THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/10/24 at 12:00am

The Hills are alive on 44th Street.

Six years after the New York success of The Ferryman, playwright Jez Butterworth and director Sam Mendes return to Broadway with their latest family saga The Hills of California, starting previews tomorrow night (September 11) at the Broadhurst Theatre. The ensemble cast of the new play — previously seen in London’s West End earlier this year — features Laura Donnelly, Leanne Best, Ophelia Lovibond, Helena Wilson, Nancy Allsop, Sophia Ally, Lara McDonnell, Nicola Turner, Bryan Dick, Richard Short, David Wilson Barnes, Richard Lumsden, Ta’Rea Campbell, Sawyer Barth, Ellyn Heald, Cameron Scoggins, and Max Roll. Opening night is September 29, and the limited engagement concludes on December 8.

“In the sweltering heat of a 1970s summer, the Webb sisters return to their childhood home in Blackpool, an English seaside town, where their mother Veronica lies dying upstairs. Gloria and Ruby now have families of their own. Jill never left. And Joan? No one’s heard from her in twenty years… but Jill insists that her mother’s favorite won’t let them down this time.

The run-down Sea View Guest House is haunted by bittersweet memories of amusement park rides and overdue bills. Back in the 1950s, each night the four young sisters rehearse their singing act, managed by their fiercely loving single mom. But when a record producer offers a shot at fame and a chance to escape, it will cost them all dearly.”

Who’s going?

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 9/10/24 at 12:09am

Previews begin this Wednesday, Sept 11.
Lottery: $52.  In-person rush: $37

Updated On: 9/10/24 at 12:09 AM

[Piparoo]

Posted: 9/10/24 at 6:48am

This was our favorite from our summer West End visit - such great performances by all of the actors. Laura Donnelly is a force of nature but all of the adult sisters are incredible, and each has phenomenal character moments. Really an ensemble show and so glad that the cast came over intact.

It’s a family drama (with a surprising number of good act one laughs thrown in) and it hits hard, dealing with relatable (at least for my family and me) themes like jealousy, obligation, ambition and making sense of trauma.

If the script stays largely unchanged, there’s a lot of local Blackpool color (colour?) in there, which we liked. It helps fix the show in a time and place. If the Lancashire accents remain as faithful as they were in the West End production, some audience members may lose a few words here and there, but it shouldn’t be too bad.

We’re booked for mid October. Can’t wait to see it again and hope it’s a success!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/10/24 at 9:50am

That rush price is insane! 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/10/24 at 1:00pm

Back on TDF again, this time with a handful of matinees - and at 1 p.m. yet. Can't wait to see this.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 12:05am

There was an invited dress tonight 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 12:55am

Better than watching a debate.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 6:13pm

Telecharge says 2:45 runtime, including a 15-minute intermission. 

[Piparoo]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 6:32pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Telecharge says 2:45 runtime, including a 15-minute intermission."

Thinking the Broadway production may’ve trimmed 5-10 minutes from the original runtime, even accounting for the omission of the brief (5 minute) interval between acts two and three in the West End. Updated On: 9/11/24 at 06:32 PM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 6:42pm

Did you see it?

[ardiem]

Posted: 9/11/24 at 10:28pm

Tonight's show started on time at around 7:08p and ended at 9:50p (and it flew by!) Updated On: 9/11/24 at 10:28 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 7:37am

I saw this last night, and I’m not really sure how to feel about it. I think it’s a pretty slight, well-crafted play that wastes its time on too much dialogue between characters that don’t matter and builds tension that never really comes to any kind of head. The performances are all fine, but the only person on the stage I came away wanting to see more of was Ophelia Lovibond, who plays the second youngest sister, Ruby. Not really sure why Laura Donnelly’s performance is so buzzy - Veronica is fairly one-note and Joan is one of the worst-written “third act” characters I’ve ever seen on stage.

Mostly, I just don’t know why this transferred. I know it got decent reviews, but it doesn’t feel like it carries any kind of significance. It’s a fairly paint-by-numbers family drama with a bunch of extra dialogue to pad the cast and make it feel like an epic. But The Ferryman and Jerusalem, it is not.

