Grand Horizons Previews - Page 2

[JSquared2]

Posted: 1/1/20 at 5:44pm

LightsOut90 said: "the playbill is super ugly...."

Thanks for your valuable input. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 1/1/20 at 6:41pm

JSquared2 said: "LightsOut90 said: "the playbill is super ugly...."

Thanks for your valuable input."

Can people stop being douche canoes? The Playbill IS ugly. What was so wrong with saying that? This board sometimes..

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/5/20 at 1:46am

Saw it this afternoon and braced myself for the worst, but honestly, I enjoyed it.

It will not win any awards for originality, but I thought this was a thoughtful and entertaining piece. The cast is terrific, and really mining the material for all it’s worth.

The whole thing is a bit too broad by a half but. especially in Act 2, there were some resonant truths about aging, the effect of change in our lives, the effort it takes to sustain a relationship.. Clearly the work of a playwright who understands how people think.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/7/20 at 1:34pm

I saw this last week, and while I didn't leave at intermission, I'm not sure why I didn't. I didn't get much out of it, and there were times when I was just sitting there thinking, "I think I hate this." The Everybody Loves Raymond comparison above is apt, especially since one big moment (which many have alluded to) did happen on that show, and was highly memorable. Even before that, the whole setup--the old parents who hate each other (the wife who wants more affection, the husband who grudgingly shows he has feelings for her beneath the mean, crusty exterior), the daughter-in-law playing counselor, her clueless husband, the whiny other son--did seem overly familiar. Beyond that it was like a really bad sitcom where there's one funny line every five minutes, and in between just long stretches of uninteresting, undeveloped a**holes being shrill and/or boring. (I didn't love Everybody Loves Raymond, but it was better written than this.) The cast was fine and gave the characters what dimensions they could, but the people they were playing were dull and insufferable. Maybe not truly terrible (it did have those laughs every five minutes, and hit one effective emotional beat that has stuck with me) so much as exceedingly mediocre, which was its own kind of pain.

Updated On: 1/7/20 at 01:34 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/8/20 at 8:39am

I saw this last night, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It's pretty slight, but I laughed a lot and had a good time. The cast is excellent, especially Ashley Park and Michael Urie. I did think it was about 15-20 minutes too long, though. 

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/8/20 at 10:51am

MemorableUserName said: "The Everybody Loves Raymond comparison above is apt, especially since one big moment (which many have alluded to) did happen on that show, and was highly memorable. "

LOL am I the only one on here old enough to have first thought of Full House at that bit?

 

[cmeridian]

Posted: 1/8/20 at 5:39pm

I caught the matinee today. There were a few big laughs, but for the most part I chuckled through it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The acting was great. I got a mobile rush ticket and ended up front row center.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 1/8/20 at 6:19pm

I also saw it this afternoon (from a terrible seat, row D orchestra all the way over to the left side, which took up around 60% of my legroom lol) and thought it was fine. None of the performances were particularly memorable besides Urie, who is charming as always. Some laughs, was never bored but wouldn’t really recommend it.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 12:08am

Okay, final show of my trip was Grand Horizons tonight. Okay show, well acted. Nothing earth shattering. It was worth the price of my $48 audience rewards ticket to meet James Cromwell at stagedoor.

Updated On: 1/11/20 at 12:08 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 12:41am

I saw it tonight as well and really enjoyed it. Funny how everyone who’s enjoying has to qualify their enjoyment with “it’s not the best thing ever written but...”
I just liked the play. My friend and I laughed a lot and enjoyed everyone’s performances and really I don’t know what else a play like this is asking from it’s audience.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 1:22am

Miles2Go2 said: "Okay, final show of my trip was Grand Horizons tonight. Okay show, well acted. Nothing earth shattering. It was worth the price of my $48 audience rewards ticket to meet Brian Cromwell at stagedoor. "

I hope you didn’t call him Brian when you met him.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 8:17am

TotallyEffed said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Okay, final show of my trip was Grand Horizons tonight. Okay show, well acted. Nothing earth shattering. It was worth the price of my $48 audience rewards ticket to meet Brian Cromwell at stagedoor. "

I hope you didn’t call him Brian when you met him."

