Daphne's Dive (PREVIEWS)

[Relevance81491]

Posted: 4/26/16 at 5:16pm

Im really looking forward to this one.  As always, early reports are appreciated

 

"Daphne's Dive is a cheap corner bar in North Philly where Daphne and her vibrant, eclectic regulars drink to art, politics, and life. As Daphne's adopted daughter, very different from her reserved and pragmatic mother, grows up, this unconventional family is forced to confront who's an insider, who's an outsider, and the challenge of opening your heart to strangers. Brimming with adversity, love and hope, this world premiere, directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton), kicks off Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Signature residency".

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/6/16 at 2:10pm

Anyone?

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/6/16 at 2:13pm

Seeing it tomorrow.

[cascade]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 11:49am

I saw this one last night with a friend of mine. I'm a big fan of Samira Wiley on Orange is the New Black so I'd bought tickets right away.

I was front row, but I suggest for anyone seeing this that if you can, buy a few rows further back. Third or fourth center would be perfect. The stage is a little high, plus there's a bar built and when characters were behind it, I often couldn't see them at all.

The good: I really liked all of the performances. Samira Wiley did not disappoint, and I hope to see her do more theater in the future. Daphne Rubin-Vega was also wonderful, and I really enjoyed Matt Saldivar especially as well.

The not-so-good: I found the story... lacking. I felt like it went in a lot of directions without servicing any of them in a satisfying way. I never really connected with Daphne's character. I don't need my endings wrapped up with a bow, but I didn't really get what I was supposed to take away from the whole thing when it was over. I'm curious to see what others have to say about this one.

Updated On: 5/7/16 at 11:49 AM

[Relevance81491]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 4:38pm

^just got out of the matinee and am so glad I'm not alone

some of the scenes were good, but the whole thing didn't come together for me    This is not on the level of Eliot, A Soldiers Fugue or Watter by the Spoonful (both of which can be bought at the Signature Bookstore) 

[Sauja]

Posted: 5/7/16 at 7:55pm

I also caught this in previews this week, and unfortunately, I'll add my agreement with the two previous posters. This is just not a very good play. I found that it got better as it went, but the early scenes were so rambling and directionless that by the time it started to semi-come together, I just wasn't that interested any more. It's not the fault of the cast who is largely doing a very good job (I agree that Matt Saldivar in particular was wonderful), though I did find the performance of the protestor/performance artist not quite believable. It's not the direction, though just from a sight-line perspective alone, I feel like a significant portion of the theater had limited view at least for part of the show--I wouldn't sit in the first three rows on either side, or on the far ends of any rows. Really, it's just an aimless play from a writer capable of much better. If this was someone just starting out, I would say that they had potential. From someone who has done outstanding work in the past? This should have stayed in a drawer.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 8:16am

I saw the matinee yesterday, and I agree with a number of the comments already made. This is an undercooked play -- it feels like something written on a strict deadline, where the author just turned in what she had, unfinished. Some of the action is quite compelling, as is some of the writing, but Hudes leaves a lot up in the air. Many plot points are introduced, then ignored; and it's often difficult to know which characters you're meant to care about. This is the case of a 100 minute, intermissionless play that probably should have been a 2.5 hour, 2-act play.

That said, the acting is mostly strong, with great work coming from Samira Wiley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Carlos Gomez, Matt Saldivar, and Gordon Joseph Weiss. I thought Vanessa Aspillaga was a bit anemic as Daphne, and I agree with Sauja that KK Moggie seemed adrift as Jenn. The production is well directed by Kail, with a great environmental set.

[Susanswerphone]

Posted: 5/8/16 at 7:27pm

Overall, this was disappointing. Ms. Wiley and Rubin-Vega as actors and as their respective characters, are both pretty great in a piece that still needs a LOT of work. It would benefit from some paring down of too many unresolved story lines that only occasionally, and very tentatively, interrelate.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/2/16 at 11:03pm

Wow, I guess I'll have to be the lone yay-sayer here. I saw this tonight and totally loved it. I agree with the OP that the first row does not look fun. I was in the 3rd row which was perfect.

I found the play beautiful and fascinating. The characters and their stories all felt so real and visceral to me. I found it to be a very emotionally engaging look into the lives of these pained people finding comfort and love in each other. The 1:45 run-time completely flew by for me, and I would happily buy the script of this play and read it. The acting is strong all-around, but Samira Wiley is a real stand-out. 