At the curtain call, my husband and I were shocked at how many people were on stage and talked about how much better it would have been to just have the play be the sisters and mother with the occasional pop-in from the male characters that actually factor into the plot. There’s some double casting of the actors who play those men, but their present day counterparts don’t even register as characters, so cut them. And definitely cut the random teenage niece and nephew.

Overall, it faded from my mind as I was walking the two blocks to the subway.

[JayElle]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 8:10am

"...But The Ferryman and Jerusalem, it is not."

Agree...especially the unnecessary chain smoking that created a distraction and discomfort on the increasingly coughing audience.  Counted Laura lighting 5 in last 10-15 mins.   The smelly smoky haze went ceiling-bound as it permeated theater.

I love the Mendes/Butterworth/Donnelly combo. Saw Ferryman 9 times. Disappointed I have to choose between breathing comfortably and the show.

Updated On: 9/13/24 at 08:10 AM

[Piparoo]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 11:23am

It’s a bummer that the herbal cigs are irritating for folks. We should all be able to breathe comfortably in the theatre. I disagree that it’s unnecessary. Cigarette smoking, specifically the mother’s disdain of it, the moments she permits it and its significance for the kids’ rebellion, is kind of a running theme throughout the show.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 11:38am

Totally agree with the poster questioning why this transferred. It’s really not a great play like Jerusalem or Ferryman, and very expensive to put on. 
 

also agree that Donnellys last act character is just awful. It feels like her partner just wanted to write some parts that she could ACT and show range. 
 

The herbal cigarettes made me feel ill in london, I’m amazed they haven’t toned that down in NYC. It becomes incredibly distracting.

[Jjohansan]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 12:59pm

Saw this last night and I really enjoyed it. Definitely the kind of play that sticks with you after you leave the theatre and reveals new layers as you think about it more. I found the female leads to be very impressive as well - each actress delivered such layered performances that really made me think about the relationships in my own family and how... complicated they can sometimes be. Laura Donnelly in particular really blew me away…

I sat second row mezz and had a great view of the set - which is STUNNING btw. 

The play feels like a breath of fresh, artistic air the currently over-commercialized Broadway landscape and I really loved that there is music throughout.

I didn't get a whiff of any herbal cigarette smoke from where I was sitting (although I have smelt much worse than that in a Broadway theatre before)

[Frank8]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 3:54pm

I was just writing down my thoughts about HOC and I think we have very similar taste in plays!  Definitely share and appreciation of powerful acting and great writing!  And a fine Rob Howell set!  Copying and pasting what I thought. I saw a preview of Hills of California last night and it blew me away.   We know Jez Butterworth is a great writer from Jerusalem and The Ferryman, two of my all-time favorites.  Packed with funny and heartbreaking performances, the play is the story of four sisters who we get to know at two different times in there lives.  Each woman has a fascinating story.  Except for Laura McDonald, who we already know is a great performer, the actors are new to me and they are all amazing.  I was in the front mezz on TDF – great seats!  Another mind-blowing set by Rob Howell, who did The Ferryman and Matilda!  Sam Mendes always keeps the action exciting on edge.  Everyone went nuts at the curtain call.  I hadn’t heard much about the show out of London.  I’m so glad I went early here.  I can’t wait to go again and I would recommend the production to anyone who wants to see epic, funny and moving theater.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/13/24 at 4:23pm

We saw this last night and were also enchanted by Ophelia Lovibond especially when she sang. I also agree that there are way too many characters that can be cut.  We enjoyed it but did not find it as thrilling as The Ferryman.  Laura Donnelly is given a lot to do but nothing comes close to those shattering last moments she gave us at The Ferryman. That performance I still think about.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 12:41am

i agree with many of the criticisms/points made here but i enjoyed this quite a bit. it could be shorter, but there is an onion-being-peeled way the plot unfolds, and i really dug the performances and the use of the set. nothing mindblowing but since I was not as enamored with The Ferryman as everyone else was, I found myself pleasantly surprised this evening.

one thing this play has in common with Ferryman is problems at the end. I found the "shocking" end to Ferryman to be totally unearned to the point of silly; here, the plot gets wobbly and yes, the 3rd Act character is such a wet noodle, performed so irritatingly, that it was the human embodiment of slowly letting air out a balloon. this is no slight to Laura Donnelly, who has gargantuan dialogue to deliver and does so perfectly in Acts 1 and 2. Still, I agree that the third act deserves better than--well i dont want to give any spoilers but its a bit of a let down.

