DANA H. Previews- Page 2

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 10/9/21 at 10:16pm

Show finally started at about 8:45. Once it started they still had issues that got solved within a couple of minutes.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/10/21 at 11:23am

chrishuyen said: "Do we know yet if Lucas Hnath qualifies for a Tony nom as playwright if this gets nominated for best play? How would that work in this case?"

He wrote it from an interview. He shaped the narrative. He will be eligible. I believe he was the interviewer. 

If the book writer of Grey Gardens who cribbed the entire show from the doc was eligible for awards, Lucas will be.  

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/10/21 at 12:19pm

Hnath was not the interviewer. The interviewer, Steve Cossan, is credited in the program. 

As I've said in some other recent threads: I don't object to Hnath being eligible for a Tony for his work (which he will be). I just think it's a different kind of work than actually writing the text of a play, and I think that reflects on the limitations of the Tony categories as they exist. Again, I said this in the recent thread about the Best Play category - the Tony categories are only designed to recognize theatrical art within a very narrow, constricted box of what theatre can actually be. 

Regarding Grey Gardens: I don't think that's an apt comparison, considering the entire 1st act of the show was original text. But I do think you're right to point out that many musical books stick very closely to their source material, and yet are put in the same category as completely original works. Again, one isn't better than the other, but it just feels like a different kind of work. 

In theory, I think the Tonys would benefit from having separate categories for original vs. adapated scripts like the Oscars, but there probably aren't enough shows to fill those categories - especially on the musical side. Which opens up a whole other can of worms about how the elitism surrounding Broadway actually renders the awards LESS meaningful, because it makes the pool of contenders so small compared to every other major awards show. 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/10/21 at 1:45pm

If all you're going on by "lip syncing" is what you've seen drag queens do in clubs, you're wildly off base about the work Deidre O'Connell is doing here. Even the finest drag lip syncers- Lipsynka, Sasha Velour- can't do with this what she is doing.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/11/21 at 11:51am

JBroadway said: "Regarding Grey Gardens: I don't think that's an apt comparison, considering the entire 1st act of the show was original text.But I do think you're right to point out that many musical books stick very closely to their source material, and yet are put in the same category as completely original works. Again, one isn't better than the other, but it just feels like a different kind of work."

Yes but the writer had much of their work done even in the first act. He used expressions and language he took from the women and used that to fill in the narrative. He peppered the new dialogue with things that came directly from the women's mouths to lend it authenticity. The second act is essentially a staging of the doc. 

for those who has seen Dana H, how would front row be? Is the stage high?

 

 

[@z5]

Posted: 10/11/21 at 11:56am

The stage did appear to be pretty high. I was row H orch and thought that was perfect. Front mezz would also be good for this one.

[chuckydisc]

Posted: 10/11/21 at 7:45pm

Has anyone done the Rush Line for this show?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks.

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 10/12/21 at 9:12am

Rushed at about 11:45 last Tuesday and got front row Mezz right in the center. The show was probably only 1/3 full so you should have no issues getting rush no matter what time of day you go. Box Office is very kind and generous with rush seats.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 10/12/21 at 10:11am

I got a rush seat at 1PM on Saturday and was in row H left orchestra.

[raddersons]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 7:43am

I was at the show last night. Considering I thought Is This A Room was overhyped… this feels underhyped. Wow. Gripping. Frightening. Powerful. Deirdre O’Connell is doing incredible work up there. The first ten minutes you’re very conscious of the lipsync… after that it blends together and you just sit and watch her struggle talking through her harrowing tale. It’s a lot to take in, but I cannot recommend it enough.

The stage is quite high. I was in Row C via a TDF ticket and it felt good for me, but I’m average height for a man.

Updated On: 10/14/21 at 07:43 AM

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 10/21/21 at 12:03am

I just saw this last night and I felt that I was much more interested in the concept/presentation of the piece rather than the content.  Like the words aren't crafted to necessarily keep your attention like they would usually be for a monologue and my attention wandered a bit at times, but it was the reminder that this was all a true story and that these were the actual words of a person who had survived this incident that kept drawing me back into it.  It's horrifying to think of someone going through this experience, whereas if this were fiction I probably wouldn't be very interested at all.  I do like that it draws attention to things like who tells the story and how it gets told, so many years later.  Like you know that the actor you're watching on stage can only approximate the feelings and emotions that someone would be going through talking about this, but the audio you're listening to really is imbued by those same feelings and emotions because the person speaking really did go through this.  I'm talking in circles a bit, but the concept of the play really does fascinate me.

That said, this is definitely a play to watch closer up.  I was third row center mezz and that's probably about as far as you'd want to be.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/28/21 at 9:54pm

This was fascinating and absolutely bizarre. I wish it was an hour longer…I have a LOT of questions.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 11:07pm

I did TodayTix and (stupidly) picked the balcony. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't see any of her facial expressions. That far away, the show was basically reduced to watching her gesture along to the recording. Infuriating, but I'm still glad I went.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 11:23pm

Ugh I’m in the balcony tomorrow and already don’t have the best eyesight. Wish I had decided to splurge.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 10/30/21 at 5:20am

I have TDF tickets for next Wednesday, have they been up in balcony?
I hope not considering they are more expensive than $39.
That Balcony is a killer.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 3:44am

I'm highjacking this old thread to recommend this play, which is in its final weekend at the Berkeley Rep. No show Friday, but two performances on Saturday and Sunday. (It's an unusual schedule; they had a Thursday matinee performance too. 

I can't compare it to the Broadway performance but I thought Jordan Baker did a fine job as Dana. The lip syncing element of the play worked better than I expected, as it was used to enhance the material and it never really felt like a gimmick. Still, it's pretty dark stuff that is certainly not for everyone.

The play felt like a fever dream, as Dana's story becomes more episodic after her abduction, with many things left unexplained because she can't remember or convey what her experience was like to someone who hasn't been through it. It's a sad story about institutions and authorities who repeatedly failed this woman. The specific details of her story make it quite powerful.  

Tickets are easily available on TodayTix (which is somewhat rare for the Berkeley Rep), although the orchestra was almost full in the larger Roda Theatre on a Thursday night. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 3:41pm

Hoping this comes to LA at some point. She won the TONY! Let us see her performance. 

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 4:43pm

RippedMan said: "Hoping this comes to LA at some point. She won the TONY! Let us see her performance."

Jordan Baker, who was the standby on Broadway, is doing the role now, not O'Connell, who is in Corsicana now (and is probably exhausted from playing Dana for 2 years)

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 4:47pm

I wonder if the script will be released or if by chance the audio of Dana will be released on audible or something? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 5:20pm

Synecdoche2 said: "RippedMan said: "Hoping this comes to LA at some point. She won the TONY! Let us see her performance."

Jordan Baker, who was the standby on Broadway, is doing the role now, not O'Connell, who is in Corsicana now (and is probably exhausted from playing Dana for 2 years)"

I'm sure! What a shame more people didn't get to see this gem. Hopefully regional theaters produce it. This would be great at The Geffen.