Judith Ivey, Tony Roberts, John Rubinstein, Patty McCormack... To Star in Off-Bway MORNINGS AT SEVEN - Page 2

[ArtMan]

Posted: 11/5/21 at 3:41pm

Harriet, Please post back.  Alley is listed on the website, but that doesn't mean she has already started.

[Harriet Craig]

Posted: 11/6/21 at 5:08pm

ArtMan said: "Harriet, Please post back. Alley is listed on the website, but that doesn't mean she has already started."

Reporting back, as requested … Alley Mills was in today’s matinee, on book. A pre-show announcement explained that she flew from LA to New York on Wednesday and read the script on the way, having never read it before, had two days of rehearsal, and then went on. It was a bit distracting, but I think her performance has the potential to grow into a good one in time — if you don’t have a ticket already, just give her a couple of weeks to get the script under her belt.

That aside, I thought the show was charming (and “dated” only if you think plays that refer to the telephone as a newfangled invention are dated; the family dynamics are timeless). I saw the 1980 revival with Teresa Wright and Maureen O’Sullivan (among others), and this did not suffer by comparison.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 11/6/21 at 6:30pm

Thanks Harriet, for the info.   At this point, I can't decide between this, Chicken & Biscuits (only with a rush ticket) or The Girl From The North Country (only with a rush ticket).  I may do something I never do....wait to purchase on day of arrival.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/7/21 at 12:37am

Ah, the weirdness of commercial off-Broadway theatre. Odd that they sent her on with a book (and that they publicly shared she didn't read the script prior to accepting the role) instead of having the understudy continue for now. It's not like Alley Mills is selling a ton of tickets...

ArtMan, I would definitely recommend seeing GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY over this or Chicken & Biscuits.

 

[JoeyEvans1206]

Posted: 11/7/21 at 6:38pm

Saw this on Saturday night. Mills continued to perform the role on-book. As indicated earlier, it was an earnest effort though a bit distracting. Probably would have preferred to see the understudy off-book. In time - I’m confident that Mills will give a respectable performance. If you’re the thinking about seeing this - I’d give it a few weeks. 

It’s a sweet play. And all are attempting to give it a nice production. Lindsay Crouse seems a bit miscast, but Dan Lauria, Tony Roberts, and Patty McCormack are all terrific. 

[jbm2]

Posted: 11/7/21 at 6:42pm

I saw it last week with the understudy. She also had book in hand. Noble try. But distracting.

 

I liked the production. Just would have enjoyed it more with memorized lines 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 12:27pm

Closing a month early on December 5.

https://www.playbill.com/article/off-broadway-revival-of-mornings-at-seven-will-close-early

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 1:04pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Closing a month early on December 5."

Not a huge surprise considering the reviews and –– the night I was there –– small house.

Above all, it may be indicative that its target audience (older folks) is still hesitant to go to the theatre OR is being more choosy with what gets them out of the house.

Updated On: 11/23/21 at 01:04 PM

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 2:20pm

I was first introduced to Tony Roberts and Betty Buckley in the 1969 London production of "Promises, Promises".  I still remember how much I enjoyed the show.  More than half a century later, they continue to entertain.  Good for them, and good for us!

 

 

[ArtMan]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 2:41pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "ElephantLoveMedley said: "Closing a month early on December 5."

Not a huge surprise considering the reviews and –– the night I was there –– small house.

Above all, it may be indicative that its target audience (older folks) is still hesitant to go to the theatre OR is being more choosy with what gets them out of the house."

I didn't see the reviews.. bad?  Poor Alley.  By the time she learned the lines, the show is closing.

[cougarnewtin]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 2:48pm

Not surprising. I’ve worked at Clements before and EVERY show has trouble selling there, no matter what it is or who is in it— which is kind of a shame, because even though it’s a small house I do think it’s a pretty alright venue (at least compared to some of the other Midtown off-Broadway theaters). 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 3:21pm

ArtMan said: "I didn't see the reviews.. bad? Poor Alley. By the time she learned the lines, the show is closing."

It was received with indifference by most critics...not awful reviews, but not anything that would make you want to go out and buy full-priced tickets.

