Painful night at the Belasco- Page 2

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 12:10pm

The nuns and priests are kicking up their heels!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 12:22pm

The only thing worse than a bad BUFFALO is a bad OLEANA. Mamet is far from actor-proof. Student actors make the mistake of falling in love with the staccato rhythms and terse syntax, as if that's 'easier' to perform than, say, monologue-laden Chekhov. Wrong. You need expert direction and actors uniquely attuned to what's happening underneath the spare and repetitive words.

Badly performed Mamet plays like Mamet parody -- all style, zero content or emotional subtext; it can seem laboriously arch.

[hpeabody930]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 12:30pm

TOTALLY agree with you Augie. I saw an AWFUL production of Oleanna that in essence, ruined mamet for me forever. I also saw a production of American Buffalo that was pretty good, but even still prettty good is not "good enough" for Mamet..

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 12:52pm

I didn't mean to imply that what you saw wasn't awful, I just meant that there can be a big learning curve with Mamet, and that Robert Falls has done so much excellent work that if the show opened "painful" I would be suprised. Theater can change so much over the course of a week, and with such an excellent script and excellent director I think the possibilities here are huge. That said... it may well be awful. I, personally, would give it the benefit of the doubt for the reasons I listed.

Also I agree with you, I don't think it's fair for a first preview to be awful... I think that someone pays... they should see a good show. It bummed me a out a lot Carole Shelly was still fumbling lyrics at the second preview of Billy Elliot... (she has one song... what else does she do with her time?) but... I guess that's the nature of the thing.


kmc

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 1:29pm

They had John Leguizamo do the "This Season's Plays" thing at Broadway on Broadway.

He was dreadful.

Needless to say, I didn't have high expectations.

[Deycallmemimi2]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 1:42pm

Ahhhh!!! Say it ain't so!!! I am seeing this tonight!

[nealb1]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 2:56pm

I've only seen 2 shows at The Belasco - "Prince of Central Park" and "Dracula." And, we all know what huge hits they both turned out to be. Ha, ha....

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 6:04pm

And Neal, you had the misjudgement to leave POCP at intermission and miss Jo Anne Worley's brilliant "Red, I'm Seeing Red!" act two showstopper!!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 7:13pm

Ever notice how BWW posters freak out if you say a negative thing about a show BEFORE seeing it, but find it perfectly okay to praise or defend the quality of something they haven't seen over someone who already saw it and has the right, as a paying customer, to judge away. Just saying.

[rossbrew]

Posted: 11/3/08 at 11:48pm

I was at the second preview show I believe (Sat. afternoon)...thought the show came off with a good deal of power and energy...definitely worth seeing...Leguizamo really worked up his character's vitriol...I really didn't find Cedric too out of place...I think people should see this show and see what they think..I flew in with the wife from vancouver for our anniversary and saw many shows for the week I was there- really enjoyed this one...to each his own...hell, even bought a poster...

[musikman]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 12:54am

When I see the word Belasco, I think of Journey's End.

Now THAT was great theater.

Unfortunately, when I think of the Belasco, Dracula also comes to mind....*shudders*

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:28pm

musikman - I also associate the Belasco with Journey's End, one of the most moving pieces of theater I have seen.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 8:54pm

Journey's End was stunning. I loved it.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 11/4/08 at 9:01pm

Mamet's work is powerful and challenging and if not in the write hands cann be painful to watch. it looks like Speed-the-Plow will be the dominant Mamet play this season. That trio is really phenomenal.

[ginger217]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:34pm

I really must disagree with the original poster. I saw American Buffalo Monday night and thought it was in very good shape. It is not slated to open until November 17th and I think it's only fair to give it that much time to mature and find its rhythm. Mamet, I think, is so stylized it takes some time to gel. I personally was very impressed with Robert Falls' direction and felt like the actors were very much on the same page at all times (something I don't generally expect when 2 of the 3 actors are making a major stage debut). I'm a big Mamet fan and I was entertained and enjoyed the show and would love to go back and see it once it's out of previews.
I think everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I feel it's only fair to give any new production a chance to grow and change in the preview process before passing such harsh judgement.

[kooky]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:49pm

I saw it opening preview night, and I couldn't agree with you more ginger217.
By the official opening on the 17th - - - it will have all come together rhythmically
like a well oiled machine .... that's what previews are for.
I too would love to go back and see it after the opening on the 17th.
I did enjoy it very much - - even in previews.

[LotteTBS138]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:00pm

I saw it last night and I don't get what it is with the casting of 3-character Mamet plays!! Just like Speed-the-Plow, I thought the 3 of them lacked connection. I thought Leguizamo did well and I thought Cedric did alright but man, that kid needs to stick to seeing dead people! He added no chemistry to that show!
And like previously mentioned, that set was something! The poor stagehands that have to put EVERYTHING that magically falls back into place! Eeeek! Well, I guess they aren't doing scene changes so they have to get paid for something!

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 9:42pm

Updated On: 11/7/08 at 09:42 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 9:51pm

I'm glad I'm seeing it tomorrow. It appears that opinions on this are running hot and cold and that, my friends, is one of the reasons I go to the theatre.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 10:01pm

from a "biased?" source (me)...it's coming together much better as of yesterday, I think...I would give it a bit more time. Difficult (to perform), but entertaining show.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 11:23pm

I don't get what people see in "Speed-the-Plow." It's a horribly boring show. The actors were fine, the show is bad.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 11:30pm

are you posting on the wrong thread, Rentboy?
Anyway, if you've never seen the Mamet film "The Spanish Prisoner", rent it out. Superb!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:28am

No, sorry, I didn't want to start a whole new thread just to ask why the play is considered a "good" play, but maybe I should. thanks. I actually might check that out.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:44am

"That kid needs to stick to seeing dead people."

LOL. Oh the cruel leap to adulthood.

[Bobby Maler]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 2:53am

Sorry to hear this. I think American Buffalo is a far better play than Speed The Plow.

I saw Glengarry Glen Ross (2005) in one of its first weeks of performance and the actors were still trying to get the rhythms right, not stepping on each other's interjections while making it seem natural at the same time. It's deceptively tricky. I went back before it closed and was blown away. They had come so far in their performances...it was seamless. How Mamet should be done. They totally deserved the Tony that year.

I hope Buffalo will be able to turn things around. I love Leguizamo.