“N/A” at Lincoln Center Theater - Mitzi E. Newhouse

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/6/24 at 1:45pm

A new play, N/A, is expected to start previews on 06/11/2024 and open on 06/23/2024 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center.

Summary:

“Emmy Award® winner Holland Taylor (The Practice, Ann) and Theatre World Award winner Ana Villafañe (On Your Feet) star as two congresswomen, generations apart. From Congressional aide, turned lobbyist, turned writer Mario Correa and Tony Award®-winning director Diane Paulus (Pippin, Jagged Little Pill) N/A is a limited engagement, world premiere play about power, politics, and the tumultuous path to progress.

N/A is a whip-smart battle of wills — and wits — between N, the first woman Speaker of the House, and A, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Inspired by real people and events, this riveting two-hander illuminates the most powerful woman in American history… and the once-in-a-generation political talent who defied her.”

Updated On: 5/6/24 at 01:45 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/6/24 at 2:01pm

Are the characters named Fancy Felosi and Alexandra Socasi-O'Cortez?

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/6/24 at 2:21pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Are the characters named Fancy Felosi andAlexandra Socasi-O'Cortez?"

Took me a whole ass minute to realize the title didn’t stand for “non-applicable.” Lol, I felt so dumb.

Updated On: 5/6/24 at 02:21 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/6/24 at 2:57pm

I assume it's a double meaning but my dumb ass also didn't make the connection of Nancy/Alexandria until I wrote that quip.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 5/10/24 at 10:31am

Bumping the original thread now that it's been announced:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Holland-Taylor-and-Ana-Villafae-Will-Lead-Political-Play-NA-20240510

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/12/24 at 8:04pm

Previews started last night. Anyone go?

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 6/12/24 at 9:11pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I assume it's a double meaning but my dumb ass also didn't make the connection of Nancy/Alexandria until I wrote that quip."

Well…to be a pedant, the quip also didn’t make much sense. Wouldn’t a play titled “N/A” have a N-named lead character and not “Fancy Felosi”?

🤷🏽‍♂️

[PegasusOasis]

Posted: 6/12/24 at 10:23pm

This was pretty good for something that sounded so cringe. A few character statements received faint sincere clapping like Hamilton’s “immigrants we get the job done” which was then funny bc only 5 people clapped. It had some good purposeful jokes, too. 

The actors really do resemble them physically. Saw it for Holland but Ana was amazing too. Uncanny. Sat Row D Orch Center $39 TodayTix rush. 299 seat theatre was only ~80% full. Ran about 95 min. Few set pieces (desks, chairs) and a few projections used to transition scenes. The characters are never addressed by name. “N/A” is said outloud in the play in the context of not applicable. 

Updated On: 6/12/24 at 10:23 PM

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 1:42am

Literally why this why now?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 8:29am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Literally why this why now?"

Literally why not? you could ask that about many shows. And no one is forcing you to see them 

[raddersons]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 9:16am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Literally why this why now?"

Because the playwright wrote it and when LCT programming read the script they liked it.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 9:22am

This is not an LCT production, it’s a commercial production renting their space. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 10:28am

You’re right, thanks for clarifying. 

The point still stands that the reason it’s happening now is because someone wrote it, and someone else liked it enough to produce it. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 6/13/24 at 10:40am

raddersons said: "You’re right, thanks for clarifying.

The point still stands that the reason it’s happening now is because someone wrote it, and someone else liked it enough to produce it. Sometimes it’s as simple as that."

What a groundbreaking, intentionally obtuse and unhelpful answer! 🙄

Clearly the questions still stand - WHY did someone write it, and WHY did someone feel strongly enough about it that they wanted to produce on this scale, with this theater, at this time? 

[BroadwayGirlie2]

Posted: 6/14/24 at 3:39pm

MemorableUserName said: "Previews started last night. Anyone go?

I saw it last night and was pleasantly surprised. Holland delivered a strong performance and I imagine it will get better during previews. 

Addressing the question of "Why this, why now?" the play uses Pelosi and AOC (though they never refer to each other by name) to explore the tension between the progressive movement and establishment Democrats in Congress. Given current circumstances, it feels pretty relevant. If you enjoy political discourse, it is worth adding to your list, especially with some of the discount options available (I got mine through LincTix). 

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 6/14/24 at 5:44pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Literally why this why now?"

I was thinking why did it take so long for someone to capitalize on AOC's notoriety and popularity.  I'm looking forward to seeing a smart play with 2 good actors.

 

[PegasusOasis]

Posted: 6/15/24 at 5:49pm

For the why this/why now crowd, the below explanation is in the Playbill:

A NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT:

N/A has its roots in the pandemic, when I wondered what form theatre would take when it finally came back. I began thinking about a play comprised of only two characters orbiting one another —figuratively, literally. They would never touch, never quite connect. My mind immediately went to the two women I consider the most riveting political figures of our day, who often seemed to be in a figurative dance of their own.


