THE WAVERLY GALLERY (2018) Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 3:22pm

Previews for Kenneth Lonergan's Pulitzer-nominated The Waverly Gallery begin in just a few days (Tuesday, September 25, 2018) at the Golden Theatre. Starring Elaine May, Michael Cera, Lucas Hedges, and Joan Allen, The Waverly Gallery is set to open officially on Thursday, October 25 for a limited run currently through Sunday, January 27, 2019.

Who's going?!

[10086sunset]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 3:23pm

Going Monday and can't wait!

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 3:27pm

I'll be there at first preview! Very very excited.

[Danielle49]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 3:39pm

Going Monday as well! (Thanks, TDF.) My first show of the new season. So stoked.

[EJ24642]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 4:49pm

Going on Thursday. Very excited!

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 7:24pm

Got a TDF ticket for Saturday night. Looking forward to this!

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 10:28pm

I just would like to know if Mrs May ends up signing, if anyone can let me know once the run starts I would very much appreciate it. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 9:21am

Was there an invited dress last night (and did anybody here go)?

[Kad]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 9:49am

Until two days ago, I somehow totally had missed that David Cromer is also appearing in this production.

[52889j]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:06am

Was there. Production seemed to be pretty averse to posting on social media so I’ll keep it brief: aside from some head-scratch-inducing transitions, it’s glorious. All five performers exercised lovely restraint. Very lived in. Two hours flew by.

[Stephen75]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:09am

52889j said: "Was there. Production seemed to be pretty averse to posting on social media so I’ll keep it brief: aside from some head-scratch-inducing transitions, it’s glorious. All five performers exercised lovely restraint. Very lived in. Two hours flew by."

Is May a threat for the Tony? And also, is the playbill the artwork for the show or a Rudin production still? Hoping for the latter. 

[52889j]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:12am

Stephen75 said: 

Is May a threat for the Tony? And also, is the playbill the artwork for the show or a Rudin production still? Hoping for the latter."

 

No playbills at final dress, unfortunately.

 

Updated On: 9/25/18 at 10:12 AM

[Elegance101]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:19am

52889j said: "Was there. Production seemed to be pretty averse to posting on social media so I’ll keep it brief: aside from some head-scratch-inducing transitions, it’s glorious. All five performers exercised lovely restraint. Very lived in. Two hours flew by."

Any way-too-early Tony nomination predictions?

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 3:36pm

Any word on if there is a rush policy?

[mag78]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 7:46pm

If you attend the first preview tonight, could you post the running time, thanks!

[broadwaybinge]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 8:53pm

Was at the final dress last night. As a fan of all involved, I left mostly disappointed. Lila Neugebauer failed to make sense of the text (which I have always considered one of my favorite Lonnergan pieces) in any meaningful fashion. I would have liked to see more of the "memory play" aspect show up in some capacity, but Lila seems to have made very few choices at all, particularly when it comes to the Daniel asides. Lucas Hedges is a masterful listener, but felt a little lost in the world without any directorial structure to hold onto. Cera just seemed miscast in a mostly unrewarding role, but held his own. Elaine May is deeply funny and heartbreaking — perhaps the only reason to see this production — and I expect we will see her at Tony time. 

As far as design, huge, clunky, sometimes minute-long transitions killed the momentum of the evening, but I trust this will improve over the preview period. 

Overall, I really just left asking, why?, which is the last thing I want to be asking after leaving a Broadway play. Furthermore, it was sad to see a nearly all-white creative team in the audience. I wonder why the powers that be decided now was the perfect time for a Waverly Gallery revival? 

Edit: At final dress, the running time was just over two hours, including intermission. 

Updated On: 9/25/18 at 08:53 PM

[Elegance101]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 8:58pm

broadwaybinge said: "I wonder why the powers that be decided now was the perfect time for aWaverly Gallery revival?"

$$$

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 9:48pm

Just out of curiosity. Does Lucas have any specified performances off for Boy Erased press?

I am too surprised by the david cromer appearance. I guess work is work.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:26pm

First preview was good! I overall enjoyed it and am glad I saw it. It’s not miserable to sit through (like Parisian Woman) but isn’t the thrill that was Three Tall Women, either. I’d recommend going though. Ran 2:10 including a 15 minute intermission. Performances across the board are wonderful, and I can’t believe Michael Cera agreed to play such a tiny role. Set is also nice and I think the pacing zips along, while some directorial choices may Be Flat. Interested to see where they land in a few weeks. Excited to see what other people thought - it’s not Hamlet, but it’s not trying to be. It’s quiet and very naturalistic, offering a glimpse of upper class family dynamics.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 10:39pm

I was there tonight and I have to fall in the mostly disappointed camp, but of the now three Cera/Lonergan productions we’ve recently seen, this one was probably the best text.

