was really weird in terms of laughter/vocal reactions, etc so that may have affected my experience but I definitely prefer the OBC.

Dylan Baker was close to perfect, really. Hilariously pompous and dry. I was surprised by how great he was. Lucy Liu is very good, if a bit stilted and stoic at times. When she lets loose, she's hysterical. But I wanted a little more from her. For a Broadway debut though, she's strong enough. Jeff Daniels is very good as Michael. And if I'm being completely honest, I was kinda unfazed by Janet McTeer. She's one of my favorite actresses working today and I was so, so excited to see her in this role but, like Liu, she wasn't nearly as animated as I had hoped. She shows glimpses of the animation and ridiculousness that I expected, and when she does she's unstoppable, but it just wasn't enough for me. She's an incredible actress, and she's definitely assured and strong here, but I wanted her to really cut loose more than she did.

I realize I'm in the minority here, so it may just be tonights performance/audience. But there was no standing O and I was, honestly, underwhelmed. It's not like any of them were bad...I still enjoyed myself. But I definitely prefer the OBC.

I will say this; it does feel like a totally different show. It is very sad, this time around, to see these couples fight because the actors bring such great chemistry and realness to their roles and relationships. It is sadder than it was before. But it's kinda inconsistent, IMO. The OBC walked on such a tightwire, performing the show so excellently and with such ridiculous humor but still maintained their characters' gravity, so you do feel an emotional tinge at the end. But here, they seem to kinda be a bit all over the place, not knowing when to be ridiculous and funny and when to be real and grounded. Sorry if that makes no sense...I'm on my iPhone and it's hard to type/think this through.

I enjoyed it, just not as much as I did with the OBC. And I still maintain that Reasons to be Pretty deserved the Best Play Tony.

I may return to see if it was just tonights performance that was off, considering the unanimous praise everyone else is heaping on it. But I was a bit let down tonight.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 10:00 PM

#23

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/6/10 at 12:04am

I caught the show Tuesday (their first night).

I had seen the show in July with the original cast, and I was "underwhelmed". It was nothing I felt like was worth standing in line for two hours to get the final SRO spot, then have to stand for the whole darn show. Frankly, just overhyped.

So I was a bit reluctant to see it again on Tuesday. While I still don't think the show is a revelation (okay, it's Mamma Mia for the play crowd), I now see the appeal. I laughed heartily a few times and really just enjoyed it for what it was worth. A clever set up, strong performances, and a fun night out.

I found all of them to be strong in their roles. Daniels does a fabulous job as Michael but I prefer his Alan. Liu was quite strong. I preferred her to Hope Davis who I found too timid for Annette. McTeer is wonderfully strong, though her vulnerability got a bit whiney after awhile. Baker was the strongest of the quartet bringing out the smart ass in Alan.


"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert

Updated On: 3/6/10 at 12:04 AM

#24

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/10/10 at 1:43pm

Has anyone stagedoored with the new cast? I'm curious if they use the alley or the doors to the east of the lobby.

EDIT- I answered my own question tonight. They all left through the door to the east of the lobby.

Updated On: 3/10/10 at 01:43 PM

#25

Anybody catch the new cast of GOD OF CARNAGE tonight?

Posted: 3/10/10 at 3:53pm

I just got back from the matinee, and I have to say I LOVED this cast. I think they were fantastic, and they completely outshone the original cast. Janet McTeer is the star here, and completely makes you forget that Marcia Gay Harden ever existed. Dylan Baker is way better as Alan than Jeff Daniels was, and in turn Daniels is WAY better as Michael than Gandolfini was. Honestly, Lucy Liu surprised me. I thought she would be fine, but she exceeded my expectations. I didn't feel like I was watching a character. She very gracefully walked the line between the dramatic and the realistic.

As far as the play goes... I was never a huge fan of this one to begin with. The show today confirmed my reservations. I find the writing to be incredibly mediocre and the direction to be subpar. How Warchus didn't win for Norman Conquests still amazes me. That being said, I did enjoy the show more today with this new cast than I did the first time around. It's nice to have actors who nail every single nuance of their characters.

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