RACE: First Preview - Anyone Going?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:20pm

I can't wait to hear all about it!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:23pm

I saw it last night, but in light of everything they've done to keep it so under wraps, I feel almost wrong talking to anybody about it! I don't want to spoil the mystique! And, I mean, it was the invited dress anyway, so I'm hesitant to say much, especially considering that it was the first performance of this piece ever. I will say that I quite liked it, and I think it's pretty brave. I'm very curious to see what the reactions to this one are.

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 06:23 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:23pm

I'm going tonight! What's the run time?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:24pm

It's like an hour and forty minutes.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:27pm

Thanks, Em. I'm really looking forward to this!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:27pm

Can't wait to see/hear about this one!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:31pm

Em, as someone who doesn't care for Mamet's style, is it worth seeing the show? As you know, I like to give people a few tries, so I'm willing to see this even though I loathed Speed-the-Plow.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:37pm

I don't know. Part of me wants to say don't even bother if you truly thought Speed-the-Plow was that awful, because there are a lot of things here that are very, very similar, structurally and stylistically to S-t-P. He's got his trademarks, and they're all over Race. But in terms of the ideas, I think this is a much richer play, and it's much more daring. It's going to get people talking. And it's funny.

I don't consider myself a Mamet fan per se (and would have told you I hated him a year ago), but S-t-P gave me an appreciation for him that has, particularly following Race, become a certain respect. But if you're going to go in with a chip on your shoulder and inevitably find it a rip-off and a gimmick, which I'm fairly confident some people will do, why bother? If you're going to give someone a chance, really give them a chance.

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 06:37 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:42pm

Yeah, I'm not sure. I just didn't think Speed-the-Plow had any sort of POINT to it, and I was just incredibly bored. It seemed to me like he was saying "Look how crafty I can be with word play." So, whatever. But I want to check this out. It seems interesting, and I like a play that makes you feel strongly one way or the other. That's what good theater should do, at least I think. I just hate going to see a play and feeling like "eh" like I have with IN THE NEXT ROOM, etc.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:50pm

Well, Speed-the-Plow, at its surface, is really easy to look at as a play about nothing. A lot of it is completely ridiculous. So much of what those characters do and say is the art of bullsh*t at its best, that they spend a significant portion of the play, yes, talking about absolutely nothing. It definitely did have a point to it, but I think that's one of the things that turns people off to Mamet -- if you think that "having a point" needs to mean that the play basically sits you down and very directly says, "Okay, here's what I'm here to say, this is what I want to tell you," then you're going to be dissatisfied. As opposed to simply putting an issue on the table and making us look ourselves in the faces in terms of how we perceive and conceive of these ideas. Speed-the-Plow is a condemnation of the movie-making industry, but it's also a portrayal of a really interesting power struggle that's based on sex. Race has that "issue on the table" thing much more overtly, I think -- it's about ethics under the law, but mostly, it's an accusation of the way Americans of different races treat one another. But it's not going to sit there and tell you, okay, this is the moral of the story, this is what you should think, this is precisely what you -- and everybody else in this room -- should take away from this experience. That's not what he does. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a point. He just leaves finding it, and making something of it, up to you.

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 06:50 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 6:59pm

I don't need to be knocked over the head with anything at all. I just found Speed-the-Plow to be boring. I was interested for the first few minutes, but the story just didn't grasp me. Then Act 2 just sagged, and by Act 3 I was just so disengaged and was ready to go. Maybe it was the production, or maybe it was just the day, but I wasn't feeling it. On a different spin, I really like Ioensco, and I don't feel like he's the kind of playwright to come out and say THIS IS WHAT IT'S ABOUT. So who knows. I also don't like plays/movies about "the industry." It just seems pretentious to me, and it's always the same sort of themes dealing with "the industry."

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:18pm

"I found it boring" is a totally different problem than "it didn't have a point." It's not the most enthralling play ever, but it wasn't pointless -- and that's a way fairer criticism. Act 2 did sag, often. It took Elisabeth a long time to really get to the level of Raul and... the whole string of Bobbys. Once she did, I thought it was fascinating.

Honestly, if you thought it was boring, you might also find Race boring, because it's... well, it's Mamet, it's really talky. Race starts off a little slow, but you've got to stay with it. Personally I found it to be funnier, or at least possessing of a completely different type of humor than S-t-P. But if this is a set of issues that's more appealing to you, go for it. And it's also got absolutely nothing to do with the entertainment business.

(Ionesco is esoteric in a whole other way that Mamet isn't. That's so apples and oranges. Ionesco had me doing a total "wtf?" but I wasn't necessarily turned off by it. But I kind of like being made to scratch my head a little bit.)

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:25pm

I wasn't trying to compare them in styles, but just saying that I don't need a "point" handed to me the way Rebeck might do it, or Tracy Letts.

I mean, I've totally basing my opinion off of one of his plays, so I'm not going to write him off as a playwright I don't care for.

How was his directing?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:28pm

It was unimpressive. Not bad, just... overwhelmingly average, I guess? Nothing special.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:37pm

It's very hard to judge directing.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 7:51pm

I was there last night as well. All I'll say is that I enjoyed it very much. For the person who asked about the length, there was an intermission last night that I heard will not happen during the actual show, so it should be shorter (I clocked about 85 minutes of theatre).

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:04pm

Can someone who was there last night maybe PM me the plot in a nutshell?

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:14pm

Done.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:22pm

Here's your plot synopsis Rocks:

F*ck sh*t b**ch f*ck sh*it b*tch f*ck sh*t b*tch. All women are whores. F*ck c*nt b*tch.

The end.
Updated On: 11/16/09 at 08:22 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:23pm

HA. I'm sure that's accurate but I bet there's one or two n-words in there this time around too.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:25pm

I haven't seen the final draft, but I'm sure it's in there.

BWW has the worst censoring software ever, btw. I thought it'd do it for me.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 8:28pm

Actually, it's not so much. I was surprised. Yes to the n-word, but not nearly as many f-bombs as I was expected, or really, swearing in general. I expected "f*ck" to be every other word!

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 08:28 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:42pm

I guess directing is a tough thing to really criticize unless they made some overwhelmingly bad directorial choice - like singing things in Spanish. Although, I saw "What Once We Felt" Saturday night and I thought the directing was just kind of dull. Half the time it involved people just standing there for long periods of time.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:05am

There was an intermission tonight too.

I LOVED the show so much...I was on the edge of my seat the entire show. I hope it gets across the board rave reviews. So polished for a first preview too!

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:06am

Will this be a strong contender for Best Play? I hope so; we need some good competition.
Updated On: 11/17/09 at 12:06 AM