MISERY Previews- Page 2

[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. 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:26pm

I've never seen the film but have tickets to this in December because I want to see Metcalfe on stage. Whizzer, based on your comments, I'm wondering if I should see the movie first?  Ordinarily I'd go into a play cold but if you say they're cashing in on fondness for the film maybe this is different?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:35pm

I think you should definitely see the film at some point because Kathy Bates won the Oscar for playing Annie and is pretty terrific. (And after that you should track down Dolores Claiborne, which is perhaps an even better Bates performance in a King adaptation.) 

 

I don't think you necessarily have to make the effort to see it before the play, but as Growl mentions, quite a bit of the play is lifted word for word from the film and they certainly are counting on the audience hearing the famous lines and allowing that familiarity to carry a portion of the evening. Maybe you could have a little Misery viewing party on Halloween? 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:39pm

Thanks, Whizzer!  A Halloween Misery viewing party sounds so fun but I have a trial starting that Monday so it's unlikely to be a fun night for me. :) I'm not seeing the play until December so I have plenty of time and maybe I'll do a post-dated Halloween celebration. I've always wanted to see the movie so this sounds like a good opportunity to do so before the show. If nothing else, I'm looking forward to finally seeing Metcalfe on stage!!  Thanks for the feedback. 

[Fantod]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 12:56am

Whizzer, it's weird that you mention Au Hasard Balthazar because I just turned in an essay on the acting techniques of Bresson not five hours ago.

 

And Bruce Willis has never been a great actor, so it doesn't surprise me that this isn't good, though it is a bummer considering how good the book is.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 1:02am

Wasn't tonight the first preview? Growl said it was the second, so I'm just clarifying. 

Is this Willis' Broadway debut? 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 1:13am

Laurie Metcalf in The Other Place was one of the best performances I've ever seen on stage - and I LOVED the film Misery but I have literally no desire to see this

It kinda reminds me of those random productions that pop up in the West End from time to time of beloved films suddenly being turned into stage plays with sort of out there American casting (wasn't there a version of Fatal Attraction with Kristen Davis a few years ago??)

Anyway, curious to keep reading people's thoughts.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 1:25am

GreasedLightning said: "Wasn't tonight the first preview? Growl said it was the second, so I'm just clarifying. 

 

Is this Willis' Broadway debut? "

 

 

Yes. Yes. 

http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/14136/Misery

http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/126549/Bruce-Willis

[dozermusic2]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 1:55am

Could anyone clarify how long before the performance they sell sro? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 2:12am

OMG. If they have standing room than game on! I freaking LOVE Metcalf. And I love Misery. I don't normally watch movies on TV, but I came across it a few years back and I could not stop watching it.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 6:59am

Fantod, as a big animal lover Au Hasard Balthazar ranks high up there on my list of favorite films and I'm sure one could argue that it's the greatest movie about an animal ever to be made. Balthazar's performance alone is better than many a human performance committed to film. The abuse can be tough, but the ending is a thing of pure beauty. 

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 8:18am

Thanks for the recap, guys. I'm not a big fan of the film. I think it lacks any real tension. Bates was "showy" but gave a far superior performance in "Dolores Claiborne." Misery is more of a psychological drama, which is why it works best on the page. Getting inside these two characters' heads. When you physicalize the action, you realize there isn't much action at all. The plot can be summed up in a really simple sentence, with no twists or turns or even surprises.

 

It sounds like the adaptation was too literal (based on the screenplay). I was hoping for inner-voice monologues or something that helped the audience get inside their heads more and get to the real terror.

 

[newintown]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 8:43am

Growl said, "It doesn't help that the play is almost a direct copy of the screenplay."

 

Whenever one of these non-adaptations comes along, I can't help thinking, why not just put on your pajamas, pour a good drink, and watch the movie? Is the appeal meant to be merely seeing different actors do something you've already seen?

Updated On: 10/23/15 at 08:43 AM

[mckeon232]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 9:09am

Im new to this board, and last night I was at the show, so I decided to post my thoughts. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This was terrifying and thrilling and does every bit of justice to the original film and the book. I also disagree with you guys 100 percent about Bruce Willis's performance. He gave a very good and realistic performance. Yes he did mess up some lines, but so did Metcalf, and since it's just the first preview I'm sure that will be fixed. I totally could feel the pain and fear that the character was experiencing   You guys complained he was monotone, didn't project more, didn't rant at Annie and the list goes on. But he talks very softly and weakly, is because of how weak and in pain his character was. I mean, let's be realistic for a second, this is a character that that just got in a really bad car accident and almost died, and now he is experiencing unbearable pain, so how in the heck could his character have the energy and strength to speak really loudly, and go on a rant as Whizzer suggested he should do. I mean his character is in so much pain and he is very weak. This is why i thought Willis gave a very good and realistic performance. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 9:23am

Well, sure at the beginning of the play I wouldn't expect that- after all he may believe her story about the roads and phones being out, plus he's very weak and in incredible pain. But as the days and weeks go on and not to have any variation in emotion or performance is not only unrealistic, but dramatically uninteresting.  Are you telling me that if someone was holding you prisoner for weeks you wouldn't have an adrenaline-fueled screaming match at some point? The man is in pain, but that shouldn't stop him from being able to inflect his voice.  

[mckeon232]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 9:38am

Actually no, not if I was getting tortured and getting my ankles smashed by a sledgehammer. I wouldn't have the strength. Also if you look at the film, James Caan gave a pretty similar performance. 

[mckeon232]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 9:44am

Also , the final showdown, where Willis is trying to beat the crap out of Metcalf looked like plenty of rage to me.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 9:52am

mckeon, it sounds like you Whizzer and growl all agree that Bruce Willis is giving a subtle, cinematic performance. Unfortunately, this is the theater. Theater acting is different than film acting.

[mckeon232]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 10:03am

I'm just saying if he was going on crazy verbal rants, and screaming and carrying on, it would have been a very unrealistic performance because there is no way someone who is that weak, and facing that much pain would have the energy to do that.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 10:12am

I'm not saying he should have been ranting 24/7. I used rage as one example in a list of many emotions he could have/should have been expressing. 

 

I agree that his performance stayed close to Caan's film portrayal, but that worked in that medium and is not translating to the theater. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 10:13am

I don't think anyone suggesting that either? Just something that reads in a theatre, with some variation? 

His reputation as someone to work with is absolutely horrifying, and from what I hear he hasn't stepped away from that for this production. 

[mckeon232]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 10:52am

Good performance from Willis or not, this production was incredibly entertaining and Metcalf deserves a Tony Award for her performance or at least a nomination.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 11:29am

Laurie is an impeccable, exquisite actress. I'd watch her cartwheel and fart. The Other Place was sublime and a master class and I was so happy I got to see that. I am seeing Misery just for the joy of seeing her play. I'm sure she's having a blast. 

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 2:44pm

As good as I know Laurie Metcalf is if I were the Director I would recast her part with Rosie O'Donnell. Bruce Willis and Rosie O'Donnell is a cast that would grab everyone's attention and that means beyond the theatre world. I would also  throw out the movie's "Hobbling" scene and replace it with William Goldman's book version of that scene which as I recall involved a blowtorch. If done properly it would make a great end to Act I and put the chandelier dropping scene from The Phantom of The Opera to shame. (It's not too late!)

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 2:46pm

Correction: I meant Stephen King's book version blowtorch scene. I'm sure Mr. Goldman would agree.