I agree with the comment that not much has been made of this being a memory play; I completely kept forgetting it was until Hedges would make another aside. After Tiffany’s brilliant Menagerie, the bar has been set high for memory play theatrics!

I hated the scene changes that just went on and on. I don’t think this is just a first preview thing either. Each time the set rotates, a brick wall facade comes down and light moves across to scoring by Gabriel Kahane (LOVED February House, but this incidental music is fairly incidental).

The performers are still finding their footing, except for Cromer, who scores the biggest laughs and is the most self-assured of the night. I don’t know why I assumed Cera would be playing Hedges’ role, but he really has nothing to do. He has reined in a lot of his usual stick for a more subdued performance, which I appreciated.

May is fine, but it hasn’t turned the role into the tour de force it could be.

Right now the play unfortunately just falls flat. I don’t know if it’s the direction or the text aging or the actors working on their parts- probably a combo of all three- but right now it’s just not compelling, and that’s obviously a big problem. The mezz was very empty and they’re going to have to turn things around quickly if they want the word of mouth that will carry them through the end of the originally scheduled run.

[JVJ93]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 11:05pm

I was there tonight as well. I think this may be my favorite play by Lonerhan just on the text/story alone. Elaine May is fantastic and her characters arc as she ages is pretty incredible to see.

However, this AUDIENCE. Absolutely horrible. Everything you can imagine. About four cell phones went off, Doris and Maude narrating the whole show to their husbands which caused quite a lot of Shhhh’shing back and forth and the notorious chatter of a rogue hearing device which went on and on for the entirety of Act 2. Not cute

Also I was There through TDF and my seat was N 107 in the orchestra. Loved it

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 11:14pm

I was there tonight and I enjoyed it very much. I thought the performances were strong across the board. Cromer was hilarious, Cera was surprisingly and refreshingly restrained, May and Allen gave moving performances, and I thought May did a wonderful job conveying her character's progression. The set transitions were overly long, but I really don't have anything else to complain about. It was a quiet, realistic look at a family that often made me laugh out loud but also moved me. 

I also was there through TDF and my seats were orchestra row D (third row) 119 & 120. The view was fabulous from there. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 11:14pm

I agree that I think this is my favorite Lonergan play, as well. I went into this tonight completely blind, thinking that it was going to be a comedy. And while yes, they were funny parts to it, this was one of the most devastating thing I’ve maybe ever seen. Elaine May is really a marvel here and giving a performance where I can’t even imagine how she’s going to replicate and do that 8 Times a week. I can’t imagine come Tony time she’ll have much competition outside of maybe Glenda Jackson. But this is May’s play and even though she plays a small, frail old woman who is slowly losing her mind, she really does command the stage for 2 hours.

I’ll definitely make a trip back to see it again but it won’t be for a while. This isn’t a play I’d emotionally be able to see again soon.

 

i will say that the only things that don’t work are those scene changes and the end of Act One was confusing  - nobody knew if it was a scene change or if they could go to the bathroom. Other than that I can’t think of anything else I’d change. 

Updated On: 9/25/18 at 11:14 PM

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 11:20pm

Agreed, the scene changes need to be fixed and the act 1 ending cue.

(Also, super jealous to hear of everyone’s TDF seats. They put me in the rear mezz...agh.)

[Damiensta]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 11:34pm

Well, I found this a complete clunker.

first of all those scene changes took forever. And then intermission they didn’t bring down the brick wall. Made no sense.

Michael Cera character is basically a glorified cameo. You could take character out and made not much of a difference in show. I kept expecting a twist or something with him. If he has to be in all of the Authors play why not just play the sons part.

Lucas Hedges didn’t do anything special with role.

Elaine May was okay in ACT 1.but found her in ACt 2 way better. Same goes for the great Joan Allen. They were both great in act 2. I don’t see much of Tony’s here. Except Elaine May nomination.

SPOILER

even though it’s part of play description warning of spoiler

but it drove me mad. How they thought they could leave her alone with her deterioration. I wanted to yell “she needs 24/7 care” and it wasn’t like they couldn’t afford it. They had a vacation home. Was driving nuts. A day nurse was clearly not enough. 

End rant