That the Clements as a venue has trouble selling tickets is simply bad luck...it's a great, easily-accessible location. Like I said above, this probably indicates (a) older folks are still hesitant to go to to large group events, or (b) audiences in general are being more choosy with what gets them out of the house in a post-covid world.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 3:50pm

Ermengarde, Thanks for the info.  I would have seen this during my trip on December 1, just for the cast.  But Taffy informed the board of a cheap ticket for the loge of Sunset.  So I went with that instead.   Based on many of the posts I have read, many are agreeing with my gut instinct.  However, my seat location is fantastic and I can't beat the price.  I have only been at the Vivian Beaumont twice, but never from the front row center of the loge. So that in itself will be a treat.  

Updated On: 11/23/21 at 03:50 PM

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 4:25pm

Looks like I will be getting a refund as my tickets are for after the new closing date.

I loved the two productions of Mornings at Seven that I have seen in the past on Broadway but doesn't sound like I will be missing much in not seeing this. Judith Ivey was also a big selling point for me.

Updated On: 11/23/21 at 04:25 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 4:39pm

I like the theatre space but it does seem to have developed an unfortunate mojo problem. It has not always been thus. A shocking number of established companies spent a period resident in that space. Starting with American Place Theatre in its heyday (which was before my heyday lol).

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 5:41pm

It was a pleasant show with two well-built houses that housed a fine cast. I've seen the other two revivals and they were better, but this one did a decent job with a well known cast. I'm sorry for such a short run at St. Clements on 46th St off 9th Ave. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 5:51pm

HogansHero said: "I like the theatre space but it does seem to have developed an unfortunate mojo problem. It has not always been thus. A shocking number of established companies spent a period resident in that space. Starting with American Place Theatre in its heyday (which was before my heyday lol)."

I've never really understood how a theatre (as a venue, not producer) can develop bad mojo...yet it happens a lot, on Broadway and off. In terms of aesthetics and location, it's not like St. Clements is significantly better or worse than the Westside or the Jerry Orbach. Or the Winter Garden (sometimes viewed as a crowned jewel of Bway) vs. the Lunt (a "flophouse" with a few exceptions).

Updated On: 11/23/21 at 05:51 PM

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 6:32pm

The other theatre that I recall that seemed to have "bad mojo" Off Broadway was The Little Shubert Theatre now called Stage 42.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 8:17pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I've never really understood how a theatre (as a venue, not producer) can develop bad mojo...yet it happens a lot, on Broadway and off. In terms of aesthetics and location, it's not like St. Clements is significantly better or worse than the Westside or the Jerry Orbach. Or the Winter Garden (sometimes viewed as a crowned jewel of Bway) vs. the Lunt (a "flophouse" with a few exceptions)."

I think there are different reasons, and I think they are different on and off B. On Broadway, I think it is more about the desirability of the venue and how that translates into what tenants end up there. (and of course I also believe that there are no rules so there are no houses that cannot shake the stigma and there are famous examples (e.g., Wicked) that change perceptions. (The Marquis is still waiting for its break I guess but that involves not just mojo but ghosts .) 

Off Broadway, I think it is different because you don't really have large landlords except the Shuberts at NWS and Stage 42, and, to a lesser extent, the Theatre Row situation. So you have a few situations where the landlord is functioning more as a producer and, in the case of St Clements, as I understand it, Pecadillo functions as the landlord, and a presenter. I may not mean to be quite this harsh, but the venue (although good from a physical space standpoint, as I said above) has a "dustiness" about it that perhaps reinforces a substantive dustiness. I also think we may be overstating mojo some in this case because what it's really about is that the target audience for Mornings at 7 with this stellar cast is older (and whiter) and, as was said, not ready to go to the theatre in large numbers. But on some level I think mojo is real because it is designed. In the same neighborhood, I think ars nova has mojo in a way that Pecadillo does not. Having said all of this (which I suspect reads as all over the place) I stand by the idea that there are usually reasons for mojo and it is not just some spiritual thing. And to that point, and Huss's observation below, I think the Little Shubert lacks mojo for the same reason the Marquis does: it's difficult if not impossible to make a rational budget there so we think of tenants as being of the desperate sort. Until one comes along ...

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 8:30pm

hogan rn 




(joking aside, yes, that all does make sense with regard to theatre real estate)

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/23/21 at 9:06pm

lol can u lose what u never had?