Posted: 12/9/24 at 10:45am
I need to go back just to hear what the dialogue was in those 20 minutes at the meeting. I don’t think I heard one single word anyone on stage said since we were all just reading and laughing non stop. They could have said what the winning Powerball numbers were going to be and nobody would have noticed.
Posted: 12/9/24 at 11:23am
Apart from a few reactions from Don, the Bill Irwin character, the playwright Jonathan Spector doesn't intend for the audience to hear everything from the school board during the livestream meeting. The chaos it creates is intentional. Spector doesn't want the actors to stop or hold for laughter.
Posted: 12/9/24 at 11:26am
I enjoyed this but I wish the rest of the cast is in the same level as Jessica Hecht. Bill Irwin is disappointing in this.
Posted: 12/11/24 at 10:10pm
I had an enjoyable enough time here, but I felt that the writing didn't quite dig in as much as I wanted to (and perhaps some of it is acting/directing choices). A lot of laughs are based on people using "liberal buzzwords", which I found to be a bit low hanging fruit (though I also loved the town hall scene). I thought Meiko was the most interesting character, partially because she's the only one with a real arc, but Jessica Hecht did a fabulous job as Suzanne and managed to find such unexpected humor in her line deliveries. I liked Amber Gray a lot as Carina too and thought she brought a great sort of presence to a role that's not necessarily the showiest.
When Eli leaves during the town hall meeting, what did he say before he left? I was unclear if he knew then that his son was ill and that's why he left or if it was for another reason.
Posted: 12/12/24 at 2:13pm
chrishuyen said: "I had an enjoyable enough time here, but I felt that the writing didn't quite dig in as much as I wanted to (and perhaps some of it is acting/directing choices). A lot of laughs are based on people using "liberal buzzwords", which I found to be a bit low hanging fruit (though I also loved the town hall scene). I thought Meiko was the most interesting character, partially because she's the only one with a real arc, but Jessica Hecht did a fabulous job as Suzanne and managed to find such unexpected humor in her line deliveries. I liked Amber Gray a lot as Carina too and thought she brought a great sort of presence to a role that's not necessarily the showiest."
This is not a new play, the woke-speak was probably less low hanging when the show premiered off (or was it off off?) Broadway pre-Covid. But that is really only in the first scene and is a very recognizable shorthand to quickly understand character perspective.
Posted: 12/12/24 at 2:54pm
Owen22 said: "chrishuyen said: "This is not a new play, the woke-speak was probably less low hanging when the show premiered off (or was it off off?) Broadway pre-Covid. But that is really only in the first scene and is a very recognizable shorthand to quickly understand character perspective."
Exactly. I've been so curious how this would be received since, when it premiered, it was more prescient than topical.
Posted: 12/12/24 at 4:37pm
yyys said: "I enjoyed this but I wish the rest of the cast is in the same level as Jessica Hecht. Bill Irwin is disappointing in this."
Really? I have to disagree. I think Bill Irwin flexed his ability to control his natural comic instinct into a “straight man” type of role trying to manage chaos. He is, by training, a clown, and the restraint he exhibits during that digital town hall scene (which, per him, “changes every show and keeps me on my toes”).
Even as I was losing control of my laughter, from my front row seat, I could not see that man twitch a single muscle that would indicate a break and THAT is skill.
Posted: 12/12/24 at 9:52pm
I thought the play was a fine comedy with moments of brilliance meshed with a bit of dark awkwardness almost in an Edward Albee type way. The whole ensemble carries the play forward even though it's a two joke play about political correctness overlapped with social responsibility. It's rare for a comedy to encourage discussion afterwards so I give it props for that accomplishment. The hour and forty five minutes flew fairly quickly for me. I don't think it's brilliant, but it's a solid night at the theater.
Posted: 12/15/24 at 1:08am
this is a fantastic time.
slow bits here and there, and the Meiko character made no sense to me (not sure if its the writing or the actress), but i am a very reluctant laugher-out-loud and boy did this one get me. the Zoom meeting scene isnt really a scene- the laughter is so loud it drowns out the actors entirely, so youre just reacting to the screen. but that kinda uproarious laughter is hard to come by, so kudos all around.
i found the play rather predictable--there were few surprises that werent hinted at with glaring headlights, including the wonderful note at the end. Hecht is fantastic--kinda doing her usual sing song shtick but she manages to make a despicable idiot rather sympathetic so kudos again. Irwin, Middleditch and especially Amber Gray are all very strong.
rather interesting to see New York audiences enjoying such a complete takedown of a certain kinda mindless liberal. if there were any vaccine skeptics in the audience, they were beautifully drowned out by the rest of us.
