OTHELLO Previews- Page 2

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 11:31am

OhHiii said: "I think the babies whining about putting their phones away for 2.5 hours shouldn't be admitted in. If you can't be without your phone screen for that amount of time (the same as many feature films), you shouldn't be going to the theater where it's expected of you."

100% 

There are parents in the audience with child care at home who may need to reach mom and dad. Ditto for doctors on call and other first responders

They shouldn't be attending this show then. No one is forcing them to go and if they can't follow one of the rules and refuse, they will simply get a refund. Problem solved. 

Love the Yondr idea and this hilarious thread proclaiming they will never come to Broadway amuses me to no end. 

Updated On: 2/24/25 at 11:31 AM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 11:54am

The policy on the pouches clearly states that you can go to the lobby to unlock the phones and that if you have a valid need, in accordance with ADA, you can keep your phone unlocked. And yes, you can feel vibrations through the pouch. Proclaiming this as the equivalent of cutting off fire exits or infringing upon peoples’ wellbeing in some way is a stretch and an overreaction.

Anyway, has anyone seen the show and care to comment on the show itself?

Updated On: 2/24/25 at 11:54 AM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:06pm

The policy on the pouches clearly states that you can go to the lobby to unlock the phones and that if you have a valid need

Yes, and then you immediately need to leave the theater since, with this production, there is no re-entry to the show.

People's addiction to their phones is f*cking wild. 

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:08pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "
Anyway, has anyone seen the show and care to comment on the show itself?"

The first preview is tonight.

Cape Twirl of Doom saw the invited dress and offered comments linked to on the last page.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:18pm

TarHeelAlan said: "OhHiii said: "I think the babies whining about putting their phones away for 2.5 hours shouldn't be admitted in. If you can't be without your phone screen for that amount of time (the same as many feature films), you shouldn't be going to the theater where it's expected of you."

Please stop and think about the "babies whining"for a moment. There are parents in the audience with child care at home who may need to reach mom and dad. Ditto for doctors on call and other first responders, as I think pagers have gone the way of the dodo bird. Will those people feel their phones vibrate inside a Yonder pouch? Did you know that some people have apps on their phones for medical purposes, i.e. a diabetic can be alerted if their blood sugar is dropping dangerously low? If these people can just get a silent notification by setting the phone to vibrate only, they can step away to handle an emergency, But will they feel the vibration if the phone is locked in a Yonder pouch?


Sorry to disagree, but (respectfully) each of those "reasons" are complete and total BS.  If mommy and daddy can't bare the thought of being away from the kids for 1.5-2 hours (they can do a "wellness check in" at intermission), then it's simple -- either find a sitter you trust more, or don't go out to the theatre (or at least don't go to this particular play). As far as being "on call" and "low blood sugar", smart phones have been widely used for less than 20 years --- I don't recall people dropping dead or being carried out on stretchers on a routine basis pre-2000.  Same thing with medical professionals -- if it's their night off, they have someone equally competent who is on call and ready to step in should a kidney or a liver become available for a transplant. There is no legit reason that someone can't survive for an hour or two without their phone -- and if they truly believe they cannot -- it's time for them to seek professional help.

 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:24pm

This is set in late October of 2028. Interesting politically. 

 

[Kad]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:28pm

These pouches have been around for too long for this discussion to keep happening.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 12:46pm

I will wait to comment on the performances until after tonight, but since the direction/concept of the show itself won't change between dress and first preview tonight, I'll say that I don't understand the choice to set it in October 2028. It is clearly meant to have the audience in mind of the next US Presidential election, but then absolutely nothing else is done to fit that concept. The rest of the show could be set today, or 30 years ago, and it would look & feel exactly the same. It's literally just a date projected at the start, and then that's it.

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 1:12pm

 "I set it in the near future," Leon told Broadway.com. "Because whatever the political climate was, I didn't want it to be that. But I didn't want it to be so far ahead that it felt like, 'Oh, that's so far ahead. That's not me.'" Leon also expressed an aversion to a strictly historical Othello, classically set during the 16th-century Ottoman-Venetian War: "I didn't want to do that version of Shakespeare," he said. "And so it's like, 'Oh, let's set it in October 2028.' That allows the audience to find themselves in the story of it."

