Desire Under the Elms To close May 24th 2009 — Page 2

"And I'm still surprised to see "Reason to be Pretty" doing so poorly. It got great reviews, and it's got such a relevant theme to it."

Actually, RTBP is a bait and switch, which I think is what bothers some people. It advertises as though it is about beauty and body image, when it is about unhappy people in relationships who make some inferences about looks, but really never raises any good questions nor answers them. I think it is relevant to unhappy, grating people but is not relevant to the topic it pretends to address. I think it confuses more people than entertains or engages.

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Bettyboy, to me, the marketing for REASONS was all wrong. Who would want to go see a show where the subway poster is somebody's fat roll? Now, I'm overweight. Seeing another fatty does not make me want to run out and buy tickets.

However, I will say that I think the play is just as much about looks as it is relationships. It's about how your looks impact the relationships you have.

I liked the Desire posters. I thought they were very well designed. I guess you cant please everyone. I thought the commercials were good too.

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The poster did seem to have a 70s sort of feel with the soft colors and looking like cut-outs. Something about it appealed to me. The commercial is on the show website. Also, I loved the compositions from the show. I wish they were on itunes.

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Plus the marketing is sex heavy...maybe sex just isnt selling right now. The marquee outside says "lust...passion..sex" or something like that and I remember a group of older theatre goers commenting negatively on the signage.

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I just checked Telecharge, and they aren't selling any tickets to this show passed the 24th.

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Bettyboy72 is absolutely right...'Reasons to be pretty' is NOT about body image. I don't understand why they insisted on promoting it that way. I don't like this play, saw it both off and on Broadway. The characters are poorly drawn (they seem like college pals, not blue-collar folk) and it's ridiculous the two guys would ever be such good friends when one's a major a-hole and the other is Mr. Sensitivity. Someone earlier said it's a perfect show for theater majors... You've got to be kidding if you think that's a big enough audience to warrant putting the show on Broadway!!! However, I don't disagree with the statement -- in fact, the only thing I think the play is good for is scenes for acting students.

As for 'Desire Under the Elms,' this was a huge disappointment to me. I did not like the concept: 'Desire Under the Rocks' and the floating house and why did the bed have to come up and down, it could have stayed visible at all times. This is not at all the first time a show has moved to Broadway on the strength of a Times review. Duh, that's not enough!!! Why don't producers realize that already? Most theatergoers are not as entranced by tedium and pretensiousness like the Times critics are!!!