Outside Mullingar Begins Performances!

[cknick]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 11:58am

I am going tomorrow. Really looking forward to it as well!

[jbm2]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 10:18pm

Excited to hear about this one...
Anyone make it to the show in the snow?

[MKunkel]

Posted: 1/4/14 at 1:27am

I saw the show tonight and it was, as usual, a very respectable production for MTC and aside for a few line calling it was a very polished preview. The show runs for 90 minutes and Debra Messing and Brian F. O'Bryne are doing good work. I'm kind of on the fence about it and I think my problem is with the play itself. It's not a very intriguing piece of theatre. Peter Maloney, who plays Brian F. O'Bryne's father Tony, is slowly dying and needs to give away the family farm, but he doesn't want to pass it off to his son. Debra Messing's character, Rosemary, who turns out to be in love with Anthony (Mr. O'Bryne) convinces his father to let him keep the farm, and then eventually the two of them fall in love and get together.

Now, the problem arises in the fact that the first scene of the show is 20 minutes of exposition about the farm and what Mr. Maloney's character want's to do with it, does he want to sell it or give it to his son or give it to his nephew? Suddenly in the second scene, Debra Messing's character shows up and in a flash, convinces Tony to give the farm too Anthony. Yay, the stake has been accomplished, but there is still another 60 minutes left so what will happen? One of my main problems here was there was so much build up from the exposition that I thought the whole show would be about this farm struggle and that Peter Maloney's character would be extremely important, but the play really isn't about the farm struggle and Mr. Maloney's character is soon to be gone.

****SPOILER ALERT*****



Tony in the next scene confesses to his Anthony how he didn't really love his mother and that he is sorry for everything wrong he has done to him (What has he done wrong though? All we know is that he didn't want to give him the farm, but he did anyway!). Tony soon dies and the scene is over. The scene came extremely randomly into the show, and I didn't see the need to know about Tony's wife/Anthony's mother. It felt like it was there just for the sake of being emotional.


*****END SPOILER*****

The last scene in the show is where Debra Messing and Brian F. O'Bryne really get to flex their acting muscles, and it's when the two start to realize their feelings for each other. They are doing great work with the material here, but it's as if their arcs spring up from their one level in this scene to cover a lot of ground and backstory that they haven't in other scenes, so that they can end happy. I think if the show focused more on Rosemary and Anthony it would be better. More backstory on their relationship, why they like each other, and the blossoming of their hearts too each other throughout the whole play, rather than just in the last scene. It would give Debra Messing and Brian F. O'Bryne more room to really shine.

All in all, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. Sorry for some of the thoughts being scattered. I wanted to post this before I fell asleep.

[After Eight]

Posted: 1/4/14 at 8:16am

Perhaps the author was aiming for something quirky and touching. I found it maladroit and tedious, with a smattering of laughs, The two leads were good, though Debra Messing's character was too one-note. Anthony's revelation in the final scene as to what he fancies himself to be, and which caused his first love to walk out on him (smart woman), is utterly preposterous, and laughably so. Quirkiness has to have at least a modicum of credibility.

Audibility was a problem at times, especially at the beginning.

Updated On: 1/4/14 at 08:16 AM

[cknick]

Posted: 1/4/14 at 10:55pm

I think this play was delightful. Everyone was wonderful, and Debra Messing was a gem. I did not find the scene with the father out of place at all. It was needed to give some closure to Anthony's relationship with his father. Perhaps it felt arbitrary since the play is so short and needed to develop quickly.

As far as Anthony's revelation at the end, yes it was ridiculous but so what? Life is ridiculous. The bigger picture, and goal of that scene, was for him to admit his unique attraction to Rosemary. I don't think Debra Messing was one-note at all. I thought her character was very well developed. She was a standout to me. The entire cast is great. Hope this gets good reviews!

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 10:25am

Does anyone by any chance have the 30 Under 30 code for this show? I can't find it in my inbox, think I accidentally deleted it.

[MKunkel]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 10:37am

Jeffmiele, check your inbox!

[rjm516]

Posted: 1/5/14 at 8:27pm

I am excited! Got my 30 under 30 ticket. Gotta see both of these leads on stage!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 1/7/14 at 10:19pm

I saw Outside Mullingar tonight and was on the fence about it until the final scene, which I enjoyed immensely. The final 30 minutes could really stand on its own as a one-act, and both Messing and O'Byrne were funny and touching in it.

Overall I thought Messing gave a very strong performance; it was nice to see her go for something that was different from Grace Adler. O'Byrne was well-matched with her and I have a contrary opinion about his revelation than some offered above: I loved it. It was silly and bizarre and weird, but aren't people silly and bizarre and weird?

I still am not completely sold on first three quarters or the play, but it's definitely watchable. This is an atmospheric piece so don't go in expecting loads of plot. I think the pay off is that you really understand where the characters are coming from in the final scene. It's the slow burn of showing and not telling.