 

Aside from its near-futureness, October 2028 is also curiously at the epicenter of America's next Presidential election cycle. Coincidence? Only time and a trip to the Barrymore Theatre will tell.

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/205231/kenny-leon-sets-his-denzel-washington-led-othello-in-the-near-future-lets-set-it-in-october-2028/

[Kad]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 2:50pm

" Aside from its near-futureness, October 2028 is also curiously at the epicenter of America's next Presidential election cycle. Coincidence?"

Yes, Broadway.com, somebody just arbitrarily chooses a date in which to set a production and it just coincidentally happens to be during the next presidential election. Curious.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 3:00pm

Cape Twirl of Doom said: "I will wait to comment on the performances until after tonight, but since the direction/concept of the show itself won't change between dress and first preview tonight, I'll say that I don't understand the choice to set it in October 2028. It is clearly meant to have the audience in mind of the next US Presidential election, but then absolutely nothing else is done to fit that concept. The rest of the show could be set today, or 30 years ago, and it would look & feel exactly the same. It's literally just a date projected at the start, and then that's it."

Very much looking forward to yours - and others - first impressions tonight.  I'm most interested in the physical productions for  this and "Good Night and Good Luck."  

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 3:37pm

Running time listed on the website is 2:45 including a 15-minute intermission, but Telecharge says that is "subject to change."

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 3:56pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Running time listed on the website is 2:45 including a 15-minute intermission, but Telecharge says that is "subject to change.""

That’s accurate as of now. Saturday the show started at 8:15 and ended exactly at 11pm.

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 6:51pm

My last experience with a Yondr pouch was in Berlin at a Bob Dylan concert and I was relieved when I was informed that it had nothing to do with nudity on stage. 

I did see a weekday student matinee Othello in San Francisco a while back that had Othello naked in a bath tub, and when he stood up a kid threw what appeared to be a bottle of poppers at the stage.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 7:49pm

Enjoy it tonight guys! 😘 

Updated On: 2/24/25 at 07:49 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/24/25 at 11:54pm

What did we think, everyone?

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 8:19am

So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me.

[schubox]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 9:19am

Wouldn’t it make more sense to go the earpiece route? At least till he’s comfortably off book?

Updated On: 2/25/25 at 09:19 AM

[Wick3]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 9:33am

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me."

Oh wow. He is 70 years old so it may be harder to memorize lines. Since this is a double billing, I can see Denzel fans forgiving him but Jake fans may think otherwise. I applaud Denzel for keeping the first preview as scheduled. In other productions, they would have postponed previews a few days or even a week if the actor or producers felt they weren't ready.

 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 9:35am

I hate to go there, but a lifetime ago when pagers where all the rage. The box office held them and passed notes to doctors if they had been paged during the show. The system worked back than, so saying these yonder pouches stop parents etc is just bull****. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. 
 

But back on topic how many times did he call line? 

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 9:57am

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me."

So he was still calling for line last night? That’s what I was afraid of. It was so excessive during the dress that I didn’t know how he’d possibly get it all memorized in less than 2 days before the people who paid $500-$900 arrive.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 10:27am

This production has been signed & and in the works since this time last year. There is no excuse for not being off book. 

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 10:51am

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me."

How many times did he actually ask for a line?

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 10:57am

Cape Twirl of Doom said: "GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me."

So he was still calling for line last night? That’s what I was afraid of. It was so excessive during the dress that I didn’t know how he’d possibly get it all memorized in less than 2 days before the people who paid $500-$900 arrive."

Explains the Yondr.

 

 

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 2/25/25 at 11:07am

Between this, Al Pacino’s struggles in China Doll, Tayne Daly dropping out of Doubt with an “illness,” and George Clooney stressing about blanking on his lines, makes me think Broadway is a young person's game. For those who have been attending Broadway shows for years, has older performers forgetting their lines always been a thing? Or a more recent occurrence? 
 

Wick3 said: "GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "So, how many times can Denzel call line before that $300+ seat's price tag starts to really sting? Because it's one time too many for me."

Oh wow. He is 70 years old so it may be harder to memorize lines. Since this is a double billing, I can see Denzel fans forgiving him but Jake fans may think otherwise. I applaud Denzel for keeping the first preview as scheduled. In other productions, they would have postponed previews a few days or even a week if the actor or producers felt they weren't ready.

"