And yet: its a uniformly wonderful cast with beautiful and often very funny performances including vocals. Ophelia Lovibond's voice was stellar (Tarea Campbell doesnt get to sing, which should be a crime no) but i thought all four women hit it out the park, and the last moment from one of the younger actresses was haunting. 

Theater was not all that full in the mezzanine for a Saturday night, but the response at curtain call was quite enthusiastic and well deserved.

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 11:37am

I thought this was a theatrical feast. And I feel lucky to have seen this in nyc without having to travel to London to see it. I personally thought it was a much better play than "The Ferryman" but perhaps not as accessible. This is a detailed, rich world of a play and I would love to see it again. 

I wasn't sitting close enough to weigh in on the cigarette smoke but I did not find that some of the regional accents interfered with my enjoyment and understanding of the dialogue.

Singleticket's review of THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA

Updated On: 9/15/24 at 11:37 AM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 7:29pm

It’s a good thing they partnered up with MTC so get tickets going.  Is there some sort of agreement between the two?  Like did the producers of this and water for elephants have to pay off MTC for this type of arrangement?  I could see them doing another round of 30 under 35 tickets. 

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 9/15/24 at 10:35pm

Broadway Flash said: "It’s a good thing they partnered up with MTC so get tickets going. Is there some sort of agreement between the two? Like did the producers of this and water for elephantshave to pay off MTC for this type of arrangement? I could see them doing another round of 30 under 35 tickets."

It wasn't some "pay off" with briefcases of cash, exchanged late one night in Shubert Alley...it's exactly what it sounds like: MTC joined as a producer, with certain terms agreed upon -- one of which is offering the show to its subscribers. 

BWW Article 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/18/24 at 9:41am

NO SPECIFIC SPOILERS. Saw this last night, and come down in the middle of the reactions I've encountered on the boards. The play ultimately gains genuine power, once its second of three acts burrows deeply into the core event defining the heartbreaking story. Butterworth's ability to shape an overly familiar situation - a stage mother who will sacrifice literally anything for her children's success - into something new and disturbing earns attention and respect. And when the plot turn that changes lives forever happens before our eyes, Mendes stages it without a wisp of melodrama. I found the second act so riveting it made me (almost) forget the long-winded, digressive, and overwritten first - a full hour yet - which stalls, sputters, rewinds, and keeps losing momentum. 

As for the third act, I'm not yet sure how I feel about the merely circumstantial irresolution. The play gives a nod to Pinter's The Homecoming and finds fresh turf to explore, to be sure. And Donnelly, channeling a kind of youngish Susan Sarandon, turns a near caricature into a haunted shell of a woman, a human being so emptied of character and agency she is all performative tics, chain smoking in her childhood home to resist taking the needed deep breath that might reconnect her to a past like no other. In that third act - and I won't spoil it - Mendes creates a visual coup de theatre, a single image that epitomizes the play's unsettling origin story. When it arrives, silent, the set doing the work, we gasp. And if nothing afterward has comparable weight, the play winds down to a sad, frightening place: how do you live with what is impossible to explain, let alone justify?  I finally began to forgive the first act - maybe - so shaken was I by the dark corner where Butterworth dares to leave these women. 

Updated On: 9/18/24 at 09:41 AM

[romain2]

Posted: 9/19/24 at 5:52pm

Big Jerusalem and Ferryman fan and I thought this was beautifully staged and well-done. I’ll be haunted by moments in Act 3 for a long time. Excellent cast. 

[yyys]

Posted: 9/20/24 at 8:54pm

I think her delivery was quite irritating....

Dolly80 said: " also agree that Donnellys last act character is just awful. It feels like her partner just wanted to write some parts that she could ACT and show range."