THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA Previews- Page 2

[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."
 

 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/20/24 at 11:35pm

Really enjoyed this tonight, which I was surprised by considering how Ferryman didn't leave much of an impression on me (though to be fair I was having a tough time following along with the accents and excess of characters), and I especially found this much more accessible.  I loved how deceptively simple it was but just thinking about the different feelings and motivations of the characters will probably carry me for a while--I think it would be really interesting to read because I know there's parts I missed or things that would just carry a larger resonance a second time around.

The second act was by far my favorite, for both the "present" and past scenes.  I'm surprised reading that people found Veronica one note as I thought she had a tremendous amount of spirit and I really admired her for juggling all the different parts of her life and trying to balance her ambition (and that of her daughters) with empathy (and manipulation), which was also similar in tone to one of Joan's monologues in the third act.  The main thing is I was a little puzzled at her inaction at the end of the second act, but I think Laura Donnelly sold her internal conflict quite well so it's hard for me to tell if that's a flaw on the part of the play or if that's an intentional ambiguity.

I'd heard a lot of negatives about the third act (especially in London), which I understand to be rewritten, though I'm not sure if they're still making changes.  I think it was less "neat" (especially with the male characters, though I kind of understand why they're there), but it wasn't as big of a drop off as I was expecting.  Laura Donnelly definitely shows a lot of range and had I not known beforehand that she was doubling parts, I would never have expected that to be her just based on her demeanor and voice.  It still feels a little messy--Ruby has a part near the end that seems to come on a bit inexplicably and I don't think was established enough ahead of time to make sense of it, and Jill ends up coming off as a bit of a contradiction in her attitude towards Joan (also probably more naive than she should be).  But I think the sisterhood between the four, or what remains of it, as well as the themes that pervade through the entire piece still make this something that's fascinating to watch

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/21/24 at 4:46pm

Eh. I caught The Hills of California this afternoon and I didn't find much to like. Sure, there are some great performances, but The Ferryman this is not. Unlike Jez Butterworth's last Broadway outing, this one is a long and slow burn with absolutely zero payoff at the end. I kept waiting for that "aha" moment where everything comes together, but it never really arrived despite the play's almost 3 hour run time. 

The whole affair was pretty "ho-hum". This is one of those shows I probably won't even remember seeing in a few months.

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 9/21/24 at 4:57pm

chrishuyen said: "Really enjoyed this tonight, which I was surprised by considering how Ferryman didn't leave much of an impression on me (though to be fair I was having a tough time following along with the accents and excess of characters), and I especially found this much more accessible. I loved how deceptively simple it was but just thinking about the different feelings and motivations of the characters will probably carry me for a while--I think it would be really interesting to read because I know there's parts I missed or things that would just carry a larger resonance a second time around.

The second act was by far my favorite, for both the "present" and past scenes. I'm surprised reading that people found Veronica one note as I thought she had a tremendous amount of spirit and I really admired her for juggling all the different parts of her life and trying to balance her ambition (and that of her daughters) with empathy (and manipulation), which was also similar in tone to one of Joan's monologues in the third act. The main thing is I was a little puzzled at her inaction at the end of the second act, but I think Laura Donnelly sold her internal conflict quite well so it's hard for me to tell if that's a flaw on the part of the play or if that's an intentional ambiguity.

I'd heard a lot of negatives about the third act (especially in London), which I understand to be rewritten, though I'm not sure if they're still making changes. I think it was less "neat" (especially with the male characters, though I kind of understand why they're there), but it wasn't as big of a drop off as I was expecting. Laura Donnelly definitely shows a lot of range and had I not known beforehand that she was doubling parts, I would never have expected that to be her just based on her demeanor and voice. It still feels a little messy--Ruby has a part near the end that seems to come on a bit inexplicably and I don't think was established enough ahead of time to make sense of it, and Jill ends up coming off as a bit of a contradiction in her attitude towards Joan (also probably more naive than she should be). But I think the sisterhood between the four, or what remains of it, as well as the themes that pervade through the entire piecestill make this something that's fascinating to watch"

I have the script from London and saw it on Broadway this week.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Joan's arc in act 3 has changed. In the London script, she's married with a kid who she leaves with Jill and has been traveling around with The Rolling Stones.

