THE PHILANTHROPIST Reviews- Page 2

[scott68]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:10pm

I just saw Godot today, and really enjoyed it. Despite always enjoying reading the play, I've never before seen a production I liked at all, so it was a big surprise for me.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:14pm

Rocks, sorry I misinterpreted. And of course there's no problem with differing opinions. I'm sorry you didn't like it and I just hope it does well.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:16pm

I hope so too.

I really do feel bad for Roundabout. When they're good they're GOOD (PAJAMA GAME comes immediately to mind) but when they're bad like they've been this year, they are BAD.

Let's hope BIRDIE is the welcome respite Roundabout needs after this past season.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:16pm

Ouch. I saw this at the Donmar, though, and while Simon Russell Beale was (of course) marvelous, the play just...wasn't. There isn't a lot of "there" there. So I'm not exactly surprised now.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:39pm

Roundabout has got to rethink its vision and, if necessary, do fewer shows and do them well. Even if Waiting for Godot proves the exception, remember, it replaced the previously-announced Dancin', which I'm sure wont sit too well with some of its subscribers. I hate to say this, but if they can't do better than this, they should just throw in the towel. Enough is enough, already. On paper, it all looks great. What you get when you see their shows is altogether a different story.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:52pm

Yeesh! This sounds awful. I have tickets already for next Wednesday too.

Oh well, hopefully Broderick will at least show up at the stage door.

[A Director]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 12:37am

Roundabout has got to rethink its vision and, if necessary, do fewer shows and do them well.

How can Roundabout rethink its vision; it doesn't have one to rethink. What do they claim as their vision?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 1:09am

Golden NYT quote:
"Beats just about anything on Broadway this season!"

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 1:16am

i won't see GODOT for a few days, but based on everything I've heard from everyone I know who's seen it, it seems it's going to be a revival of Roundabout's merit.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 1:25am

Didn't Roundabout do the wildly successful cabaret revival?

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 1:35am

Indeed they did. Over a decade ago.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:40am

I'm with A Director, how can Roundabout rethink an artistic vision that they do not have.

BustopherPhantom mentioned a few of Roundabout's more notable productions, but a few of those (Sunday in the Park, 39 Steps) were imports from other theater companies, so Roundabout can hardly lay claim to those.

Waiting for Godot will probably be a hit (critically) based on what I've read here and on ATC, but having one solid production out of the seven that they do each season between the three houses cannot be something that is attracting a growing subscriber base.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 11:53am

In Roundabout's defense, WAITING FOR GODOT is just about the most un-safe "known quantity" play you could put on: if Roundabout is at all trying to present plays that aren't strictly middle-of-the-road, this is the way to go.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 11:57am

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

The occasional hit besides, the Roundabout is the place where plays and stars go to die.

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 2:02pm

I saw a poster for this show yesterday, and my boyfriend asked if I wanted to see it. Based on the reviews, I said that I would probably not want to. It's not that I don't love Matthew Broderick, but I'm not sure if I would feel comfortable throwing good money away on a lackluster performance. Also, I've heard he's kind of a douche at the stage door, but that's a totally different story. However, the upside is that if we did see the show, we would see Steven Weber and I'm pretty sure that if I met him, I'd make some reference to Reefer Madness.

But Godot looks good - and from what I hear is good - I've never seen a production of it before, so perhaps I'll take a chance on that.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:16pm

Word of Mouth is a pan: http://www.broadway.com/Broadway-com-VIDEO-ON-DEMAND-Word-Of-Mouth-Reviews/broadway_information_html/5015935

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:18pm

When WOM hates it, you know you have a huge misfire on your hands.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:43pm

I. Love. Helen.

-about Broderick-
"I'm a fan! And I'm... thoroughly disappointed! And I... what happened? Like, why did you do this? C'mon, Matthew... like, (ugh!) I walk in, and there he is, and he's doing this robot thing, with this bad hair and these little mutton chops here, and it's just... he was baaaaaad, really baaaaaad."

First of all, you KNOW Ben Brantley is only one or two drinks away from writing his next review that way.

And second of all, to rant like that, and only have one or two words that actually CRITIQUE THE PERFORMANCE, while still making it look like you know what you're talking about...

I hand it to you. It wasn't really a CRITIQUE, but it was damn entertaining.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:53pm

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Helen annoys the living daylights out of me.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 6:59pm

Helen cracks me up!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 7:01pm

I miss the girl who ripped CRY-BABY a new one. She was hysterical.

And where is drunk Barbara?

[johng428]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 8:28pm

WiCkEDrOcKS, remember when she (the girl reviewing Cry-Baby) said something like "Both leads need to be replaced"? She was always very to the point and blunt.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 8:39pm

Yes! I loved her quote about Elizabeth Stanley's performance: "...the chick who played Allison; didn't like her."

[James2]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 8:39pm

Usually when does Broadway.com have auditions for the next Word of Mouth lineup each year? I would like to be a part of this because I'm aspiring to be a theatre critic and something like this could be helpful on a resume (plus I'd get to see these shows for free).

[johng428]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 8:43pm

I think they usually have auditions sometime during the summer. If memory serves, the first few shows of this season were reviewed by people from last season.