I did not want to write a history play, as the issues I wanted to tackle existed long before the events of this play and will be with us long after. And I especially did not want to write a play in which substantive disagreements between two of our country's most influential leaders are reduced to a "fight" between two women. I wanted to write about a battle of ideas; the philosophical and strategic disagreements that have placed two historical figures seemingly at odds, despite shared values and objectives. Their ideas — and their ideals — are bigger than any one person (or even two). Hence, N and A.


NA is inspired by events that took place between 2018 and 2022 and what we know of certain conversations from that period. Some dialogue is taken directly from the leaders who fueled these characters. The play is heavily researched and lightly imagined.


For all of this, I owe a debt of gratitude not just to the extraordinary, real-life figures, but tó a lifelong mentor closer to home. Ambassador Constance A. Morella offered me a permanent job in her Congressional office when I was all of 18 years old and not even yet a U.S. citizen (only in America!). The Capitol Hill depicted in this play is a very different place from the one that I was so lucky to be a part of through much of my 20s, but many of my experiences observing and learning from this remarkable leader and friend are reflected in N/A. I am more grateful to her than I can possibly say.

Updated On: 6/15/24 at 05:49 PM

[raddersons]

Posted: 6/26/24 at 12:26am

Went to see this tonight and what seems to be a cringe concept is actually a very well written piece of theater. Enjoyed it quite a bit. In a world where you-know-who could be re-elected, a play that focuses on how politicians see their role in the world feels very fresh. Holland Taylor is doing phenomenal work. Ana Villafaña doesn’t quite bring the fire that we need from AOC, and I hope she finds this in the coming weeks. Wow does she look JUST like her though. 

Audience was really loving it too. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 10:38pm

Green in NYT is mixed: positive on the actors, less so on the play.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/theater/n-a-review-nancy-pelosi-aoc.html

McHenry in Vulture is negative, and makes a similar point to Green that the N character gets all the laugh lines, which tilts the show in her favor.

"N/A wears quickly as a drama. It’s boring watching one generation dunk repeatedly on another for 80 minutes."

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-na-pelosi-aoc-lincoln-center.html

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 10:43pm

Same point from The Wrap, which is negative:

https://www.thewrap.com/n-a-off-broadway-theater-review-holland-taylor-nancy-pelosi/

"Taylor keeps her feet planted on solid ground; Villafañe spouts idealistic slogans about the Green New Deal and defunding ICE that will decimate the Democrats’ majority in the House. And each argument ends (and often begins) with Taylor getting the laugh. There’s really no other way to play the text, and under Diane Paulus’ direction, “N/A” soon emerges as a lopsided comedy act, with the deadly serious A(lexandria) having to set up alpha comic N(ancy), who hogs the spotlight."

Observer is negative:

‘N/A’ Review: A Generational Clash That’s Short On Sparks

Two Congresswomen clearly based on Nancy Pelosi and AOC face off in this one-act, which is full of facts and bumper-sticker speeches.

https://observer.com/2024/06/n-a-review-a-generational-clash-thats-short-on-sparks/

The Sun is unimpressed

Most Who Attend ‘N/A’ Will Quickly Recognize Its Two Unnamed Characters, but Fewer Are Likely To Be Enthralled by the Play

Rather than humanize its heroines, the play sets each up as a rather romantic archetype: A is the brilliant, feisty idealist, railing against the establishment; N is the pragmatic, long-suffering but stoic elder statesperson.

https://www.nysun.com/article/most-who-attend-n-a-will-quickly-recognize-its-two-unnamed-characters-but-fewer-are-likely-to-be-enthralled-by-the-play

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:24pm

Lifting the review embargo for a political play on Debate Night is a real "we want to bury these reviews" move by Jeffrey Richards & co.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 6:28am

MemorableUserName said: "Green in NYT is mixed: positive on the actors, less so on the play.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/theater/n-a-review-nancy-pelosi-aoc.html

McHenry in Vulture is negative, and makes a similar point to Green that the N character gets all the laugh lines, which tilts the show in her favor.

"N/A wears quickly as a drama. It’s boring watching one generation dunk repeatedly on another for 80 minutes."

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-na-pelosi-aoc-lincoln-center.html"

Gift link for Green

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/theater/n-a-review-nancy-pelosi-aoc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E0.X2Ha.DqW-w0oMlOEo

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 8:09am

This feels like a play designed for regional theaters. I saw it earlier this week - Taylor is good, Villafañe less so (although she bears a striking physical resemblance to AOC), the production itself is sleek but a bit tiresome, even at just 80 minutes. The script couldn't be more slight. Even in a small theater, there were lots of empty seats (and it was a critics' preview, so heavily comped). The reviews are about what I expected.

Updated On: 6/28/24 at 08:09 AM

[raddersons]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 11:57am

I agree with the reviewers that the play felt one-sided. But I really think the problem isn’t the play itself, it’s that Villafañe wasn’t fighting back.

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 8/7/24 at 10:35am

I saw this last night, fitting for a day when Nancy Pelosi again exerted her influence with the Walz VP pick. Agree that the script is incredibly thin, basically a liberal fantasy. Ana does her best, but AOC is a cartoon.

But Holland Taylor makes it work, as she always does. She milks every Pelosi zinger for all it's worth. It pairs nicely with her Ann Richards performance, though that was a marginally better play IMO.