Casa Valentina Previews- Page 2

[LaCageAuxFollesFan]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 11:57am

Ha! Yes, I meant "genteel" and yes, Reed Birney is doing marvelous work, as is the entire cast really, but there's something fully realized and effortless about Reed's work.

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 3:09pm

I can't help but wonder if this play, which seems based around the difference (and disconnect) between transvestism and homosexuality, is inspired in some way by Fierstein's much-publicized argument with Billy Porter over the sexuality of Lola in "Kinky Boots."

[LaCageAuxFollesFan]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 4:07pm

Fierstein said in an interview that I read or heard someplace recently that he was writing all 3 of his current Broadway shows simultaneously. When his composers on the two musicals were busy doing other things, he'd visit Casa Valentina.

[sciencegirl]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 8:55pm

FYI - I saw this after a failed attempt at the Hedwig lottery. Got to the box office 1/2 prior to curtain and got rush tickets ($27), easy peasy. Almost glad I lost the Hedwig lottery -as this was a wonderful show!

Sat in back of orchestra - last two rows were occupied by lighting and stage directors who were making notes and making tweaks.

Larry Pine/Amy needed a few lines fed to him. Updated On: 4/2/14 at 08:55 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 9:01pm

Is it student rush or general?

[sciencegirl]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 9:03pm

student rush - 2 tix per ID.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 9:05pm

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

[sciencegirl]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 10:24pm

They also do have a 30 under $30 program. Hope that works for you! I do not qualify for that one, so a bigger grrrrr for my mature self.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 12:28am

how do you get tickets via 30 under 30? I got them for Tales From Red Vienna, but for the life of me I can't figure it out for this show.

[PK2]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 9:29am

I saw this last night and i really liked it a lot. I appreciate the straight(no pun intended) forward play without gimmick or shock value. The cast was amazing. It was a second preview and I'm impressed by the quality of the play and the production.

[sciencegirl]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 1:23pm

I haven't jumped through these hoops myself, but seems easy -
http://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/30-under-30/

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 2:52pm

RippedMan, when you sign up for 30 Under 30 they put you on an email list and periodically email you codes. You can do it online or at the box office. I printed off the 30 Under 30 email for Casa Valentina and brought it with me to the box office.

Posted: 4/3/14 at 3:43pm

Have they sent a 30under30 email for this? I don't think I've gotten one yet. Could someone send me the code?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:31pm

Neon, you won't get private messages, but do you mind telling me the code? I guess I had it for Red Viena, but I don't even remember doing that. I don't see on the Ticketmaster website where to even put the promo code.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:42pm

I deleted the email after I bought my tickets, sorry. But yes, they sent a 30 under 30 email out. Why don't you call them?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:44pm

I searched my email and found it! Thanks! Going tonight!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 11:12pm

Went tonight. Just got back. I LOVED it. I was just enraptured. It's such an interesting idea, first off. And Harvey brings up some great points and counterpoints. It really delved into a lot more than I thought it would. I was a little disappointed at the ending. I wanted the women to say more. Or I wish they had cut her character and just made it work within the confines of the people at the retreat.

The set is beautiful. I saw ROCKY last night and while the set/direction were impressive the whole show was just really tedious for me to sit through. And yet this show, with such a simple and elegant design, had me so compelled.

The cast was all around great. Bessie will for sure get a supporting nod, and rightfully so. Paige was great. It's a true ensemble piece. I don't really feel like any of the characters really had a big awards-bait type moment. They just all worked really well as a whole. Cullum didn't really have much to do.

Go see it. I think once reviews come out it will be a hot ticket. And I can't imagine this not winning for Best Play.

How many transvestite plays are currently on Broadway? I love it! Crossdressing is trending on B'way '14.

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 10:00pm

Just got home from the 7PM show and to put it simply: we loved it!

Thanks to all of you who posted positive reviews on this board - you're the reason we decided to go.

The performances wer all strong - some more than others and some still looking for their footing so to speak (extra difficult in heels!). Still, overall the show is very strong and the audience seemed to really enjoy the characters, the story and (perhaps most importantly) the passion with which it was told. This wasn't groundbreaking or innovative, but it was effective - the piece had purpose, a heart and a brain. There were many statements which I still will need to ponder and think over.

Thank you Mr. Fierstein, Mr. Mantello and the cast for a fun and thought-provoking evening.

I hope others who are debating whether or not to buy tickets go ahead and check this show out.

[MZENDE]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 11:19pm

I just got back from this - a ticket I bought last minute based on some of the comments on here - and I predict great things for this play. I feel lucky to have seen it before it wins everything this year. It presents so many points of view in an interesting way, it is a wonderful cast, - there is no heavy hand in any of what it has to say, and I most especially love how it ends,- there is a line in it which I found a tribute to I AM MY OWN WIFE, so moving.

Love it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 11:40pm

I liked it a lot, but I didn't flat out love it.

