GOOD TELEVISION @ Atlantic Stage 2

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 6/3/13 at 8:00pm

I saw this show over the weekend on a whim and I am very pleased that I did.

The play is a behind-the-scenes look at the casting process of a reality Intervention-esque show. We learn about what it takes to make good television and the people that make it happen including the production company and family itself.

For someone who is a big fan of reality TV and the business behind it I found so much to enjoy and it came off completely realistic. The family portion which was more of the focus in Act 2 was also very engaging.

The entire cast was phenomenal (maybe with the slight exception of Andrew Stewart-James). Talia Balsam was one of the highlights for me because she was the showrunner who is everything you picture a Hollywood bigwig to be. Zoe Perry continues to be amazing at everything she does even though her accent wasn't always constant throughout. I feel bad to give them more praise because the whole cast was really amazing.

I would HIGHLY recommend seeing this before June 16th. I don't see how you could be disappointed.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 8:52pm

The show got some rave reviews and has now extended through June 21. Anyone else on the board seen it yet? Whizzer?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 9:16pm

Thanks for the review! This show was off my radar, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Off to buy tix...

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 9:55pm

I saw it last weekend! Would definitely recommend it; solid and thought-provoking, with good performances. As a journalist, I especially appreciated the questions it posed about the trade-offs involved in telling the stories of very troubled people for public consumption: are you hurting more than helping--or simply exploiting?

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 12:20am

I also recommend this show. It shows the behind-the-scenes story behind making a reality TV show. And what happens when they are pressured to put more & more people on a TV show without fully/completely "vetting" them for the TV program and associated drug rehab program. There's a lot of family drama and screaming that occurs.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:19pm

I saw GOOD TELEVISION this evening and I have to say I was very impressed. So far this new season is off to a strong start for me.

The last half hour or so loses steam (with such an eventful buildup, it was almost bound to) and does derail a bit, in a way that I didn't find as involving as the (mostly exceptional) preceding hour and twenty minutes. But for the most part, I thought it was quite well-written and especially well-acted. The performances were mostly excellent, particularly John Magaro, Talia Balsam, and Zoe Perry, who is proving to be every inch the actress her mother (Laurie Metcalf) is. And that's saying something.

The production itself is very lovely, with swift, steady direction. I hope McLachlan continues writing...he's clearly got a real knack for it. Can't wait to see what he does next. Very glad I caught this before it closed. Updated On: 6/18/13 at 11:19 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:55pm

I caught this tonight and I have to say I loved it. I'm a reality TV junkie, anyway, so the subject matter totally spoke to me. I just found it all riveting. It's not rewriting the form or anything, but it's just a great, interesting play.

- I think it loses steam (as mentioned) towards the end and the finale scene is a little too obvious, but I didn't ultimately mind it.

- The performances are insanely good. From the first moment we met "Clemmy" to the moments where his whole family is on stage, I was just mesmerized. I hope people remember Magaro's performance. Zoe Perry is indeed great as well. Actually, the whole ensemble is great.

- I do think the play had a few extraneous characters. Do we really need to SEE the father? I found him super creepy, but i don't think we needed to see him and whatnot. Also, I found the play was oddly structured. At first I thought the show was going to be about Tara's character - the newbie - but it wound up being about Connie.

- The only thing that totally bothered me was why did we listen to "Bulletproof" in its entirety before the show started? Like, the preshow music switched over and played "Bulletproof" while the doors were being shut and then when the song ended, the lights went down, etc. Seemed like an odd choice, but hey.

Also, I've never been to that theater before. It's 5 flights down, and you enter on the street level. What the heck is above it? I noticed when I walked the stairs back up that there weren't any entrances/exits to other floors. Did Atlantic build all that?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:59pm

Also, I found the play was oddly structured. At first I thought the show was going to be about Tara's character - the newbie - but it wound up being about Connie.

I thought the same thing! They certainly make it seem like she's going to be the focus of the piece and then she virtually disappears into the background after the first two scenes.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/19/13 at 12:17am

Right? It was weird. I think it had to do with the staging of her being there in the beginning, etc.


And I honestly wanted to know that Clemmy was okay or at least had some closure to his story.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/19/13 at 12:29am

^ Yes! That was something else I wanted to say...for such a strong buildup, and an odd shift in focus towards the end, there is very little closure. It almost felt like McLachlan didn't know how to end these characters' stories. Various problems aside, I still really enjoyed it. For his first play, I really thought McLachlan did an overall strong job.

Sounds like we're pretty much on the same page with this one, RippedMan! :)

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/19/13 at 12:38am

Totally. I was so into it.

It's just odd because they kept talking about how the final act of the TV show is always the intervention and how you get closure, etc, but then it's sort of just left hanging.

I really thought everyone was great, but the british guy and Tara were very underwritten, but I didn't mind it at all in the moment.

The only thing I found "false" was the whole like "When she goes silent you know she's going to say something bad" because I felt like it was so over-directed in that moment, unlike the rest of the show.

Heck, I'd watch just a show of the South Carolina people.