THE COLLABORATION Previews

Very much looking forward to this!

"As previously announced, Tuesday nights and Sunday matinees through December 30 will serve as mask-required performances."

I also saw this on Telecharge and was left scratching my head. Is there an alternate? Or are they seeing it as giving cautious audience members some times they can see it without much worry?

Definitely. I know people, especially people in the "non-profit demographic," who still would really like to wear masks or won't go to shows without them. It's not a lot, but it's enough of the non-profit demographic to do some performances with masks.

Absolutely! Not sure how I forgot about this thread (that I’ve already posted in) or why it didn’t come up in my Search…nevertheless!

Just got out of the (pushed back) first preview. Absolutely incredible, and I cannot wait for the film adaptation next year.

Jeremy Pope is earning a Tony with this. Krysta Rodriguez was a nice surprise (I knew she had left ITW but didn’t realize she was in this)! Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this (in the best way).

Very moving, incredibly thought provoking. Really cool design and they use live camera feed like they did for the WSS revival - except this time it actually adds something. Go see it. Asap.

PS the staff at the theater are lovely, just had to give them a shout out. Especially the man (meant to get his name) working at the stage door, he really was great especially with the over-excited crowd.

Edit to add: The ONLY note I have is that I wish the actors could be amplified to some extent. The first act was on the quieter side and act two was actually a lot better, but with some of the blocking you have actors turning upstage that muffled lines for a second.

I can’t wait to go back and bring friends. I think even the non-Broadway goer would really enjoy it.

Updated On: 11/30/22 at 10:26 PM

That was utilized in the London production so yes

Re: Gunshot - this is a sound effect made offstage from behind the set, and from where I was sitting (directly under the first row mezz) it was quiet enough that I wondered if it was a gunshot or just general loud noise. The second one sounded more like a prop gun. Just like the dialogue, it’s not amplified out into the house. It comes from an offstage altercation.

The DJ was really fun! People throughout the orchestra were dancing before the show and during intermission.

BMcGregor said: "Any idea how long the runtime was?"

Approximately two hours, including a 15-minute intermission (according to the MTC website).

Seeing this next week and very excited! Any pics/videos to share? Otherwise, would love to hear about how the first previews are going...

MimiJudith said: "Also, I thought the first preview was cancelled due to COVID but now I see that it went on anyway?"

The 11/29 preview was cancelled. First preview was on 11/30 instead.

I'd love to hear more about the set design!

Oh boy, not what I wanted to hear! Seeing this on Wednesday... can you elaborate?

I saw this over the weekend too. I didn't enjoy it or think it was good at all. Pope's performance was the only thing that made it worthwhile.

The first act is a relentlessly talky slog that goes nowhere. (Afterward I read some reviews of the London production and was gratified to see it described as such by several critics.) After the opening scenes where their mutual agent contrives to make them work together, it really is just the two of them in Warhol's studio sniping at each other. The conversation circles around and around without going anywhere or revealing anything about interesting about either character. Not knowing much about either artist, I was surprised to learn that Warhol and Basquiat had nothing but contempt for each other and their work. I was even more surprised to read up a bit on their relationship afterward and find that wasn't the case, so I'm not sure why the play portrays it that way, or why it was so damn boring. I honestly was fighting to keep my eyes open in the first act.

The second act is at least livelier. Things...actually happen. We also get histrionics and soul-baring confessions, so the conversations actually seem to go somewhere (even if it is into melodrama). Did I buy into most of it? Not really. But I had no trouble staying awake, so that was an improvement.

I guess it's nice that Rodriguez got another Broadway credit, even though it's a nothing role that could have been played by just about any actress (and she's not that great in it...). I also don't think the "live feed" we're viewing supposedly from what Warhol is shooting is really live; what was being projected didn't always match what was really happening.

If you're dying to see these actors live, it may be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's really not.

Count me as one who really enjoyed this. Pope is stellar in everything I’ve seen him do. I hope he gets another nomination for this. Bettany was not quite as stellar, but he was still very good. Krysta Rodriguez is almost non-existent, so it’s fascinating to me that she went from Cinderella to this. I mean, she has a natural 80s vibe and perhaps that’s fun for her, but the character is not necessary. I did enjoy the few moments with the manager.

The story itself isn’t filled with action or adventure. It’s two lost souls who find themselves in art and form a connection because of that. It’s at the heart of what those actors are doing onstage, so it felt real and raw.

Someone asked about the set design, so it’s really just two city apartments where they work and one gallery at the beginning. There are a few screens around the stage with images of other NYC apartments or billboards. Before the show starts, there is a DJ onstage playing hits from the 80s. There’s a Mondrian-type glass ceiling and a graffiti wall where the DJ stands. Images of the city are projected center stage.

Seems like this board is split, but I thoroughly enjoyed my two hours with these creatives.