SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 9:50am

It's the final previews thread of the 2016–17 season! Can't believe we're already here...

Previews for the first Broadway revival of John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation begin in two days (Wednesday, April 5, 2017) at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre! Landing on Broadway 25 years after its original run, the production stars Allison Janney, John Benjamin Hickey, and Corey Hawkins, and is set to open officially on April 25 for a limited run through July 16, 2017.

Who's going?! 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 10:29am

The original production was brilliant, perfect cast , well perfect everything 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 9:39am

Bump—starts tonight!

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 7:45pm

As the first preview is starting soon, is anyone there tonight who could give a review after the show?

Updated On: 4/5/17 at 07:45 PM

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 7:48pm

Not at the theatre tonight, but the show often runs 90 minutes with no intermission!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 10:39pm

I really enjoyed this revival. A lot. Among its many pleasures it allows the homosexual to engage in one of his favorite and most celebrated pastimes: diva worship. Janney- so wonderful in Mom week in week out- was once again in very fine form tonight. She is a master of that knack so many others have failed to perfect, namely being able to turn on a dime between comedy and sympathy. To be at this level of excellence, at the first preview no less, thrilled me to no end.

I also adored Trip Cullman's direction. He really understands the flow and pacing of the script and his use of the set and lighting was spot on. A great marriage between director and play. (Guare's work is still hilarious and moving. Having a Cats revival this season just made all the jokes even funnier. Does this mean we'll be seeing Starlight Express again soon too???)

John Benjamin Hickey did very nice work too. He and Janney were a perfect match. Hawkins was good- his strongest moments were in the second half of the play, particularly the phone call between Paul and Ouisa.  I think by opening the three leads will be even stronger as a trio and not just as individually wonderful performances.

The supporting cast killed it, especially the kids. They were often downright hysterical. Not to take anything away from the actors, but Cullman has cleared pitched all their outburst perfectly, aided by fun entrances and exits. The pink shirt diatribe was a highlight.

This season is really sticking the landing when it comes to plays. So much good stuff to see. 

[Damiensta]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 10:55pm

I was there tonite and have mixed feelings about. 

I found most of first 30 min boring. I was more entertained by guy snoring in area that I was sitting than the stage.

however, Allison Janney is excellent. She knows hot to get the laughs

and once the kids appear the show takes off. The scene with all the kids is one of favorite moments of the scene. Everyone was pitch perfect.

Now , thinking about it everytime Corey was on stage I kinda lost interest. So I guess my problem with show was him.

also , seeing a hot bod naked guy jump around in all his glory was a very plus side to this production

so far Laurie metcalf is still one to beat for lead actress in a play

show ran 90 min and have to see rear mezz was pretty much empty and front mezz was maybe 80-85% full

my tdf tix was center front mezz 

[bear88]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 2:16am

This was the first show I saw in New York, at Lincoln Center, and I am sorely tempted to revisit it when I'm in town next Monday. Stockard Channing is a very hard act to follow, but it sounds like Janney is up to the task. The split opinion thus far is on Corey Hawkins.

[dave1606]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 10:27am

I was there last night and loved it. A fanastic cast, beautifully designed production (loved all the RED) and what a wonderful play. 

Allison Janney is such a marvel. She is a treasure. No one can make me laugh like her (well, maybe Kritine Neilsen, but it's a very small group). Her comedic delivery is just so brilliant. There's something about her that makes her so relatable and here that works well with her character that talks to the audience. For portions of the play I felt like I might have been out to drinks with her telling me this crazy story of the intruder she invited into to her house. 

I'm a bit surprised this show seems under the radar to me. Last night the rear mezz only had people in the first and last row. I really hope it catches on as it is terrific theater. I thought the play was very funny and moving. The rest of the cast is fantastic as well including John Benjamin Hickey and Corey Hawkins. And of course the kids as Whizzer mentioned were absolutely hysterical.  The 90 minutes flew by and I hope to see it again. 

[canadian fan]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 10:51am

Thanks all for the reviews. I have tickets on hand for next month and am looking forward to this. And Dave I agree, this seems to be getting lost in the shuffle with so many plays out there, but I'm sure it will find its footing....

[Kad]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 10:57am

Well, the advertising for this seems to be almost non-existent.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 11:18am

Any thoughts yet on where the production might receive nominations?

[kevinr]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 12:29pm

Hi, did anyone meet Allison Janney at the stage door after the show?

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 12:30pm

Anyone try rush for this show?  Where were the seats? 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 12:38pm

There are pictures of her with fans in Instagram, so she did! She was very sweet when she came out the stage door at 9 to 5.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 12:45pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "Any thoughts yet on where the production might receive nominations?"

Probably up to 5 for...

Best Revival of a Play
Best Lead Actor in a Play-Corey Hawkins & John Benjamin Hickey
Best Lead Actress in a Play-Allison Janney
Best Direction of a Play-Trip Cullman

[Peter2]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 1:43pm

This is a fantastic play, a revival is really overdue, so I hope this new production will succeed. Why are there a lot of empty seats? Go, people, go! There are discounts all over the place, including TDF.

