Posted: 3/26/18 at 5:41pm
Saw this Friday. It is NOT TO BE MISSED.
Buy your ticket. Now.
Posted: 3/26/18 at 9:33pm
DELETE
Updated On: 3/27/18 at 09:33 PM
Posted: 3/26/18 at 9:33pm
The Monday performance was cancelled during Chapter 2 due to technical malfunction. THANK GOD I have an extra ticket for the Saturday night performance. For anyone going, read the director’s note before the show starts. It definitely made me appreciate the way the play is set up more and notice something you might otherwise miss. This is one of those productions that makes you realize the director is just as important as the material if you want to create something great.
Updated On: 3/27/18 at 09:33 PM
Posted: 3/26/18 at 10:54pm
I was disappointed when they decided to cancel the show tonight, probably about a third of the way in. However, my disappointment wasn't based on many positive impressions up until that point. The first "chapter" (plus one scene, if I remember correctly) struck me as run-of-the-mill at best, and I was looking forward to finding out what could possibly happen to turn the show as a whole into something that garnered a lot of strong reviews.
Posted: 3/27/18 at 9:06am
Tom-497, just get ready...
Posted: 3/27/18 at 11:55am
If it was canceled during Chapter 2, then you were not really a third of the way in. You were less than a quarter of the way in (closer to 20%) and there's so much that happens from Chapter 1 to the end of Chapter 7.
Updated On: 3/27/18 at 11:55 AM
Posted: 3/27/18 at 12:21pm
Things go absolutely nuts toward the end of the play. So far from run-of-the-mill. For me, the drastic arc from the beginning to the end is partly what made the play so powerful, and Piper's performance so impressive.
Posted: 3/27/18 at 2:09pm
Is there anyway to buy the National Theater's version of this? I won't make it to NY and would hate to not see this show.
Posted: 3/27/18 at 3:15pm
Posted: 3/27/18 at 3:16pm
Posted: 3/27/18 at 10:55pm
I saw this tonight ( Tuesday) which also seemed to be their official opening night?
I'm honestly speechless. Do not miss it. Billie Piper gives the best performance I've ever seen in NYC. Epic theatre.
Posted: 3/27/18 at 11:37pm
Posted: 3/30/18 at 12:04am
I just watched this tonight and the whole cast was amazing. Billie Piper was sublime. More people *definitely* need to see this before it goes.
There are a few discount codes floating around if you do a quick Google search. Running time is 1 hr 40 mins with no intermission.
I sat on the South side in Row D towards the right aisle facing the stage. I could see everything fine, but the dude next to me leaned forward in a few scenes which meant some extra neck craning for me, so just a little warning for those who end up near either aisles if you have a leaner next to you. The rake from what I could see in the theatre is excellent so you won't be struggling to see the stage face on.
For those curious about stage door, the actors I think come out of a side door in the venue across the hall from the Armory lounge bar thing.
I spotted the actors who play Victor (John MacMillan) and Des (Thalissa Teixeira) having a drink in the lounge with their friends and luckily managed to meet Billie before she left to catch an Uber. She was super nice. I wanted to also meet Brendan Cowell, but I didn't spot him, so no idea if he just takes a while or left promptly since I also left soon after thanking Billie for an amazing performance.
Posted: 3/30/18 at 2:13pm
I saw this on Wednesday and really enjoyed myself (well, as much as I could, given the subject). I went in knowing only the general idea of the plot and I'm glad I didn't know more.
I left it feeling a bit overwhelmed and exhausted (similar to when I saw Angels in America or 1984), I don't know if I'd be able to see it again, but I highly recommend anyone who can make the time to see this show.
Posted: 3/30/18 at 2:45pm
I saw this last night. Full disclosure I was a bit ill for the second half of the show so maybe I wasn't in the best mindset, but I agree with everyone I thought Billie Piper was absolutely incredible. It's a heck of a performance and one you shouldn't miss. I will say, that I was less impressed with the play itself and there are little ticks about this production that annoyed me.
Some sections really dragged, and the interludes between scenes with the music that perpetually is getting louder and more atonal is a bit much to take. I understand the choices, but that coupled with the festival scene late in the show it became a bit of sensory overload.
Still, the cast is fantastic, and it is well worth it for Piper alone.
