TAKE ME OUT Reviews — Page 3

I'm not really surprised by the reviews. Dare I say, I almost expected it. I'm a little biased because it's one of my favorite plays of all time. I can relate to its subject matter and it really hit home (no pun intended) with me on a very personal level the very first time I saw it at the Public. I think it handled its subject matter brilliantly. I also saw it when it transferred to the Walter Kerr. I loved everyone in that original cast.

I am looking forward to seeing this Thursday with my BFF.

Updated On: 4/18/22 at 10:30 AM

Mostly I come here to discuss shows I love and keep in touch with Broadway from a distance. I can't afford to travel, and most of the time it's okay--but lately I keep reading about productions its really frustrating to miss, even if the productions receive mixed reviews here (which I fine by me; I like diversity of opinion and having my own responses challenged).

Really wish it was possible for me to see this production. I've never read the script, but I saw a hit and miss (baseball pun?) regional production 15 years ago, and what struck me was just how awful the script itslef was. Maybe that's not the case, and the choices the production I saw only emphasized, or created weaknesses.

Among the big problems for me: 1) the primary antagonist is a moron, which reduces the whole plot to empty melodrama--there can't be a real conflict because the bad guy is a cartoony mentally defective bigot and the gay man is some sort of heteronormative "ideal" with no flaw, so all the drama is one-dimensionally black and white. 2) I am sick, sick, sick of writers who think the only way to create a humorous gay character is to make said character a queen, as in the case of Mason--it's the laziest approach to gay comedy. 3) Why on earth does this story need to be narrated primarily through the eyes of a straight man?

Would love to see this in a top level production that challenges my perceptions. But from my experience of it, the whole thing just seems to play to the most generic ideas, and even if those generic ideas are accurate (there are gay men "just like regular straight men," whatever one wants to mean by that; homophobes are generally mindless bigots; yes, some men are queens, and good for them) it just doesn't make for interesting or challenging theater. There's nothing in this show you haven't already seen in every Very Special Episode of your favorite 80's sitcom that had a guest character (a long-time friend of one of the protagonists, though you never saw him before and would never see him again) who turns out to be gay. Oh there's full-frontal. That was new. If you need that.

@joevitus

This revival was my first exposure to the play, but FWIW, Jesse Tyler Ferguson's performance didn't read to me as a stereotypical "queen," as much as he was just kind of a dweeb. Less of a Prior Walter, and more of a Rod from Avenue Q (but not repressed).

joevitus said: "JBroadway said: "@joevitus

This revival was my first exposure to the play, but FWIW, Jesse Tyler Ferguson's performance didn't read to me as a stereotypical "queen," as much as he was just kind of a dweeb. Less of a Prior Walter, and more of a Rod from Avenue Q (but not repressed)."

Glad to read this. Do they do something like the dumb thing in the production I saw where he wants to wear the sports ring, but insists it be put on his hand like he's (a woman) getting engaged?"

I don’t recall this, but I could be wrong. However if it did happen, it would’ve been completely in contrast with Jesse’s portrayal of the character, so I really don’t think it happened.

Thanks, dshnookie.