SPEED-the-PLOW Reviews- Page 2

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 10:35pm

Wow, wow, wow, wow!!! I am so excited to see this now...I'm so pleasantly shocked by these reviews.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:15pm

The Newark Star-Ledger is Very Positive:

'The TV name recognition factor for a well-cast Jeremy Piven ("Entourage") and Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men") is sure to attract customers -- and both actors do well by their roles -- but the super-heated intensity of Raul Esparza's memorable performance drives the show fast and furiously.'

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2008/10/speedtheplow_features_tv_stars.html

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:17pm

TheaterMania is Mixed-to-Positive:

'Broadway veteran Esparza -- who finds new venom every time he articulates "Bob" -- gives a performance that taps all Charlie's uncertainty and volatility. Moss, who plays career gal Peggy Olson on AMC's Mad Men, tidily strikes a nearly impossible balance between naivete and ambition. For his part, Piven seems commendably intent on not bringing any of his well-known Entourage character, agent, Ari Gold, to a character that can actually call for Ari Gold elements. But while Piven's more reticent interpretation is supported by the script, it ultimately diffuses the stepped-on landmine that Speed-the-Plow can truly be.'

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/15937

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:28pm

*waits impatiently for the NYT review to go live*

[SingingCats]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:44pm

Just got back from opening and the show was great! I didn't expect the reviews would be this good, but I think they definitely earned it.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 11:58pm

John Simon is Mixed-to-Positive:

'Esparza and Piven deliver terrific performances that magnetically complement each other. Esparza is unsurpassed at revealing ecstatic exuberance or, in a twinkling, unleashed rage. He acts equally commandingly with octave-storming voice, rampaging or cringing body and galvanized or galvanizing limbs. His expressions, by themselves, could knock over bowling pins or stop a steamroller.

Piven, on the other hand, is an expert at smugly superficial affability, smoothly complacent opportunism, but also unpredictably boyish vulnerability beneath. Their slippery skirmishing and intermittent violence are a guilty joy to behold.

Regrettably, Moss is nowhere near their league. She has neither the acumen nor the looks for the part (both of which are explicitly referenced in the dialogue); she is cutesy where she should be bewitching and has, or affects, a gratingly squeaky voice. The result is a trio for violin, viola and tissue-papered comb.'

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601098&sid=aF4XNF.yfTCE&refer=movie

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 12:23am

REVIEW ROUNDUP

Associated Press
New York Post
New York Times
Rave

AM New York
Hollywood Reporter
Newark Star-Ledger
USA Today
Variety
Washington Post
Very Positive

Journal News
Positive

Daily News
Entertainment Weekly
John Simon
NY1
Time Out New York
Mixed-to-Positive

The Wall Street Journal
Mixed

New York Magazine
Mixed-to-Negative

Updated On: 11/22/08 at 12:23 AM

[A Director]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 12:27am

Who cares what John Simon thinks! He's below pond scum.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 12:52am

...What of Big Ben's review?

[Hest882]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 1:19am

Awwww, this makes me happy.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 1:30am

The link to the NYT review seems to be broken.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 1:54am

Washington Post, very positive:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102303429.html

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 1:58am

Very very excited about the positive response!

[EugLoven]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 2:05am

Way to go Mr.Pepe and Mr.Mamet, and that powerhouse trio of brio!

[Bobby Maler]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 2:11am

Congrats to all. Pretty damn near universally positive.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 4:39am

The full Times review.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 8:24am

Clive Barnes at the New York Post gives the show 4 Stars out of 4:

'...Twenty years ago, I thought no cast could match the original trio of Joe Mantegna, Ron Silver and (what a surprise she could stand still, let alone act) Madonna.

I was wrong. For its acting alone, this new "Speed-the-Plow" is a must-see.'

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/entertainment/theater/speed_your_way_to_revival_of_mamets_plow_134979.htm


The Daily News gives the show 3 Stars out of 5:

'David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" is back on Broadway for another go-round of behind-the-scenes greed and movieland maneuvering. That theme has been covered extensively in the 20 years since the play's first run (think "The Player" or "Entourage"), and if this compact, 85-minute comedy isn't Mamet at his deepest, Neil Pepe's fine-tuned revival makes for an entertaining ride.'

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2008/10/24/2008-10-24_speedtheplow_goes_inside_hollywood.html


The Journal News is Positive:

'Pepe's production isn't meant to take anyone out of their comfort zone. To the contrary, it assures TV fans that they'll get just what they expect.