Posted: 3/30/18 at 4:29pm
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content
I loved the sensory overload, especially during the festival scene, but I did get worried that there was no disclaimer (or maybe I missed it) and that some in the audience may be a bit more vulnerable to a seizure or something. I know people who are more sensitive to these sorts of things.
Updated On: 3/30/18 at 04:29 PM
Posted: 3/30/18 at 6:13pm
Can someone break down the set/design for me? or are there any pictures? Would love to see as I'll be missing it.
Posted: 3/30/18 at 7:09pm
There are a few trailers up on YouTube from the National Theatre and Billie Piper's YouTube accounts. They're a bit spoilery, but I watched them before I decided to buy tickets to the show and I don't think watching those marred my experience as I still came away from the show as if I knew nothing about the show beforehand.
Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:04am
americanboy99 said: "Saw this Friday. It is NOT TO BE MISSED.
Buy your ticket. Now."
Saw this tonight and i think WOW is an understatement. Yes, it's a story about a woman trying to have a child, but it also has nothing to do with that. You can replace the baby with anything in life and follow it to its necessary conclusion. Compound that by watching it under a microscope and it's a harrowing dissection of very modern life.
To go into detail, is to do future audiences a disservice, especially if they are unfamiliar with the original Lorca work, on which it is based.
It's going to take me a while to process this. And, to be honest, as the story unravels, I kept wondering if I was enjoying it. My attention never wavered, but I went from fascinated to mildly disconnected and back to intensely invested. Only at the very end, did I realize that my visceral reactions were ebbing and flowing like the characters in the story. I can't recall that happening before.
By necessity, there is a lot of scenery chewing, but none of it is superfluous. The staging is astonishing. There isn't a bad seat in the house, from what I was able to discern. And, while Billie Piper (with whom I was entirely unfamiliar) is a force of nature, I was astonished by Brendan Cowell. Good guy, bad guy and back again. He gives just as incredible a performance as Ms. Piper.
I wish this could play Broadway. I can only imagine being thisclose at Circle In The Square.
Do yourself a favor and go.
Updated On: 4/1/18 at 12:04 AM
Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:27am
Saw it tonight. I was a little under the weather and felt kind of dizzy probably because they put too much sugar in my latte. From what I did get to enjoy, it was powerful and sent chills down my spine. This is not a play to be too carefully critiqued while watching--I do hope they could've contextualized the motive a bit more but understandably the way the play is structured and presented does not leave much room for more nuanced needlework than it already has. Instead, I chose to go along with the ride and it was just a heartfelt and haunting experience that so masterfully vivisected the universal desire to belong and to love and be loved. Sit closer if you can. You'll want to see each expression as clear as possible to not miss out some of the brilliant acting choices that give the ride so much life and heart.
Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:32am
http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout22-yerma
If you can't make it to NYC, find a movie theater that hosts NT Live to see the show.
Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:55am
Dancingthrulife2 said: "This is not a play to be too carefully critiqued while watching--I do hope they could've contextualized the motive a bit more but understandably the way the play is structured and presented does not leave much room for more nuanced needlework than it already has."
Hope you're feeling better Dancingthrulife2. Can't imagine sitting thru something this intense while not feeling well. I'm glad you were able to enjoy it, though.
Great observation about contextualizing motive, but on my way home, I wondered if that was intentional, since we, as humans, always seem to look for motive, no matter the situation. I wonder if, sometimes, events happen where we never know the real motive or things remain without an explanation to placate us and give us the understanding that we seek.
Still pondering, so tomorrow my thoughts may change completely.
Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:02am
I've found this to be a weak season for musicals (bring the year after the post Hamilton rush) but between Yerma, three tall women, Potter, and (of course) Angels there send to be lots of great plays on offer
Updated On: 4/1/18 at 01:02 AM
Posted: 4/1/18 at 9:14am
Spoiler Question
How does the sound work with the audience and the stage separated by glass? Clearly with all the rave reviews, it is handled very well but I am curious (being only familiar with the NTL version) how the dialogue feels in an actual theatre?
thanks
Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:33pm
bowtie7 said: "Spoiler Question
"
The actors have microphones on them and their dialogue quite loudly comes out of speakers in the theater.
