PAY THE WRITER Off-Broadway

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 11:58pm

I didn't see a thread for this.

Pay the Writer, the world premiere of a new comedy-drama by New York Times Bestselling Author Tawni O’Dell (Back Roads) and starring Ron Canada (Network, Wedding Crashers, “The West Wing&rdquo, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Marcia Cross (“Desperate Housewives,” “Melrose Place&rdquo, and Bryan Batt (“Mad Men,” 12 Years a Slave, Jeffrey), will open August 21, 2023 Off-Broadway at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). The seven-week limited engagement is directed by Karen Carpenter (Love, Loss, and What I Wore).

Pay the Writer debuts on August 13, 2023 with a special benefit performance for the Writers Guild of America.

Focusing on the complicated relationship between a legendary literary agent and his best friend-turned-most-successful client, Pay the Writer explores how an artist’s life is controlled by their calling and talent.

Bruston Fischer (Bryan Batt) is a young gay man suffering from social persecution while trying to make it in publishing when he first meets Cyrus Holt (Ron Canada) some 40 years earlier. Cyrus is a gifted Black writer trying to get his talent noticed in a world that wants to ignore his existence. Through their unique friendship, the pair find literary success and the most stable relationship either will ever have. Yet when talent, business and love intertwine, missteps occur and, inevitably regrets often follow. Triumph and loss become blurred as we sort through the challenges of the human condition. Pay The Writer is a heartrending and funny exploration of personal and artistic legacy while navigating life’s final chapter.

Anyone seen it yet?

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 5:36pm

It’s 83% positive on Show score, but only 4 reviews and I’m pretty sure one of them is a shill. However, I just learned that it at another one of these 2 hour plays without an intermission, so I’m out. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 5:41pm

They lost me at "Bryan Batt is a young, gay man".

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 5:49pm

JSquared2 said: "They lost me at "Bryan Batt is a young, gay man"."

 

That gave me pause at first, but I think the play picks up when they are older.

 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 10:42pm

bladder issues?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 1:31pm

I've also been curious, especially given how timely the title sounds but I'm a bit wary of it feeling too cliche, so would be interested in hearing if anyone saw it!

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 1:57pm

Matt Rogers said: "It’s 83% positive on Show score, but only 4 reviews and I’m pretty sure one of them is a shill. However, I just learned that it at another one of these 2 hour plays without an intermission, so I’m out."

Truly curious. Do you have the same issue with movies? Barbie's running time is longer than this show.

[Justin Longo]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 2:54pm

I don't have a problem sitting through long shows without intermission but there's certainly a difference between two hours in theater seats and two hours practically laying down in a cushy leather recliner.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 2:56pm

JSquared2 said: "They lost me at "Bryan Batt is a young, gay man"."

Maybe you need to practice reading:

Bruston Fischer (Bryan Batt) is a young gay man suffering from social persecution while trying to make it in publishing when he first meets Cyrus Holt (Ron Canada) some 40 years earlier. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 8/21/23 at 6:09pm

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "Matt Rogers said: "It’s 83% positive on Show score, but only 4 reviews and I’m pretty sure one of them is a shill. However, I just learned that it at another one of these 2 hour plays without an intermission, so I’m out."

Truly curious. Do you have the same issue with movies? Barbie's running time is longer than this show."

You can easily get up and go to the restroom during a movie. Not so much at live theatre. 

[little_sally]

Posted: 8/21/23 at 6:27pm

Anyway I saw it over the weekend. Curtain went down at 4:02 for a 2pm show. It's not exactly a comedy and it deals with a lot of ideas that need pruning. There's a good play in there somewhere but it's not on stage. 

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 12:02pm

This was a painful play to sit through. Pedestrian directing with zero pacing to speak of, stage hands moving clunky furniture on and off stage during quiet monologues right next to the actor speaking. The script is rife with generic theater tropes. Ron Canada appeared to be very shaky on his lines. Overall it seemed very under-rehearsed. And it ends about 4 times before we finally get to the curtain call....just draaaaaging along.

The story is about enduring friendship between two opposite type people, trauma/PTSD from serving in a war, artistic struggles, generational trauma between children and parents, marital issues, and discovering what gives life meaning. It's...a lot. And would be infinitely stronger if the script just tried follow one of those threads.

Marcia Cross is fun to watch on stage, and at least injects some forward momentum into the play with her first scene (but ultimately falls victim to the listless direction). I would love to see Batt back on stage in something more structured, to play to his strengths. I think this just needs a lot more fine tuning.

[alexidarling15]

Posted: 9/27/23 at 9:40pm

I lasted maybe 30 minutes in this, shame on me for not listening to the previous commenters. This is a play about a writer, yet the writing was atrocious and the acting wasn’t much better. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Marcia Cross live but even she was disappointing.