No pizza delivery, no Andrews sisters story (true or not). She still leaves as they sing Dream A Little Dream.

For Broadway, they also cut one of the Dennis seeing Joan on the pier. 

Ruby also calls for him and her kid during the panic attack. 

I really enjoyed it. Haven't seen Ferryman on stage. 

Updated On: 9/21/24 at 04:57 PM

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/21/24 at 5:07pm

WOW. Everything about this production is wonderful.

The writing, direction and cast are as good as broadway gets. RUN AND SEE THIS 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/22/24 at 4:50pm

His Three Daughters was just released on Netflix. Carrie Coon is giving some performance. I couldn't help but think about the similarities and differences between the sisters in this and The Hills of California. I enjoyed both so much.

[Jumpin_J]

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

Piparoo said: "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."

Thanks for the heads up. I'm finding harder to sit through shows with excessive herbal cigarette smoke and haze. It's a shame that now when I look for tickets I might suspect have these things that I have to ask how far from the stage I need to sit.

[FunathonGroff]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 12:15am

Looks like there are still MTC 30 Under 35 tickets available for the next few weeks. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 3:24am

Jumpin_J said: "Piparoo said: "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."

Thanks for the heads up. I'm finding harder to sit through shows with excessive herbal cigarette smoke and haze. It's a shame that now when I look for tickets I might suspect have these things that I have to ask how far from the stage I need to sit. "

Haze is water-based. Practically a humidifier.

[Jumpin_J]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 10:02am

blaxx said: "Jumpin_J said: "Piparoo said: "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."

Thanks for the heads up. I'm finding harder to sit through shows with excessive herbal cigarette smoke and haze. It's a shame that now when I look for tickets I might suspect have these things that I have to ask how far from the stage I need to sit. "

Haze is water-based. Practically a humidifier."

That doesn't necessarily make it easier to breathe. If it wasn't a concern, they wouldn't put signs in front of the house saying "The use of haze is used in this production". Updated On: 9/25/24 at 10:02 AM

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 3:37pm

Extended through December 22

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 4:06pm

Fordham2015 said: "Extended through December 22"

Awesome, but why not through the Xmas holiday to make the big $$$?

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 4:57pm

I thought this was absolutely wonderful. Laura Donnelly is giving an astonishingly good performance and will surely be Tony nominated again for this. Leanne Best and Ophelia Lovibond were also great (Lovibond's entrance is one of the most entertaining character entrances in a minute, totally unhinged). The young girls have great harmonies in the musical moments. I was really captured by the story.

Complaints are quite minor. I think sometimes the moments of underscoring felt spot on, but other instances felt like they were really hammering home a moment in a treacly way, and they could have let the dialogue speak for itself. The first scene could be a bit tighter, it took a few minutes for things to feel like they were settled. And personally, I would spend more time hashing things out in Act 3 because the play builds to a place where there is just SO much to explore between the sisters by that point. 

If I had to rank Butterworth's plays, I would still say The Ferryman is my clear favorite. But this is a wonderful night at the theater.

[berniesb!tch]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 6:38pm

I saw this last week. I really loved it. Too busy to go in depth but the script, direction, acting, and set are all absolutely top tier. 3 hour dramas are hit and miss for me but I found this one really special. I didn't see Ferryman but my friend I saw it with said she preferred Hills. 

 

[rachelfran]

Posted: 9/28/24 at 3:21pm

saw this last night via TDF ticket (excellent orchestra seat row H dead center) and enjoyed it, even if I missed about 20% of the dialogue and jokes... great set, acting and more music than I expected.  Misted up a little by the end, as well.