I think it's an admirably restrained effort from Fierstein. He keeps the jokiness down to a minimum and really hones in on these wonderfully-realized characters and their fascinating dilemmas. He does a pretty great job of managing to make us think about both the characters and storylines at hand, as well as the larger, overarching themes the play deals with.

That said, I did think the pacing was a bit off and I thought it was left relatively unresolved. The ending was a bit abrupt to me, as I kept wondering the whole time "how is he going to wrap this up?" And when the lights went down, I felt a bit let down by how he did decide to close the piece. But there is a lot to like here, and I certainly found moments of it unusually thought-provoking.

The acting simply could not be better. None of the cast members get a hammy, over-the-top, GIMME A TONY moment, which makes their subdued, lovely performances all the more impressive. They all make such a distinct impact in the simplest, yet most effective, of ways. I did think Reed Birney was exceptional, but I also think he's lucky enough to have the most wildly fascinating part in the play. Fierstein probably could have written an entire show based on that character and his life alone. Patrick Page, Nick Westrate, and Tom Gowan are all great. My favorite performance, however, was Gabriel Ebert's. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite stage actors, after 4,000 MILES, MATILDA, and now this. I thought he was nothing short of revelatory.

The production itself is stunning, particularly Fitz Patton's lovely incidental music and Scott Pask's beautiful set design.

I would say it's worth catching, though there were plenty of people around me who seemed bored. There were, I won't lie, moments where I was bored as well. It's imperfect and there are moments where it drags (no pun intended), but it's also got a lot of "positives" going for it. There were certainly quite a few genuinely moving moments, and even more excitingly thought-provoking ones. And in a wildly lackluster season like this, those moments can go a long way.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/7/14 at 12:15am

Couldn't disagree with you more about Gabriel. Just never enjoyed his performances, and in this I just found it way too gimmicky. Especially compared to others around him. I found his lack of choices really striking. And the way he chooses to "cry" was just very... eh, the hiding the face and stuff. I just didn't enjoy him.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/7/14 at 7:54am

I saw this on Friday night and thought it was decent, but didn't especially warm to any of the characters except Mare Winningham's, who is doing excellent work.

An issue I had was this (and it comes with some spoilers, so be warned):

If all, or almost all, of the men are supposed to be straight and their greatest goal was to "pass" in public, then why did most of them behave like gay men/drag queens? All the witty repartee and Oscar Wilde quoting- they struck me as very (stereotypically) homosexual men.

I confess to not knowing any straight transvestites, so I can't really speak with authority on the issue, but the way everyone was acting I understood Charlotte's concerns for the organization.

The subject matter of straight cross dressers is interesting, but I wanted to go deeper into the psychology of what drew them to being a transvestite without any sexual component involved.

Also, you just KNOW that Harvey wants to get up there and play Bessie; the character reminded me a lot of Albin/Zaza.

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 4/7/14 at 8:32am

Saw it last night and loved it. All of the cast members are doing strong work, but I was especially charmed by John Cullum. Who would have guessed at age 84 that he would be stealing scenes as a transvestite (or drag queen or whatever the correct term would be). He also got the biggest laugh of the whole show with his line about the Catskills. And he looked JUST like a transsexual friend of mine.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/7/14 at 8:48am

Whizzer, I had that same issue while I was watching it. But then afterwards, the more I thought about it the more it made sense to me. First of all, they do talk about their drag being the "outward expression of an inner feeling" in that the women inside of them need to get out. Valentina talks about working to perfect all of the "women" around her by offering femininity lessons. So to me, it doesn't strike me as "gay" as much as it does "feminine" which I suppose is the point of dressing in drag rather than to put on a dress and walk around like a man in costume. In fact, the only three that we see as their "male" characters are Ebert, Page, and Pine, none of whom were super feminine in their plain clothes.

Additionally, I found it interesting that by far the LEAST feminine of the characters was the judge/Amy, which as you know from seeing it, is super ironic. I think this is purposeful. I think that was an active choice by Harvey and Joe Mantello to make it seem like the vitriolic prejudice from Birney's Charlotte was even more disturbing. He's simply trying to be who he is while the others are essentially acting. And should he be judged for that while the others who also haven't assimilated into mainstream society yet get off scot-free?

I found the whole thing to be particularly thought-provoking. For me, the standout was Nick Westrate's Michael/Gloria who managed to go toe to toe with the sharp tongues of her friends but also had several "drop the mic" moments. And his Act 1 exit line is PHENOMENAL and leaves that seed of doubt perfect for a 15 minute intermission.

Updated On: 4/7/14 at 08:48 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/7/14 at 8:54am

Westrate was phenomenal. He was also the only one who I thought could ACTUALLY pass as a woman! If he walked out onstage in any other show, I would have no doubt that he was really a woman. He looked fantastic in his wig and costume. And he really stole that final Act One scene for me as well.