But if it gives you a thrill to see TV actors in the flesh, this is the show for you.'

http://www.lohud.com/article/20081024/ENTERTAINMENT/810240303/1186/Entertainment0801


The Wall Street Journal is Mixed:

'...Mr. Esparza gets the point, and the results are terrifying to behold. As Charlie Fox, the fawning underling who longs to get out from under and sees his main chance going astray, he twists himself into a double knot of aggression and desperation, then rips himself loose in a comic explosion that rocks the theater. Every line that he spits out -- and he's got a million of 'em -- feeds the insatiable fires in which he is roasting, none more inflammably than his near-monosyllabic summary of the difference between men and women: "Everyone wants power. How do we get it? Work. How do they get it? Sex."'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122480180608964651.html


NY1 (with video) is Mixed-to-Positive:

'The two men's parts are showy and both performers are game. Piven, famous for playing a similar type on TV as Hollywood agent Ari Gold in "Entourage," tackles the role with gusto but has yet to fully master the stage. Once Raul Esparza gets revved up it's thrilling to see this marvelous actor on a tear but until then he seems to lack Fox's crudeness.'

http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/theater_reviews/87827/ny1-theater-review---speed-the-plow-/Default.aspx


Time Out New York gives the show 4 Stars out of 6:

'The revival itself, with TV talent on the marquee, has made its own deal with the devil. Director Neil Pepe has cast everyone in their comfort zones: Piven has practiced his sleaze on Entourage, and Elisabeth Moss already plays a faux-naive secretary on Mad Men. They both do fine work, and Mamet’s rattling dialogue propels them along like a kick in the keister. But to be truly excellent, the play should be stocked with actors like Esparza, whose musician’s ear lets him riff on the words like jazz. He noodles around the rhythms, working miracles with odd bursts in pitch. Like Mamet, we like to settle back, watch a craftsman work and let notions of great art go **** themselves.'

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/68332/speed-the-plow

Updated On: 11/22/08 at 08:24 AM

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 8:40am

Word of Mouth is Mixed-to-Positive:

JOE: "It had its moments... I thought it was going to be funnier. I enjoyed it, it's very quick."

MICHAEL: "I really liked it... it's really like a guy's film."

MARY: "I wouldn't recommend it... I didn't really connect with the characters."

http://www.broadway.com/Speed-the-Plow/broadway_reviews/5013760

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 8:42am

I can't believe how positive these reviews are. It must have improved a lot in the two weeks since I've seen it.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 10:34am

Linda Winer over at Newsday is basically Negative:

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etent5894358oct24a,0,4503790.story

Again furthering my extreme disdain for her opinions and writing style.

Negative on both the performances (except for Moss) and the direction:

'Esparza delivers Mamet's motormouth, poetic scatology with a scowling intensity that overshadows the joy of Mamet's third-generation Jewish punch lines.'

'Pepe is artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company, Mamet's Off-Broadway home base. The playwright, famously loyal, went with this production instead of transferring a London smash starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum. In the play, the do-gooders probably are as corrupt as - and more foolish than - the do-badders. Alas, the decent impulse is not rewarded here, either.'

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 11:07am

I'm very surprised, I didn't care for it. I'm excited to see "American Buffalo" and compare the two works.

Also, I don't understand why people were laughing at "maverick"? Was it just the word or does it have some alternate meaning that went over my head?

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 11:11am

They were laughing at that word's specious association with John McCain.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 11:13am

Rentboy, the current Republican Presidential Candidate, John McCain, and his running mate, one Sarah Palin (you may have heard of them), have been postioning themselves as "mavericks" despite a good deal of evidence that they are in fact anything but.

[wonkit]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 11:14am

I usually think highly of Winer but she clearly has a very strong opinion about how she likes Mamet played, and this production doesn't match it. The reference to "third-generation Jewish punch lines" totally bewilders me. Anyone want to explain it to me?

And Happy Birthday, Raul Esparza! Quite a week for him!

[Hest882]

Posted: 10/24/08 at 11:14am

'Esparza delivers Mamet's motormouth, poetic scatology with a scowling intensity that overshadows the joy of Mamet's third-generation Jewish punch lines.'

Okay, though I enjoyed it I didn't think it was a transcendent experience but...what the heck does this mean? I think she has a completely opposing take on the play than I do.