STEVE previews New Group

I saw this last night and overall enjoyed it. It's fairly light, but entertaining. The dialogue is full of musical theatre jokes and references (a little Into the Woods-heavy, those start to get old).

The cast was over good, Mario playing essentially Mario. Matt McGrath giving a wonderfully layered and funny performance despite not being 100% with his lines (he seemed to stumble with words a lot and correct himself).

The plot was fairly basic, a couple, Steven and Stephen, are partnered for years and have a small son. It's discovered that one of them has been sexting their friend Brian, who is Mario/Matt's partner. There is also a cute seemingly-ever-present Argentine waiter named Esteban and an unseen but oft-reference trainer Steve.

The direction was fairly straight-forward, no real frills or anything new.

If you like theatre joke after theatre joke, then I think it's worth seeing.

stevenycguy said: "(And this show is 1000 times better than their disaster of "Mercury Fur", which is one of the worst shows I had ever seen in my life.)"

Hmm, so if I liked Mercury Fur would I hate this?!

I saw the show last night and OH.MY.GOD did I love it. It's by no means perfect (yet) but what an enjoyable evening for theatre fans.

I was a big fan of Matt McGrath from Broken Hearts Club back in the day but seeing him on stage recently I'm obsessed. Coming off a jaw-dropping performance in GEORGIA MCBRIDE I didn't think he'd have it in him to hit it out of the park so soon but I was wrong. He captures everything about the character from the comedy to heartbreak. There was some fumbling over lines and he had to call for a line once but I can only imagine how great he'll be later in the run. Ashlie Atkinson was my second favorite of this mostly stellar cast. She was hilarious and you felt a connection to her character right away which I think is quite a feat for a lesbian in a play full of gay men. At first I wasn't in love with Malcolm Gets' performance but around the halfway point he really started to shine. Mario was really good. Jerry Dixon didn't have that much to do and I honestly didn't buy his character coming out and calling everyone a cocksucker. It seemed very forced.

Having this start so soon after DADA WOOF PAPA HOT is interesting to me because both plays share a lot of the same themes. Where as DADA showed gay couples trying to lead a very heteronormative life, STEVE lets the gays be gay. It's just fun to see these guys enjoying life and not being so serious about everything. I think this is the superior of the two because it felt very modern and fresh. For everyone who is a big theatre fan there are references aplenty but also a plethora of pop culture jokes that are shot out at a rapid fire pace. I had a very similar feeling to IT'S ONLY A PLAY...only this was actually funny and well acted.

The set is pretty sparse with a wall with actually thoughtful projections (text conversations and English subtitles) rather than random crap. The wall is also used for different lighting purposes that I thought were effective also. Furniture pieces are wheeled out to show scenes set at a restaurant or apartment. I think Nixon has done a good job of directing the play because there are sections of "silence" as two characters are texting but you're still engaged with what the actors are doing on stage.

As steve said, you should get there early because the cast is on stage belting out some showtunes which was fun to watch. In terms of seating, they're offering the balcony at $25 for limited view. I was originally seated there but thankfully moved to an empty seat facing the stage. Maybe someone else can speak to the view there but it seemed annoying to crane your neck the entire show. The website has the show listed at 2 hours no intermission but last night was maybe 1 hour 50 mins and I can only imagine it getting tightened and shorter. And lastly, I hated MERCURY FUR but loved this. I can't wait to return later in the run and see the changes made.

Is it me or does that space seem to be pretty terribly designed? Most every place that has played there people have complained about the baclony or the view.

Matt McGrath was still having problems with his lines on Saturday (perhaps the playwright is still making changes?) and called for a line at one point. I loved McGrath in GEORGIA McBRIDE, but I thought he was miscast as someone who is supposedly a wonderful singer from an 88's type of piano bar. For some reason, Jerry Dixon and Malcolm Gets, who are both wonderful singers, hardly do any singing at all.

I also thought that some of the pre-show song choices with members of the cast gathered around a piano onstage before the show got the show off to a bad start. "100 Easy Ways to Lose A Man" from WONDERFUL TOWN fell completely flat, and the jokes in "Bosom Buddies" failed to connect with the audience.

Is it me or does that space seem to be pretty terribly designed? Most every place that has played there people have complained about the baclony or the view.

It's just you and the folks who bought balcony seats that are clearly labeled "limited view" and sold at a significant discount, then complained that the seats actually are limited view when they got there. The "balcony" seats comprise a total of about 20 seats in a 299 seat theater. Every other seat facing the stage is perfectly fine, and I think the three theaters built in this complex are some of the best-designed recently built theaters you will find.

I thought he was miscast as someone who is supposedly a wonderful singer from an 88's type of piano bar.

I haven't seen this show yet, but I know Matt personally and have seen him perform throughout the years in musicals and plays. He has a fabulous voice, so I'm surprised to hear anyone saying that he doesn't come across naturally as a singer.

Updated On: 11/11/15 at 10:09 AM

JeffDaEgg2 said: "it was noticeable that he was having issues is because he'd say a line similar to what the right line was, then go back and say it again with the right wording. We're not going to notice if you change a word or two, but we are going to notice if you say the same thing twice."

Same issue Diggs had in Hedwig... honey, just move along, fewer will notice.

You mean, like the rush tickets they sell an hour before the show?

"Rush tickets can be purchased in-person, an hour before the performance for $27. There is only a general rush and not a separate student rush. Cash and credit accepted. Tickets are subject to availability."

What would the point of having rush be if you're just getting the same ticket for the same price, though? I mean, sure, if those are the only seats available they would put you there. But the people in the second row of regular seating of Mercury Fur next to me did rush... and why would I know whether you knew The New Group had rush?!

Has anyone else who's seen this actually want to discuss it? I'm also interested to hear people's opinions who have seen DADA WOOF PAPA HOT as well. Whizzer?

The pre-show starts about 15 minutes before the show begins. It's Malcom Gets playing the piano and various cast members wandering onstage to sing show tunes. I found it a bit awkward because a lot of the audience was talking and not paying attention.

iluvtheatertrash said: "Don't want to spoil anything, but the twist after Ashlee Atkinson's final scene is devastating."

I typically find the word "twist" to be a spoiler.