THE FRONT PAGE Previews — Page 4

I have tickets for Black Friday and I can't wait!

CindersGolightly said: "I'm not familiar with this show at all. Can someone describe Sherie's role? I know it's small but I'm dying to know how small, what does she do, any standout moments?



"

Same! She's the reason I bought tickets.

Sherie is definitely not in the play for 15 minutes. Her scenes are indeed strong but far from 15 minutes. I don't even think Holland Taylor nor Robert Morse has that much stage time (15 minutes).

Saw it tonight. I previously saw productions in the 70s (with Robert Ryan, Bert Convy, Helen Hayes, etc.), and then the Lincoln Center production with Lithgow and Thomas. I thought it was perfect both times.

This time, I felt that the first act exposition was a little arduous, as others have mentioned. I can't help thinking that Jack O'Brian should have taken a pencil and made some cuts to what is still a terrific script. To start with, I think with a little adjustment the entire Micah Stock role could be eliminated, helping to tighten the first act. His role came across to me as stupid, which is not a criticism of him as an actor, but of the decision to give him that ridiculous accent, and not make some prudent cuts to what his character has to say, since it is totally unessential to the play. 60 seconds discussing hamburgers and ketchup is 60 seconds too much.

It definitely got better as it went along. The only other real criticisms:

-- John Slattery was solid, but he seemed to me to be 15 or so years too old for the role. Robert Morse is 40 years too old for his role, but it doesn't matter. It is not a lead role and he nails the nebbishness of the character in an endearing performance.

-- I thought the woman who played his girl friend was too shrill or whiny...cant decide. Either way, I can't believe he would have left Chicago for her.

The best thing about the show was clearly Nathan Lane. Even though he arrived late in the show, he owned it. It was a joy to watch him every minute. I also thought that Jefferson Mays was terrific as an OCD suffering prig...he got every laugh possible out of that role. I also thought that Sherie Rene Scott brought some depth to the role of Mollie that I had not seen before. I also enjoyed John Goodman very much.

So, I would say Act 1 gets a 'C' rating, Act 2 gets a 'B', and Act 3 gets an 'A-'. Nathan's reading of the immortal last line was positively perfect.

You should have stuck with it, Gensho. The first act bored me to tears and I was getting increasingly frustrated that I paid so much for tickets to this. Sherie was wonderful in her small role and once again proved that she in a terrific actress. Her scene in the first act was very short, however, and the rest of the act was painfully slow and not funny at all. Act two began to pick up a bit and then the play started coming to life when Lane finally arrived. He is truly hilarious and has the energy and charasma the first act was aching for. The third act has quite a few laughs, mostly belonging to Lane. In the end, I'm glad I went, but, oh boy, that first act really had me seriously worried.

Could someone tell me how long each act is?? I saw a few conflicting reports about running time and intermission times. THANK YOU!!

Saw this tonight on a whim. I went to the box office as the matinee was letting out - 4:30ish - asked if they had standing room for the evening. He said "Yes, how many?" I said "One" and then he said he might have a rush seat left - $50, which is crazy high, but with this cast I understand. So I took it! So those wondering about rush/SR it seems easy.

I'm glad I saw it, but also didn't love it. Didn't even really like it. The plot wasn't very interesting to me, and none of the performances particularly struck me. Nathan Lane was by far the best, but he basically just screams. But the whole show just needed something. Can't put my finger on it. But it never built to hysteria or even comedic antics. I figured with alll those characters it would be a riot. But it was more clever than funny. Nice design and direction.

I saw this today, and all I can say is they should spare the audience the trouble of the first 1.5 hours. Just start at Lane's entrance. The pacing up to that moment was a mess, but what he does to turn the production around is nothing short of a miracle. Even his co-stars suddenly find their stride playing opposite him.

RippedMan said: "Just a strange evening! Was the cop suppose to be German? Kind of went in and out."

That would probably be my best guess at the accent he was doing, but then again, I wasn't too sure. His character was so extraneous to the proceedings.

I saw this yesterday and loved it. I can't believe anyone thinks this is boring; I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. I don't feel like the first act dragged as some have said, and in fact I was surprised when the first intermission came down because the time just flew by.

I thought most of the cast was good to very good, with Lane, Mays and Stock being particular standouts. I know a lot of people (including the two I saw it with) didn't like Stock's performance, but I adored him and thought his line deliveries were priceless. I actually thought the two elder statesmen, Robert Morse and Holland Taylor, were the weakest links in the cast (along with Halley Pfeiffer, whom I didn't care for at all).

The set was beautiful and elaborate, especially for a show with such a limited run. You could tell no expense was spared. The lighting and special effects were also kind of brilliant. A first-rate production all around.

Personally, that seemed pretty stupid to me, as every review I can call thought Act 3 was terrific. I laughed out loud. I agree that Nathan may be Nathan, but that's why people buy tickets mainly when that is the case.