Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Broadway Star Joined: 12/20/15
Broadway Star Joined: 12/20/15
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Oh! Okay! Was thinking the Harvey show was in the bigger space.
SEARED is in the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater, which is the black box venue in MCC's new space. THE WRONG MAN is in their traditional proscenium theater, the Newman Mills. SEARED has a proscenium set-up (you can see the seating chart online if you go to buy tickets), but it's in the black box.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/11/07
Saw this last night, and this play rocked! Amazing cast, detailed set, great play.
LOVED IT.
Chorus Member Joined: 2/10/18
What's the current run time for this? Seeing it next week and trying to plan my night afterwards. Thanks!
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/19
oldfriends said: "What's the current run time for this? Seeing it next week and trying to plan my night afterwards. Thanks!"
2 hours 15 min with intermission
I mean, it’s well done...but not very meaty.
Perhaps a bit half-baked?
Not much of a plot. Cranky chef gets his comeuppance. And that’s about it.
Esparza was his intense best but it would have been nice to have a quirkier presence. Joaquin Phoenix anyone? Krista Rodriguez was beguiling and very charming as a restaurant “fixer”.
Not much of a plot pretty much sums up all of Rebeck's stuff for me.
After reading the raves on here, I found this show pretty disappointing.
I thought it was far too shouty, and painfully repetitive. The whole play was basically just the same argument retread over and over for two hours (could EASILY have been under 90 minutes). I thought Bernhardt/Hamlet had the same problem. I also just found the dialogue to be over-written and preachy. Esparza was really the only actor who felt grounded to me, and even he was directed to scream his way through the show. Definitely the weakest of his 3 recent NYC performances (though still pretty good).
I did like the ending though. I thought it was unexpected, yet tied the whole show together in a way that made sense, and made the play feel like it had a point besides just “art vs. capitalism: smackdown!”
Those smells made me hungry!
Leading Actor Joined: 11/18/13
Any word on whether this will transfer somewhere else or potentially uptown? This has been selling remarkably well (I recognize the house is small, but a third extension is being eaten up)
I saw this last night and pretty much hated it. It's not much of a play, has no real conflict or payoff, and way way way too shouty (I told my boyfriend if I heard the word "scallop" one more time I was going to walk out). I love Raul and he's one of my favorites but he was really overacting last night.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/19
little_sally said: "I saw this last night and pretty much hated it. It's not much of a play, has no real conflict or payoff, and way way way too shouty (I told my boyfriend if I heard the word "scallop" one more time I was going to walk out). I love Raul and he's one of my favorites but he was really overacting last night."
Interesting how different people take away the opposite things from this play. To me this was not much of a traditional play with a plot, but more of a fable, even a lesson. To me the idea was that the hard work always beats the talent. No matter how great your recipe or an idea could be, if you refuse to market it or give it exposure, it will never pick up and eventually fail. Or somebody who is a little wittier and quicker can borrow it, or in this case picks the same skills by observing and learning, can turn the same idea into a great success and profit.
Also, it's true that the play was shouty, but did you ever work in a really busy restaurant? It gets even worse :))
So, that was my take.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/28/15
Falsettolands said: "Any word on whether this will transfer somewhere else or potentially uptown? This has been selling remarkably well (I recognize the house is small, but a third extension is being eaten up)"
The Golden is still looking for a resident in the Spring and I could see it playing well there. Seems to be a decisive show but personally I loved it and would love to see it take on another life.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Saw this tonight and loved the design and direction. Really loved the lighting in the transitions!
Performances were good, but story wise? What was the point? What did Rodriguez get out of it? Was she getting paid? Endorsements? I’ve never heard of a restaurant consultant and why she’s choose to dine at a failing restaurant and then opt to help it? And no kitchen is a one man job. A lot felt false to me in me the story. And surprised that in 2019 Rebeck would write a show that craps all over the female for being smart and driven is beyond me. Do we really need a play about a hot head chef who eventually comes around? What’s new?
I didn't think the show craps on Rodriguez's character at all. In fact, the entire play argues against the idea that Esparza's character's pretentiousness and temper and unreasonable, unsustainable demands should be accommodated because he's an irreplaceable genius. Rodriguez is vindicated by the end- the restaurant is a success, and a waiter is just as capable in the kitchen as Esparza's auteur chef without any of the self-sabotaging or abusive "genius."
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
No I get all that, but they def take a few digs at her for being a woman. Why not make this same show but about a female chef?
SouthernCakes said: "No I get all that, but they def take a few digs at her for being a woman. Why not make this same show but about a female chef?"
I thought it was pretty clear that Rebeck was rebutting the cultural idea of the difficult but irreplaceable man genius.
Double.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
SouthernCakes said: "No I get all that, but they def take a few digs at her for being a woman. Why not make this same show but about a female chef?"
Because that's not the show that Rebeck wanted to write?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/19
HBBrock said: "Saw this last night, and this play rocked! Amazing cast, detailed set, great play.
LOVED IT."
Did you go home and eat haha. That's all I wanted to do when I Saw this play because it SMELLED SO GOOD
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
Honestly I couldn’t smell anything?! Maybe it was just me! But I def wanted scallops!
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