THE COLLABORATION Reviews & Extension- Page 3

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 4:31pm

Falsettolands said: "Every production works it differently, but it's not unheard of for a show to not rehearse understudies until the preview period is over and the show is open. I have heard of shows not contracting covers until after the show was open."

 

The question is is whether they have an u/s for all four actors. Playbill Vault only shows two actors covering one role each.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 6:37pm

Dollypop said: "With reviews like this, the production may close soon despite the extension."

Doubt it. It already has built in sales from a subscriber base and if poor sales didn’t kill COST OF LIVING, it won’t kill this.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 7:23pm

Any chance the movie gets axed?

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 8:23pm

Alexander Lamar said: "Any chance the movie gets axed?"

the movie has already been filmed so likely not

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 9:52pm

One of my friends from college whose sister is the DJ says it was Jeremy Pope out with COVID

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 12/21/22 at 10:45pm

Add me to the list of people who are completely shocked to see such negative reviews across the board.  I thought this was a good play, elevated by fantastic lead performances with Pope and Bettany (Pope being the standout of the two imo).  I certainly don’t think it’s the most amazing play I’ve ever seen, but I have seen far worse plays get far better reviews than this.

And wasn’t this play super well reviewed in London?  I know NY and London audiences are different, but surprised to see such different critical responses.

[Luis Palomares]

Posted: 12/22/22 at 12:41pm

I was in town for two days. When i got my email about my Wed mat performance cancellation, I bought tix for AIN’T NO MO and I feel that’s the best thing that ever could have happened. (Yes, I saw MERRILY the night before.) I LOVED ANM, but how pathetic that this brilliantly acted, hilarious and necessary comedy can’t survive for more than a few weeks on Broadway. 
As for the notion that tourists are scared to come to NYC discussed at length on another thread, the lobby of my midtown hotel was jammed with guests day and night. 

Updated On: 12/22/22 at 12:41 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/5/23 at 10:24pm

I saw the show tonight, fresh off this afternoon's announcement that it would be extended one more time, to February 5. I thought it was quite okay. 

The book is the real weak spot here — a disappointment because Anthony McCarten has had lots of practice thus far with biographical works (specifically onscreen), and he has nailed it from time to time. 

Yes, the first act is slow and very expository, but it kept my attention the whole time. Things get more interesting in the second act when the two leads get to work. 

Paul Bettany is all right as Andy Warhol, who here is approaching the twilight of his career. His artistic aim — let's call it "WarholVision" — is to glorify repetition and brand names. I think he does some solid work in the show, though his whine gets a little grating, especially during some of the later moments of act two. Also a filmmaker, his Warhol — who his agent states early "cannot respond to love" — is an elderly Mark Cohen of sorts, camera in hand, willing to capture his counterpart doing the job with him.

The only actor that manages to completely rise above the iffy material is Jeremy Pope. His Jean-Michel Basquiat on the rise is young, electric, eccentric, free-willing. Playing the art scene's latest wunderkind (and Warhol's polar opposite), his enthusiasm can be felt all across the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre as he prances around the stage. It was my first time seeing Pope in a show, and he's probably made his case for a Tony nomination in the spring. 

Shocking that Erik Jensen has the bigger role than Krysta Rodriguez does. She's gone from Cinderella to this?

The onstage DJ was cool; I saw some people dancing in their seats pre-show to '80s throwbacks: "Don't You Want Me," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." Putting the "club" in Manhattan Theatre Club!

There were 6 consecutive empty seats in front of me, and a few more in the next 2-3 rows or so. The show started at 7:07 and I was outside the theatre at 9:07. There was a post-show discussion, but I didn't want to stay for it.

In conclusion, Basquiat says in the show that all art should have a purpose. There are some pieces of art about the process of making art that really shine, be it on TV, film, or stage. However, like MJ also proves five blocks north, The Collaboration doesn't really let us see the artist(s) completely, at least not through the schlocky writing, which could've made the show purposeless if not for the two fine leads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 1/5/23 at 10:30pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "

There were 6 consecutive empty seats in front of me, and a few more in the next 2-3 rows or so. T


"

Really surprised by the extension given the weak reviews and the reports of empty audiences.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 7:44am

PipingHotPiccolo said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "

There were 6 consecutive empty seats in front of me, and a few more in the next 2-3 rows or so. T


"

Really surprised by the extension given the weak reviews and the reports of empty audiences."

Likely to give subscribers who held tickets for one of the cancelled performances another date to change their tickets to…

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 7:56am

Still trying to understand how it is legal by AEA for Bettany and Jensen to not have an u/s. Or are their understudies simply not listed in the Playbill?

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 8:02am

WSJ article this week on the proliferate McCarten.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/movie-whitney-houston-freddie-mercury-11672848536

 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 8:50am

I also have been scratching my head at the extension, I mean, the show was papering the week of Christmas and hasn’t been selling that great. The industry has all sorts of interesting decisions lately.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 9:38am

I don't know much about Equity rules, but there have been lots of cases in recent years of actors (usually big stars) not having understudies. I have to assume that the "rule" is actually not a rule, or that it has a loophole that's frequently exploited. 

I agree the extension is surprising, but it's less surprising at a non-profit than it would be in a commercial run. They probably want more subscribers to have a chance to see it, or something like that. Or they were always planning to run through that extension period and just wanted to use the extensions announcements as a marketing tool. But regardless, it's not really fair to compare it to the commercial-run plays that announced early closing. 

Incidentally, since I posted about it above: I did end up seeing the show last week, without any understudies. I was not a fan of the play, to say the least. Posted thoughts on it here.