The set is impressive.

I think it's worth seeing for the performances of the two leads.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/7/14 at 10:52pm

It took about 15 minutes for me to fall in love with this. It's simple. It's not groundbreaking. It's silly. But so is romance sometimes. And the two lead performances are charming and beautiful. Messing is wonderful in her Broadway debut, and will only get better by opening.

It's certainly nothing that will change your life. But it's a sweet little look at love, with a couple of beautiful lines sprinkled throughout.

[After Eight]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 8:40am

"It was silly and bizarre and weird, but aren't people silly and bizarre and weird?"

Oh, sure.

"i believe I'm a porcucone."

"A what?!?!"

"A porcucone. Half porcupine, half pine cone."

"Oh.... Well, we all have our little quirks, now, don't we."

There's a limit to being silly, bizarre, and weird.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 9:22am

As you prove here on a daily basis.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 10:03am

I took the honeybee in stride, because it reminded me of Shamley's sweeter, early one act about the mermaid. What was that called? A Lonely Impulse of Delight?

[cknick]

Posted: 1/12/14 at 5:43pm

Couldn't agree more, tobiasragg!

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/12/14 at 6:10pm

Saw it last Tuesday and loved it!

[matineeidol2591]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 12:41am

Thankfully got a comp to see Outside Mullingar this evening-I feel similar to everyone else, the show started off slow but was gradually building momentum throughout the evening. I was totally invested by the final scene between Messing and the leading man (his name escapes me). The show was very funny, and there is some wonderful acting going on between the four characters. I highly recommend this one.

[cglaid]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 11:13am

Wow. I feel like I saw a different show. I thought this was a snooze from minute one and then had to actually hold in laughter when he reveals SPOILER*** he thinks he's a honeybee. ***END SPOILER Yikes. Now, maybe I would've felt differently had the whole play just been between Anthony and Rosemary and their complicated history and working it all out, but I thought their respective parents brought the show down unrecoverably and were completely unnecessary. I would not recommend this to anyone.

[cknick]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 11:17am

cglaid, I think you're supposed to laugh at Anthony's "revelation." I accepted it as humorous and laughed myself along with many others in the audience. I agree, it would have been interesting to see how the play would work had it been just between Anthony and Rosemary.

[BwayGeek2]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 4:01pm

I agree that the play starts a little slow, but the scenes between Debra Messing and Brian F. O'Byrne were the best. I thought they had great chemistry, particularly in the later scenes. Yes, there are things that are a bit ridiculous, but I definitely enjoyed the show. It was a lovely, if not quirky, evening at the theater. I'm looking forward to seeing how the critics feel...

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 4:24pm

This thread makes me want soup.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 9:40pm

How is Debra Messing's accent? I imagine being onstage next to an actual Irishman must add some pressure to get it right.

[rjm516]

Posted: 1/17/14 at 10:53pm

I actually loved this show. Like some of the above, I thought it was decent throughout, until that last scene. That last scene had me going through such an emotional roller coaster. It was done perfectly. And I rolled by eyes at Brian's silly revelation line, but then when you hear the punch line to it, what he thinks of Debra's character? Holy crap. It made it beautiful. I thought Debra was incredible, her accent completely unremarkable (in the best way, didn't stand out), and Brian just heartbreaking. I really was impressed all around. So emotionally honest and gripping.

For those interested, Debra really does not like stage door. After a decent crowd waited for about 45 minutes (during which Brian walked out and apparently no one knew who he was, because he just strolled out smiling without being bothered and I, not up front, was like "nooo come back!"), she came out with a huge hat and glasses covering her face and skipped right down the street. As we all can agree, dealing with stage door antics is not part of their job. However, it's quite upsetting when someone doesn't even acknowledge her fans with a wave or a smile but instead literally runs past covering her face. Weird.

Updated On: 1/17/14 at 10:53 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 1/19/14 at 11:21am

Saw it last night. Certainly a lot of fun lines and charming performances (Messing's Oyrish accent aside). But it still feels like two halves of different (albeit "Irish," though it seems as authentic as Irish Spring) plays smushed together. The first half is sentimental Irish family comedy, the second half is off-kilter rom-com. The last (lengthy) scene is like absolutely nothing that comes before it. I was then told by a friend in the know that the last scene was indeed a one-act play, that had been commissioned by MTC to be turned into a full-length. So it's like he grafted two fruit plants together- they're both green and both plants, but they don't really fit as one whole.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/19/14 at 12:04pm

She signed autographs during the polar vortex, but was very quick. She apologized and said that she likes getting home to her son. I can't fault her for that.

[jpiedrafite]

Posted: 1/23/14 at 11:20am

Never been to the Friedman - how is the mezzanine, specifically the first/second seats on the side aisles (i.e. 1/3 and 2/4)?