Lsat Prymate thought

[cowpiegal]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 2:16pm

The NY critics can go blow! The play never had a decent chance to make it. My friends who live in the NY area LOVED PRYMATE! They didn't find it offending at all. Good writing and good performances by the cast. It's a pity. The trip I planned to see it is cancelled.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 2:29pm

I have gone on record, ad nauseum, stating that I found more to like than not to like in this play. I found it to be interesting and thought provoking. It was flawed, but IMO deserved a better fate. People, many of whom hadn't actually seen it, joined into the outcry over a scene that was blown out of proportion and talked about out of context.

I wouldn't say I loved Prymate, but I will go on record saying I liked it. I believe it was Ruffian who made the excellent point that Prymate could have been so much more than what it was. It was a risky and, perhaps, unwise move to try and float this on Broadway. In my opinion, it would have fared better Off- or even Off-Off-....

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 2:48pm

We can all thank Corine.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 2:53pm

New York has a lot of "reviewers" and very few critics. The art of thoughtful criticism seems to be something of a lost art.

At least that's my opinion. I may be wrong

Updated On: 5/11/04 at 02:53 PM

[Craig]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 2:58pm

Personally, I don't think the producers, playwright, performers or director are thanking Corine.

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 3:07pm

...do we have to have a "last thought on PRYMATE?"

I think we should discuss it once a month

[mominator]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 3:37pm

I do wish Ilived closer... I would have at lease liked to have seen it..
B

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 3:44pm

As a woman?

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 3:47pm

As a primate, at least

[Craig]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 3:52pm

As a woman. And just as proud to be a woman as she ever was. For I am not Emily Kimberly, the daughter of Dwayne and Alma Kimberly. No, I'm not. I'm Edward Kimberly, the recluse brother of my sister Anthea. Edward Kimberly, who has finally vindicated his sister's good name. I am Edward Kimberly. Edward Kimberly. And I'm not mentally ill, but proud, and lucky, and strong enough to be the woman that was the best part of my manhood. The best part of myself.

Look, you don't know me from Adam. But I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man. Know what I mean?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 4:07pm

I know what you mean. As a homo sapiens.

Updated On: 5/11/04 at 04:07 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 4:31pm

to quote osgood fielding iii, "well, nobody's perfect."

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 4:42pm

I wouldn't blame reviewers (especially when nearly everyone of them said the same thing). PRYMATE had been hemorraging money, doing 8% capacity and 13% capacity in the two weeks before the reviews came out -- about as poorly as a play can possibly do on Broadway -- due largely to the fact that the producers decided not to spend any money on advertising, apparently hoping that the reviews would save them -- a truly DUBIOUS notion. It received one of the worst slates of reviews of any play to open in at LEAST a decade or two (MOOSE MURDERS was invoked in several notices) and, your friends' opinions aside, word of mouth was generally terrible (posts here and over at ATC were mostly condemning). The Tony nominators apparently agreed as well, snubbing it entirely.

Now Chase Mishkin is a VERY wealthy woman, so if she wanted to keep the play open despite everything, she could have (she could probably afford to keep it running longer than CATS). She also could have launched a major ad campaign --direct mail, radio, etc -- touting the fact that Medoff, Frelich and Naughton are Tony-winners, and DeShields is an equally esteemed performer. Lots of shows manage to survive bad reviews (look at BOMBAY DREAMS which grossed $700,000 last week despite a slate of reviews almost as bad as PRYMATE's) -- some even run for years, but it takes a committed producer and a talented marketing team to pull that off. Chase decided to throw in the towel, recognizing it was a losing proposition.

The fact is, Mishkin made a huge mistake rushing the play up to NY from Florida State, of all places (not exactly known for its track record of producing Broadway hits) without having it try-out at a not-for-profit in town (e.g. Playwrights, The Public, The Vineyard, et al, with a built-in subscription audience, so there's little real financial risk) or at one of the LORT regional houses around the country first, so the creative team would have time to fix and fine tune the show in front of a theatrically savvy, paying audience. Opening cold on Broadway with a new play is absolutely absurd these days (MATCH also learned that the hard way).

Sorry, your trip got canceled, but the fact is, clearly, PRYMATE had no business being on Broadway in the first place. There are tons of terrific plays in town at the moment (Intimate Apparel, I Am My Own Wife, Bug, Frozen, Well, Normal Heart, Blackbird, Jumpers......) -- why not choose one or more of them and still make your trip???

Updated On: 5/11/04 at 04:42 PM

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 4:47pm

Every single one of the plays you mention is worth a NYC trip

[etoile]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 5:28pm

And don't forget PICASSO At The LAPIN AGILE. Heard it has an awesome and amazing cast.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 6:13pm

I don't blame the critics. I blame Corine.

She's what sociology researchers call a Key Opinion Leader. Every group has them, and for the NYC Theater Loving World you don't get more of a Key Opinion Leader than Corine. Mishkin probably WOULD have thrown advertising money out there IF Corine had managed to hold back on her opinion until the show opened. But alas, she did not, killing one production in the art form she loves.

Updated On: 5/11/04 at 06:13 PM

[Craig]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 7:01pm

Namo. You expressed your last opinion very passionately!

[BRUZERNYC]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 7:20pm

I saw Prymate in previews and thought it was one of the worst pieces of crap I have ever seen on the bway stage. Not only was it offensive in SO MANY ways, it was the worst of the so-called "sociological" plays, pretending to be "topical" and "edgy", but getting facts wrong and just basically BAD PLAYWRIGHTING. each character was unlikeable and unbelievable and the conflicts were just manipulative. Despite all this, somehow Andre de Shields pulled off a magnificently brave performance. He deserves better.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:58pm

My wife & eyes were to see it through TDF this coming Saturday.

We got our money back & got to keep the tickets as a souvenir along with a program our neighbor got us when he saw it. Nice package with tickets stapled to inside of Playbill.

[Corine2]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:27pm

I am glad you think that I have so much power. That is the funniest thing I have ever heard.
But it was one of the worst shows I have ever seen. So snap out of it. My God do I have to like every show.
The BROADWAY BLACK WIDOW HAS SPOKEN.
Updated On: 5/11/04 at 10:27 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:35pm

Holy god, your signature file is classic verbal salad, indicating a psychotic break.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:39pm

Beyond borderline....WAY beyond....

[Nipper]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:49pm

Masturbating a monkey on stage is more off-Broadway than Broadway, dontchathink?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:53pm

Said that, although not quite as graphically. See the second post in this thread.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:56pm

i don't know...i think that 3 monkeys masturbating until infinity would come up with the score of wicked.