[Nycat63]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 2:27pm

Glad to see so many positive comments so early.  This is one of the shows I've been waiting to hear reviews on bc I have two slots left for my June trip and several shows to decide between so some will unfortunately have to drop off the list.  I love AJ so I was eagerly awaiting reports.  your views are very appreciated and please keep them coming!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 4:15pm

One of my favorite plays, the original production exquisite (I saw the very 2nd preview, and returned twice once it was in the Beaumont).  It's just a brilliant piece of writing, one that should've been rewarded with the Pulitzer. Startling that Guare doesn't have one, especially for this.  So glad to hear the positive reports. I suspect it hasn't dated.  The film is quite good, and managed to do the impossible: replace the theatricality with a conceit that allowed the storytelling and narration.  Channing was hard to beat, but I suspect Janney is spot on. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 4:40pm

I'm actually quite excited for this. I'm not too familiar with the piece other than cursory details, but hell, I'll pay to see Allison Janney eat a salad...

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 4:42pm

I've never seen the play but am quite familiar with the excellent movie. How closely does the movie follow the play?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 9:04pm

Loved it. Hawkins and Janney are standouts. Direction is absolute perfection. First 25 minutes were a bit slow but once you hit the moment where it returns to present time, it makes up for it.

One of my favorites of the season. Must-see!

Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:43am

I was lucky enough to get to see the original production of this show at Lincoln Center in 1990 starring the unforgettable Stockard Channing and the then young up and comer Courtney B. Vance (now Tony and Emmy Winner). I must say it was a formative experience for me. The themes of which Mr. Guare was playing with….class/race/self worth/the need for connection and validation/the role of imagination in possibility, they are all still relevant today.  But the play itself is not easy to pull off, that’s evident to me now after seeing the revival performing in previews at the Barrymore Theatre.

 

Trip Cullman is a director of the moment, but his work on Six Degress is just not doing the material justice. One, his production has no pacing. Jerry Zaks, who directed the original, understood that the play is so dense with ideas that it needed more of a breakneck pace so they couldn’t be picked apart till after it was over, but also to make the ideas all feel like they are part of this one show. Plus the show should build to a titillating conclusion as the story shifts to things like tragic death and the joys of rebirth….you aren’t aroused in the slightest. Two, Cullman hasn’t chosen when to zero in on on these characters so we are left without truly understanding the relationships the story is about. The central relationship is about how Ouisa and Paul, two complete strangers and polar opposites slowly start to see each other and fall in a kind of mother son love. You just don’t feel that or see any of the relationships that should be developing here.  The gorgeously unique language never lifts from the stage.

 

Miss Janney has had a celebrated career in film and television. There’s no doubt she is a fabulous actress…she understands how to handle Ouisa’s switch from comedy to serious drama with ease, but she is not a natural for the role.  She’s known for no nonsense characters, blunt and confidently unapologetic broads. Without a director who concentrates on character her choices never lead to building the character of Ouisa. We end up not getting that she is transforming into a new woman by the end of the play. We don’t get the rebirth we got from Miss Channing (equally brilliant in the great film version)

 

Corey Hawkins has an appealing presence, he’s likable.  He lacks depth, however and comes across as the average joe, not the electrifying presence Paul should have.  There isn’t an ounce of sexual energy in him. Again, I’d link it back to the lack of exploration of the character by the Director. 

 

The rest of the cast, including the usually wonderful John Benjamin Hickey feels like the Jr. Varsity team, like the rest of the principal cast called in sick and the understudies went on in their place. The teenagers come off like actors with almost no training (the audience laughs throughout, but i would argue this is the strength of Mr. Guare and his vision for them, not the performances. They're entrances are genuinely funny though) If this is the state of theater acting….Houston, we have a problem. 

 

The staging is weak. The blocking is lazily set. Again, the motivations of these characters do not seem fully explored and examined. They continuously do things that you as viewer know they wouldn’t or shouldn't. 

 

The set by Mark Wendland is part homage to the original with the 80’s chic all red carpet platform and of course the double sided Kandinsky. It feels dated instead of refreshed.The rest of the apartment all in red is seen slightly hidden behind a scrim slowly revealed by the end of the play. I’m not sure why, it uncovers no secrets about the story at large. An attempt to be cinematic by shifting the entire apartment to stage right on tracks revealing the ally way/college dorm where Paul meets his “teacher” is inspired. Projections on the exposed alley give us the feel of central park…the overall look is cheap, more ikea than park avenue.

 

The lighting and sound design by Ben Stanton and Darron L. West seem directionless, like they don’t know when a spotlight should isolate someone in a monologue or if music should underscore a moment to help increase dramatic effect.  Its amateur.

 

Overall the revival disappoints on many levels. It’s unfortunate. This is still a wonderful play with themes that should resonate. My opinion, watch the wonderful film adaptation that even the so so Will Smith can’t ruin….at least you’ll get a glimpse at the marvelous Stockard Channing and some really inspired film direction where the dialogue is still the centerpiece. 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:47am

It seems a little unfair to come down so hard on the pacing of a second preview. A lot will not change in previews... but pacing is exactly what gets worked out in previews... especially in a show so funny.

[After Eight]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 11:39am

"I suspect it hasn't dated. "

It has.

Frankly, it was overpraised to begin with, and this new production makes its shortcomings all the more evident.  All those "Cats" put-downs really seem lame now. And the shrill, obnoxious college students are absolutely impossible. The staging is more overwrought than incisive.

The piece now seems a little shopworn.