DUST Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 3:42am

Let's welcome Billy Goda's new thriller, DUST, now playing the Westside Theatre (407 W. 43rd St.). The play is currently starring B'way fave Hunter Foster and 'movie man' Richard Masur. Post all reviews here.

Having caught it last night (Wednesday, the 3rd), I'll post my review when opportunity knocks.

My best to all involved.

[evic]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 5:39am

Here's one:"It will bite the......."= how these things get produced is beyond me.....Richard Masur is one of the worst actors I have ever seen- worse than community theater....a pitiful excuse for a play-and "you can eat my dust"-Tura Santana

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 1:34pm

I saw it on Sunday evening and the best part of the night was the fact that on the same row as me was sitting Jennifer Cody, Christopher Sieber, and Sutton Foster!

The play is alright. Hunter does a great job. But some of it just seemed so unrealistic. Like, the scene when Jenny delivers the dust buster to her father. I know rebelious teens say some crazy stuff, but that was a little over the top. I find it hard to believe that the entire plot of the play is started by not cleaning dust.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 2:27pm

Hunter is entirely miscast.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 2:33pm

In brief...

- Wednesday, December 3rd @ 8:00pm
C-ORCH / Row B / 105

- The plot is engaging, didn't really 'drag' for me.

- ...As 'engaging' as a plot about DUST goes, anyway.

- Hunter Foster delivers. He was my reason for going, and I'm happy to say that he does some fine work here, stretching his acting chops (from 'the normal Hunter Foster' to 'the darker Hunter Foster' - It worked mighty well.

- Richard Masur doesn't, though he had a few brief moments in the second act that made me 'feel something' from him.

- Laura E. Campbell brings a solid performance, though at times, I felt she was trying too hard. Playing off Mr. Foster seemed to come-off well enough.

- John Schapra was a nice addition to the ensemble, having to carry Masur throughout the majority of their scenes.

- Curtis McClarin, much like Mr. Foster, was a 'saving grace' for this production. I was very much 'into' his delivery, his performance. I felt a sense of realism from him.

At an approximate running time of 1 hr, 45 minutes, I can attest to it being 'an evening out' - Did I enjoy myself? Somewhat. I appreciate all kinds of theatre (as has been well documented in the past), but there are some shows I just can't champion like I do others. I went into this one with a positive mental attitude, and was left with a bit more to be desired. The plot's rather thin, amongst twists and turns of plot. The music during the scene changes was interesting. The sound effects worked to aid the story along. Set was intriguing, costumes were befitting of the setting (present day, NYC). Excessive swearing, brief nudity, gunplay, and drugs ... Everything that makes a *great* Pacino / DeNiro picture shine, just doesn't seem to make it beyond the written page.

For everything it's worth, I'm thankful this wasn't made into a film, as originally planned because it wouldn't sell all too well. A live theatrical experience is something all the more intimate, more emotionally-intense, more real ... For the varied few who 'got to me' and made my evening enjoyable, I thank you. Mr. Goda attempts to bring something gritty, and it seemingly falls a little short. I wouldn't see it again. Once around the bend is enough for me. The aftertaste is still kind of settling-in. Not too sure how to describe it:

Drama never tasted so funny.

Best,
- Mike
Updated On: 12/4/08 at 02:33 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 2:38pm

You are more generous than I.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 12/4/08 at 4:55pm

BUMP.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 12:00am

Bumpin' ain't easy...

[MillieDillmount]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 1:05am

I am oddly interested by it ... but, well, mostly because I love Hunter. But by the sounds of it, I think it'll be closing soon.

Are there any offical reviews out yet?

[birdboy782]

Posted: 12/5/08 at 1:56am

Agree that Hunter is completely miscast. Not his fault...clearly he is trying to stretch and break out of his established "type"...but still, this isn't acting class--it's Off-Broadway--and he is miscast. You can see he is a strong actor, but does not seem to belong in the world of this play.

The writing is.....

[jewelchk]

Posted: 12/25/08 at 12:29am

I saw this the other day, and I'd say it's a definite skip. Everything said in this thread still holds true-- Foster tries but is miscast and Masur was just terrible in his role. There were times when the show got so ridiculous we wanted to laugh inappropriately (and, at one point, a group of people towards the center did-- a lot). I wanted to like it knowing little about it going in, but it's a mess. Hope to see Foster in something better soon...