RACE - 2nd preview

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 10:54pm

James Spader and David Alan Grier gave better performances than Richard Thomas and Kerry Washington. Thomas as little stage time, especially compared to the rest of the cast.

Washington gave the worst performance I've seen on stage since Sienna Miller in After Miss Julie. At least with Miller I wanted her to succeed in her role (even if she didn't know a thing about the character, let alone how to walk on stage). Washington... had nice legs... and that was it. Her line delivery, especially of the Mamet dialogue, was God-awful. The talk after the show wasn't about the play itself, but how terrible she was. Robotic doesn't even describe how monotonic or awful she was. She didn't follow any cut offs, she was completely lost especially compared to her fellow cast mates.

As far as the rest of the show... it needs some time to fall into place. Mamet was seated in the back of the mezz taking notes, and slipping out during curtain call (under a curtain that was held by a woman, of course!).

The plot was solid. The second scene/act was a little confusing at times. The play would have been about 10 minutes shorter if the characters didn't have to repeat lines and jokes made by other characters. Also, Mamet over used a new four letter word: race. The word was thrown around as if it was the f-bomb. (CURSE WORDS SPOILER: By the way... the f-bomb is of course used all the time, the n-word used 11 times, and the c-word used once).

The play will shape up to be a successful Mamet play. The house was packed, which was awesome to see for the second preview. They really should replace Washington with somebody else (yes, she was THAT bad). The show seems to end on an awkward/weird note due to her awful performance, especially in the final scene. Spader and Grier deserve Tony nods. And the show will hopefully be nominated as well.

As far as another play this season about race, I think it was better than Superior Donuts. I'll attend Race again in the spring and see any improvements and changes. This is definitely a show that should not be missed! Updated On: 11/17/09 at 10:54 PM

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 8:14am

MusicAndPassion, I completely agree with you about Kerry Washington. She was horrible.

Mr. Mamet, if you're reading this, you need to replace Kerry Washington. What an embarrassment.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 9:36am

The thing that cracked me up about Washington's performance was that as robotic as she sounded, she was even more robotic in her movements. As she stalked the back of the set I couldn't believe how rigid her body language was. And she was as whiny as Julia Stiles in OLEANNA. A whiny stiff robot is not a good thing in a Mamet play that needs to move along at a steady clip.

[jewelchk]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 11:35am

Musicandpassion, well said. I was at the dress rehearsal so I didn't want to say anything about the show right away, but I think you've pretty much summed it up (including the comparison with Stiles, which crossed my mind as well). Sienna Miller was palpitate for me at least, but Washington wasn't, to the point of distraction. The play itself is well-written (aside from Mamet's occasional overuse of dialog repetitions), thoughtful (we did discuss the plot all through intermission), and entertaining. If it can tighten up in previews, it will be excellent... except I don't know that anything can be done with Washington at this point. She doesn't seem to get Mamet's pacing, and, as you said, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 8:36am

How have the previews been going?

[RobinM]

Posted: 11/24/09 at 10:55am

Yeah, is this worth seeing? Updated On: 11/24/09 at 10:55 AM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 11/24/09 at 11:42am

At this point, I think any new Mamet play is worth seeing. Even if it misfires, there's usually something to provoke a reaction.