Oops. I’ll go back up and fix that. I was so tired and passed out soon after typing this. I did not call him Brian, but when Michael Urie came out, I mistakenly told him this was my third time seeing including the final performance of Torch Song and Crate and Barrel. He said like the furniture store? I quickly said oh no I meant Buyer and Cellar (I often mistakenly call it Crate and Barrel, for some reason), but the damage was done. Lol

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 9:15am

LOL, that is hilarious.

[mikem]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 11:43am

Miles2Go2 (or anyone else), did either Jane Alexander or Ben McKenzie sign or take pics at the stage door?  I am a big fan of both.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 11:59am

Ben did. Jane apparently departed the theatre before stage dooring began.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 4:20pm

Miles2Go2 said: "TotallyEffed said: "Miles2Go2 said: "Okay, final show of my trip was Grand Horizons tonight. Okay show, well acted. Nothing earth shattering. It was worth the price of my $48 audience rewards ticket to meet Brian Cromwell at stagedoor. "

I hope you didn’t call him Brian when you met him."

Oops. I’ll go back up and fix that. I was so tired and passed out soon after typing this. I did not call him Brian, but when Michael Urie came out, I mistakenly told him this was my third time seeing including the final performance of Torch Song and Crate and Barrel. He said like the furniture store? I quickly said oh no I meant Buyer and Cellar (I often mistakenly call it Crate and Barrel, for some reason), but the damage was done. Lol"

 

I know Michael. It probably didn't bother him in the least.

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 5:49pm

The Crate & Barrel story made my evening.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 1/11/20 at 6:09pm

uncageg said: "The Crate & Barrel story made my evening."

In retrospect, it’s hilarious. In the moment, it’s was embarrassing. lol

But I agree with Dollypop. He has been gracious at every stagedoor experience I’ve had with him. 

[mikem]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 12:00am

Miles2Go2, thanks for letting me know about Ben McKenzie coming out the stage door.  Hopefully, he'll keep doing so!  And don't worry about the Crate and Barrel thing.  Like you said, in retrospect, it's pretty funny.  And the mistake is not a reflection on him or the material -- it's not like you thought the title was something like, "Boring and Stupid"!

[cdhwa80]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 11:17am

I went last night, quickest stage door I’ve ever done. After about 10 minutes they all came out together. Everybody signed and took photos. Jane Alexander was especially chatty and sweet! They were all nice and took their time!

[cdhwa80]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 11:19am

And the people complaining about the playbill...they got a nice updated one now!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 11:28am

It’s a very nice playbill they have now.

Also, I think Ashley Park really needs to be singled out in this cast. For me, this kind of cements her as an actress who can do anything. We know she can sing and is wonderful in musicals but here she shows her ability to really deliver comedy and also be extremely effective in the quiet dramatic moments her character has. She was the one I was talking about most after we left the theatre.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 11:39am

A treat to see James Cromwell and Jane Alexander (two of the most "woke" people of their generation) back on the New York stage.

It's a charming, if slight, play that serves as good counter-programming to Slave Play and Jagged Little Pill and other more "edgy" pieces. The cast really elevates the material, and Maulik Pancholy and Priscilla Lopez each only have one scene. Comparisons to Everybody Loves Raymond and On Golden Pond would be valid. It's a nice way to spend 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Though I hope after this and Linda Vista, 2nd Stage isn't going to continue a trend of "comedies by overqualified playwrights that mostly deal with white middle-aged-and-older characters."

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 4:44pm

In the past Jane Alexander had been known to be downright cruel to people at the stage door. I recall being there after FIND YOUR WAY HOME when she belittled a guy called "Dave the Autograph Hound" because he'd asked for her autograph the night before. She laced into him so badly that I cringed and walked away without asking for her signature.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/12/20 at 4:47pm

At least she didn’t charge people at the stage door like Loretta Swit did.