I'm sad and very confused by the negative response to this show. The reviews are pretty all over the place on Show-Score as well. This play certainly isn't groundbreaking on any level, but I found it honest and engaging and well-done. I can understand being underwhelmed by this play, but I'm surprised how people say it's simply not good. In my opinion, much worse plays have been much more well-received by critics and audiences -- even just this year. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/2/16 at 11:25pm

@JBroadway, 

Bear in mind that the reviews on here you are comparing to are a month old. It could be work has continued (there were several comments that it felt half baked out of the box) and it could also be that the actors have found things they were leaving on the table a month ago. I'm seeing it next week, before it closes. 

[playbill-love]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 12:39am

I don't have a lot of commentary on the show, but I really liked it two weeks ago. I didn't think there was much there plot wise, but as a character driven piece I thought it was top notch, and all the actors were incredible. I would highly recommend this show.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 7:14am

HogansHero said: "@JBroadway, 

Bear in mind that the reviews on here you are comparing to are a month old. It could be work has continued (there were several comments that it felt half baked out of the box) and it could also be that the actors have found things they were leaving on the table a month ago. I'm seeing it next week, before it closes. 

 

"

I saw the final preview before opening night. Unless it was entirely rewritten, I doubt anything could have been changed for the better.

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 7:37am

LarryD2 said: "HogansHero said: "I saw the final preview before opening night. Unless it was entirely rewritten, I doubt anything could have been changed for the better."

That could, of course, mean that it was already perfect.

I would not expect Hudes' work to garner universal praise here. I distinctly remember people here lambasting Water by the Spoonful but that didn't stop it from winning the Pulitzer.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 8:43am

I saw this last week and would say it's... fine. Some good performances, for sure. I think the conceit of time jumps rob us of drama and continuously cause each new scene to do exposition over and over, deflating momentum and muddying the overarching conflicts of the play. The result is a play that feels much slower than its running time. It is, at its heart, a fairly by-the-numbers "family drama", albeit an unconventional family.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:23am

I agree that the time jumps aren't as fulfilling as they could be. I think the point is to see how Ruby grows up and comes into her own, which I really enjoyed seeing. Aside from Ruby's character development, though, the time-jumps seemed fairly arbitrary. None of the other characters seemed to have aged 18 years by the end except Ruby. 

I also agree that this play was "by-the-numbers," but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I felt that there was enough honesty in the story and characters to really keep me emotionally engaged. I would say that The Humans is an even more "by-the-numbers" family drama, but that hasn't stopped everyone from fawning over it. 

Updated On: 6/3/16 at 10:23 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:39am

I would agree The Humans is also a pretty conventional family drama. I think, though, that as a whole it is far more effective at delivering that than Daphne's Dive is. So much of Daphne's Dive is "what happened in the previous five years?" So many of the major events of the plot happen in those gaps. Full plays happen in those gaps. But we just check in on the characters after these things have happened to them, and no major conflicts or decisions are really made the moments we see onstage. We never really get to know the characters as well as a result. The Humans delivers a fly-on-the-wall look at two hours in the lives of the characters in depth- Daphne's Dive delivers some snapshots over 20 years. We get a better idea of the arc of the character's lives, but not in depth.

Updated On: 6/3/16 at 10:39 AM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:51am

@Kad, speaking generally of her approach, I think it is fair to say she is not interested in mining those depths-that's not what her playwriting is about. Not saying you have to like that, and obviously there are people who haven't liked her plays, but there are plenty of heralded playwrights who have other things in mind.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/3/16 at 10:56am

Well, that approach can be applied to any artist. Art is subjective.

I don't think what she is interested in exploring in Daphne's Dive makes for a particularly compelling piece of drama, for the reasons I've cited.

Also, in all fairness, you have yet to see the play. Updated On: 6/3/16 at 10:56 AM

[bandit964]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 7:07am

YIKES.

What a mess.  Hudes threw so much at this play hoping things would land, be stage-worthy, and believable.  None of the dramatic moments were earned.  No enthusiastic reception at the end.  

Wish I would have gone to see the One Acts.

Updated On: 6/4/16 at 07:07 AM

[bandit964]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 7:09am

And compared to The Humans, I thought every moment in The Humans was deserved.  It was a well-crafted piece, where as Daphne's Dive was lazy.

[Ladybug84]

Posted: 6/6/16 at 5:51pm

If anyone is looking for tickets to the last performance of this show on June 12th, please message me :)

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 6/8/16 at 1:46am

I have a certificate for two tickets to the show - free - if anyone is interested. You'll have to call ticket services. I'll send the info. I keep hearing about comps to "King and I" and "Bright Star" which I don't have access to but it'd be cool to swap comps. PM me