Anyone else notice the off-stage crises at DETROIT tonight?

VERY MILD SPOILER

The performance was shaky, not due to actors' issues, but to mounting, ever louder crises backstage, to facilitate intricately executed scene changes. The show is twice as busy as any musical (though the turntable doesn't seem to make the changes easier, not enough), and though the 11th hour coup de theatre is indeed impressive, the noise required, apparently, to create the effects, draw undue attention to themselves.

As a true fan of the published script, I noted seriously damaging (to me) alterations to the very final scene. The play scored its thematic points in the coda, a two-character exchange, but it's been truncated and reduced to a tag. Something poetic if ineffable is now missing, and the audience doesn't seem to know the play is over. That's a problem, production and script-wise.

The show doesn't open until September 18th, and things will no doubt become smoother. But it was jarring, and the noises off were off-putting in extreme. The company is uniformly fine. That said, there's a lot of work to be done in the next 3 weeks. Among members of the whole team.

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Updated On: 8/28/12 at 11:37 PM

" That said, there's a lot of work to be done in the next 3 weeks. Among members of the whole team. "

In the first thread on this play, you sang the play's praises from having solely read it, and looked askance at those who criticized it.

Now you've seen it, and say there's a lot of work to be done.

Maybe you should be less dismissive of those who judge what they see on stage.

After Eight is just pissy because his hospice nurse refuses to change out his catheter anymore.

"As a true fan of the published script, I noted seriously damaging (to me) alterations to the very final scene."

Auggie,

So the play we see on stage is different from the one you read, and inferior. That's the play we were commenting upon.

As for the business of wanting to spend time with the characters, you said the characters were "very engaging." I understood that to mean "attractive" or "charming," as is indeed what the word means. Hence my question to you. You took it to mean, I guess, engaging one's attention. Well, I feel all four failed to do that utterly.

^ THAT...just brought up an image of Brooke Smith down a well. Lord love you.

Matt, did you like CP? I can't remember.

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I was there last night as well, and the offstage drama did distract quite a few bit. Well done to the cast for never once reacting to the hubbub. The two women's scene alone had the most consistent noise, and I'm just not sure how you can cover that up. Adding underscoring or sound effects would be inappropriate to the moment, it seems. Which makes me think that while the set is impressive in a lot of ways, it may very simply just not work on a practical level. Even as it becomes a more efficient process, there's just only so much you can do.

I quite enjoyed the play. It isn't a masterpiece, but I think it's a wonderful effort from a young playwright. There are a few false notes, and the ending is glib, but there's real wit and feeling there, and it has a very definite point of view.

The acting was largely solid, but I found myself let down by Amy Ryan. Usually a tremendous actress, she doesn't appear to have found her legs in this role yet. Sokolovic is very mannered but also very effective. Darren Pettie was the wild card for me. I found him extremely compelling. And then, of course, John Cullum shows up for a few moments and performs with such grace and honesty, showing the youngsters how it's done. He's a treasure, and it's heartening that he's still treading the boards after more than 50 years in the biz.

In the end, I wasn't bowled over, but I'd happily recommend it. It was a solid like for me.

I was there for the first preview. The noise was horrendous during the incredibly quiet scene between the two women. I forgave it because it was the first preview and hoped it would have at least been lessened by now, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case. What I found to be in poor taste was the crew member that was repeatedly saying "Oh Sh**!" in far too loud of a whisper. Hopefully that has ceased. I also was in the front row, so perhaps it was not heard by those farther back.

That being said, I LOVE Playwrights Horizons and thought this show was very good. I am in agreement with those who say they don't really know if they fully understood what the playwright was trying to say. It was just wild, but I enjoyed it. And I thought all the actor's work was great.

Hoping to catch this soon. How is David Schwimmer?