MISERY Previews

[gleek4114]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 2:41pm

This starts performances tomorrow! I can't say how excited I am that Laurie Metclaf is doing this show! I really want this adaption to succeed. Will anyone on here be attending the first preview?

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 3:01pm

I want the adaptation to be good. If that is true, then it can also succeed.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 3:15pm

I have Allegiance and King Charles on my next trip.....but this and View from the Bridge are must sees for me soon!

 

I LOVE there are so many appealing non-musicals on the boards!

[Golenboybway]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 3:48pm

I'll be there tomorrow night!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 3:54pm

I am going to the 8pm show on Halloween! I am very excited.

[Sam2]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 4:06pm

Forgive me for asking the same question in two different threads, but Google wouldn't help me out. Is there a rush policy going on? 

[abbagirl]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 4:17pm

I asked at the box ofc this morning (about rush), they had no idea yet.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 4:37pm

The show is selling pretty well from what I hear so rush may not be a guarantee. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 4:52pm

SRO sounds good, especially for a 90 minute show.

[Sam2]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 5:25pm

AC126748 said: "The show is selling pretty well from what I hear so rush may not be a guarantee. 

 

"

But they probably are going to offer some kind of ticket in the price category of a rush ticket, right?

[bfreak]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 5:35pm

No. I believe the cheapest ticket is $69 or so. I didn't get my tickets yet but I'm planning on getting a $99 seat in the mid mezzanine which sounds like a pretty good deal.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 5:50pm

Sam2 said: "But they probably are going to offer some kind of ticket in the price category of a rush ticket, right?"

 

Hopefully, but it's no guarantee. Some shows just don't do it. The Gin Game and On Your Feet are current examples of shows that just don't feel they need to offer rush. It sucks, but that's the way it is. 

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/21/15 at 10:01pm

I got a free orchestra seat through Audience Rewards for this Friday! Can't wait!

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 12:57am

I saw it a few years ago in New Hope and I really liked it. The story is the story, I think it's just 3 or 4 actors, but Johanna Day was absolutely terrifying and amazing. I'm excited to hear what people think of Laurie Metcalf. David Korins' set was claustrophobic in the best possible way, it seemed to me like it kept tracking further and further downstage as the play progressed, bringing it pretty much to the lip of the stage in the final, intense moments. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 3:44pm

I just saw the Family Guy parody and I'm so excited for this. I love Metcalf and I love this story. I'm excited to see how it all plays out. I hope it ends up on TDF or something. I can't really spring for a $99 seat, but I might have to.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 3:45pm

Well, if its selling well, it will not be on TDF.

[brdway411]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 4:06pm

I just hope they didn't ruin it like they did A Time To Kill (one of my favorite books and movies).

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 4:58pm

For us, the only reason to see it would be Metcalf and not Willis

[tyleramullen]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 6:16pm

Just picked up two SRO tickets for tonight! $27 each. 'Excited' is an understatement.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 6:24pm

Thanks for letting us know about SRO. What time did you get it?

[tyleramullen]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 6:44pm

JBroadway: LITERALLY right before I posted. I'd been checking this thread for an answer, so I thought I'd share the good word! 

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 10:21pm

I just got out of the second preview, and I'm sorry to say that even for a second performance, this is in bad shape. Bruce Willis is inaudible and lethargic. His Paul right now seems litetally to have nothing at stake. Laurie Metcalf has all of the production's good moments, but she's also rushing through much of her dialogue, perhaps to make up for Willis' utterly perplexing lack of stakes and commitment. He sounds like he's reading from a teleprompter.  The iconic hobbling scene has a gleeful gruesomeness, but it ultimately reads as too phony, and, perhaps worst of all, what should be the thrilling bit of final stage combat is not only utterly unconvincing, but is also over in about 30 seconds. It doesn't help that the play is almost a direct copy of the screenplay. There are some changes, none of them important or impactful, so the show moves from one very short scene to the next. The clever set design and creepy score help that cinematicness to feel more organic than it has a right to, but lacking any dramatic tension and spark between Paul and Annie, the night slogs on to an incredibly awkward epilogue. On the whole, it's disappointing, ineffective, and anticlimactic. 

(Sorry for any typos or if this reads as scattershot. I'm typing quickly from my phone.)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:02pm

I was there tonight too, Growl, and I half agree with you. 

 

Willis was barely projecting and wooden to the point that he didn't register a single emotion all evening. While Bresson may have given him an A+, Misery doesn't exactly scream for the acting techniques you look for in Au Hasard Balthazar. The man is being held captive by an obsessed crazy woman so you might expect to see, I don't know, fear, confusion, anxiety, rage. Unfortunately all he gave was the same monotone line reading at every turn. His attempts at manipulation were pathetic and it was hard to believe that man would be able to outwit his woman, unhinged as she might be. 

 

On the other hand I found Metcalf to be an absolute delight. Yes, they really rely on us deriving enjoyment from a familiarity with the film, but Metcalf seems to be having so much fun that I didn't mind the lazy adaptation. I laughed a lot and found myself, like one of Pavlov's dogs, clapping whenever she delivered an iconic line or inflicted a physical punishment; the hobbling scene was great fun! 

 

The turntable set is gorgeous and I mostly liked the music, even though at times it tried to hard. 

 

Ultimately, Misery was an exercise in sheer star power overcoming all other shortcomings (ineffectual co-star and predictable script) and still turning the evening into something enjoyable. Maybe Willis will get better, but even if he doesn't I think it's still worth it see for Metcalf, especially if you have a fondness for the film.  

[harris007]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:06pm

sigh

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:25pm

HA! I'm guessing 100 to 1! Too bad I didn't know you were going to be there tonight.