Has anyone seen PICKED at the Vineyard Theater?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/15/11 at 4:11pm

If so, how is it?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/15/11 at 5:28pm

I am also very curious about this!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:08pm

Bump. Anyone..?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:10pm

It opens tonight, yeah?

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:18pm

I almost got a ticket for this. Read one "review" on another site and it wasn't good.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 2:32pm

Would you mind re-posting, uncageg? It's like total radio silence with this show.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 5:16pm

I've seen it, and I might be in the minority, but I loved it. It's definitely not a play for everyone though, as it touches upon many different themes (technology, success, celebrity, failure, empathy), and probably is a bit too long. Nothing much "happens" in the play, and it's somewhat even difficult to describe what the play is about without seeing it. Hopefully the reviews tonight can provide better clarification than I can.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 5:18pm

I enjoyed it a lot also, if that counts for anything.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 5:22pm

Yay! Two good reports. Nice to hear.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 6:46pm

Christopher Shinn is not a crowd-pleasing playwright. Personally, I think he's brilliant!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/20/11 at 11:05pm

I haven't read the whole thing yet. but it looks like Mr. Brantley gives the show his seal of approval. Seems like a solid review.
NY Times Review

[contraseraph]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 12:48pm

bump.

i actually saw picked last night and was extremely intrigued.

to the people who haven't seen it yet- to be blunt, yes it's not the best. not my favorite. the acting could be better. BUT like someone else commented, this isn't for everyone. if you're looking for a feel-good, lots of laughs, exciting time, don't come here. but if you're just willing to come with an curious open mind, come. support new playwrights.

that sounds really weird but that's what i did, and i didn't get that terrible feeling after you see a show that you just want to be good, but then mid second-act you're like, "oh no." i didn't feel that. there are some extremely strong points throughout the piece. personally i haven't seen a play in such a long time and the vineyard is a intimate quaint space, and i myself get a high just sitting in a theatre. i'm always interested in seeing in what a new playwright has to create.

SORTA-SPOILER ALERT


anyways. for the people who have seen it. what did you all think? i didn't hate it but it just kinda annoyed me how most of the play was kinda circling around what really was "happening". (ex- the actual filming of the flim?) and the character i think the name is nick (the actor that was brought in midway) he just freaks out and that's that? didn't really get that.
i was very curious about the "lights" and the whole futuristic sounds. i know the film has the whole spaceship thing, so i almost imagined that some spaceship was going to burst through the stage.
that being said though by the end i thought it was quite poignant and overall it had some very universal themes especially to a person coming from theatre/art.
thoughts??

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 8:33pm

"that being said though by the end i thought it was quite poignant and overall it had some very universal themes especially to a person coming from theatre/art. "

Yes, I agree with you that the play was poignant at the end. I felt the play first began to come to life only in the middle of the second act. Before that, as you said, there a lot of "circling around," a lack of focus and dramatic interest, and the first act was a complete dud.


Also, the way the character was drawn made it hard to sympathize with the actor's plight. He came off as something of a whiner. But Michael Stahl-David gave such a thoughtful, carefully-nuanced performance that he won me over by the end.

I have not liked any of the author's previous plays, and I can't say I liked this one either. But I feel he has matured as a playwright here, and he holds promise for the future.