THE CHILDREN Previews

Bump! First preview happening now.

Updated On: 11/28/17 at 08:22 PM

I was at the first preview tonight and bored for most of the play in which very little plot happens, bascially there are three older characters sitting around a table in the kitchen for two hours. That would not be a problem if these characters were especially interesting/likable/fascinating but alas they are neither of those things. The characters are mainly discussing getting older and whether their lives had any meaning. I was sitting in the mezzanine and there were about 5 people who just got up and walked out during the show. I can't say it is the worst thing I have seen in recent memory but I will probably forget all about it in a month.

After Eight said: "dialogueabout whatone ofthe characters expelledin the downstairs toilet."

Don't tease us like that. What did they expel?!?

Theater3232 said: "Row after row after row of people, all had their eyes closed. It was hard to find one person with their eyes open."

Three posters above you all seemingly had their eyes open the whole time.

Theater3232 said: Why wouldn't MTC tell this playwright to develop her craft in playwright school, rather than jump to Broadway? We all have to start somewhere, and perhaps this playwright should go back to off-off-Broadway.



I think this is a bit unfair (and inaccurate). Kirkwood won an Olivier for best play (Chimerica in 2013) and has been produced quite a bit in her native UK. The Children ran at the Royal Court in 2016 with this cast/production and received quite strong reviews; here's the favorable NY Times review https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/theater/review-the-children-in-london-offers-hints-of-an-apocalypse.html

The play is not inept. It's a very deliberate play and not one that appears to have fallen short of the author's goals. That doesn't mean anyone has to like it, of course, but without knowing Kirkwood personally, it seems safe to assume that the final product is the play she set out to write.

I saw this tonight and have to say I'm very surprised at all of the negative reviews on here. It is a bit too long (tonight's show ran exactly 2 hours), but I found it to quite funny and gripping with three excellent performances.

I saw Francesca Annis onstage in the West End in 2008 and loved her so I was thrilled at the chance to see her onstage again. She is wonderful here and gives the strongest performance out of the three. She delivers so brilliantly dry line readings and has some of the best humor in the piece.

I agree with Whizzer the premise is unique but I thought it was handled quite well. It's an engaging an absorbing story and while the plot is a bit thin (and occasionally parts I found a bit repetitive), the three actors are all so excellent I don't think it matters.

I think the dialogue is quite sharp and far more than just three people sitting around a table for two hours. There is definitely a fully formed play here and the themes that it explores are quite engaging.

It's my favorite play of the Broadway fall season.

I saw this tonight. I quite enjoyed myself. The premise was interesting, the acting was strong, and it didn't cut itself short. It's definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea but it's a small little rock of a play.

I went into this one VERY wary (almost 2 hours with no intermission?!), however, I found this to be an exceptionally well crafted play. The one hour and fifty minute run time absolutely flew by. I was throughly engaged and intrigued the entire time. I won’t write anymore, because to do so would spoil the play, but I definitely enjoyed this.

I thought this was a better play than Junk, The Parisian Woman, and Meteor Shower, and the cast is terrific but it is still too talky and dull. The characters weren't interesting enough, nor was the situation riveting enough to really hold my attention. I thought it was about 20-30 minutes too long.

But kudos to MTC for putting this on Broadway. This seems like something they'd stick in their City Center space. It's nice they have an original work in the Friedman.

Lavieboheme3090 wrote:

"The people who don't enjoy this play or at the very least don't see it's merits. *Cough After8 Cough* are exactly who this play wants to piss off and exactly who we are up against."



"ITS merits." Alas, the greater problem is that there are no merits to see. And the ones who are up against it are the poor members of the audience who have to suffer through this sludge.