Machinal Reviews

According to numerous twitter posts, the show was stopped for 45 minutes an hour into the performance tonight, and then resumed from the top. Oof, what a bummer! Glad whatever it was they got it fixed! Hopefully these great reviews will help positivity.

?@fdilella 1h
At the opening of "Machinal" on Broadway... Show stopped twice... On a break now..."Technical Difficulties".

@DanBenge 1h
That's got to suck for #machinal! Full show stop and audience in the foyer on opening night!

It was groundbreaking when it debuted in 1929 but does the seminal Ionesco-esque feminist drama “Machinal” presented by Roundabout at American Airlines Theatre still run smoothly or has it rusted over? Find out in our full review!
Click Here for Our Full Review of MACHINAL

Technical difficulties on opening night? Ouch.

Smaxie, you may be right, unparalleled was perhaps too strong a word (which is why I prefaced it with "arguably"). Still, so far we have had the lavishly received Twelfth Night, Richard III, No Man's Land, Waiting for Godot, and Glass Menagerie and now what looks to be a very acclaimed production of Machinal. And it's still January!

Updated On: 1/17/14 at 10:54 PM

"And THE WINSLOW BOY, which got very respectable reviews."

Actually, more like rave reviews and it was truly an outstanding production. Let's hope that show and the great performances in it are not forgotten come Tony time.

I was there last night when the automation stopped working. After a 45 minute break where I was sure we were going to be sent home (or, rather, to the party), Lyndsey Turner (who has staged this play so friggin' beautifully) gave a short speech saying the show will go on and that 11 volunteers would push the massive set throughout the evening. The show started from the top, as truly thunderous applause greeted the cast as they took their spots for the opening. It was utter magic. The show ended up going off without many hitches, the performances were terrific and everyone felt they saw something truly special.

SPOILER

The final sequence of her walking through all the 'rooms' to get to the electric chair was profoundly moving when you could see all the people working very hard to push the cube around and around. It took on a special resonance of how the machine that was crushing this woman is still made and run by man. There was also an unintentional Chris-like subtext as these people shouldered beams of wood while Hall's character was led to her execution to the sound of the priest delivering Bible verses. It was chilling and simply wonderful theater.

Strangely enough, I was a fan of the baby gay from the bar scene. Totally not my usual type, but he's adorable.

I got to congratulate him at the party and chat for a minute. He was super sweet and unbearably adorable. I was so happy he (and the others making their Broadway debuts) got to have a remarkable opening night. It makes an old woman feel good inside.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20776737,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/theater/machinal-examines-a-wife-driven-to-kill.html?_r=0

We were at the Saturday matinee as well, over towards the right side of the Orchestra, which gave us an occasional glimpse of the hard work the set dressers do, and really loved the show. As already has been said, this should win for Set Design, and should be strongly considered for Lighting and Sound as well. And Rebecca Hall did an incredible job with a very difficult (and wordy) script.

The story is the weakest part of the show, but it's still a pretty good story.