THIS IS OUR YOUTH Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 5:20am

Post 'em here, kids!

It's time, once again, for ev'r'ybody to welcome the BRAND-NEW BROADWAY SEASON!

[gfaustswa]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 8:04pm

looking forward to seeing the reviews!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 8:50pm

OT, but not: have other shows opened on 9/11? I can't recall. I realize time passes, but it seems a date that some producers would opt out of, just because the day remains a somber one in NYC.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 11:29pm

Guess no one cares.

Seems to be getting mixed-to-positive reviews.

[FloydJoe2]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 11:33pm

The Times is a rave.

[Brick]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 12:26am

It's interesting how the boards seemed to be unimpressed, but the critics are definitely saying otherwise. Always interesting when that happens.

[Lord Adalbert]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 6:39am

http://variety.com/2014/legit/reviews/broadway-review-this-is-our-youth-starring-michael-cera-1201302983/
http://online.wsj.com/articles/theater-review-this-is-our-youth-1410490186
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20852289,00.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/theater/2014/09/11/broadway-review-this-is-our-youth/15356245/

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 8:35am

Yep. Absolutely no one cares. This must be the shortest review thread of a Broadway show in the history of LimelightMike review threads.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 9:04am

Interesting how Brantley luxuriates praise on Tavi Gevinson while most other critics (correctly) identify her as the weakest link. I guess his love affair with attractive blond actresses continues.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 9:17am

Gevinson is, as most of the critics note, the weak link in the chain. And I love what Variety says about her voice. Something about setting off car alarms? In any event, this is hardly the "sensational" evening at the theater that Brantley suggests. And while no one on this site much cares, everyone else will now be duped into spending money they can't afford to see a play they won't remember 20 minutes after they've left the theater. And, BTW, is fashion blogging now an entree into making one's Broadway debut?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 9:28am

^Mrs. Roxy?!

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 9:33am

It just goes to show how much smarter critics can be than the audience!

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 10:10am

Interesting how regularly the esteemed critical fraternity commands us to feel empathy for personae who merit nothing more than scorn, contempt, and thorough aversion.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 10:39am

After Eight: Are we talking about the characters or Tavi Gevinson here?

[dreaming]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 10:40am

I was going to skip this. I'm starting to think twice since there's such a disparity between the critical and audience response.

As my father likes to say, "There is only one opinion that matters...MINE". And despite his general hatred of the theater, he encourages me to form my own opinions...

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 10:53am

LucyEth,

I'm talking about the characters.

I might also add that the acting is bad, the direction is bad, and the play itself stinks.

[Up In One]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 11:06am

I still don't want to see it, too much competition for my dollar and time. Grosses showed the same disinterest lets see if the reviews give it an uptick.

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 11:15am

Interesting how regularly the esteemed critical fraternity commands us to feel empathy for personae who merit nothing more than scorn, contempt, and thorough aversion.

It's no more or less interesting than your histrionic pronouncements that everything stinks, or your constant assertions that critics and prize committees conspire to foist subpar art on the public, or your belittling comments to those who dare call you on you BS.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 1:33pm

I honestly have heard very little from folks I know that have seen this that would make me want to spend money on a ticket. Even the age bracket the play is written for/about are cool on it.

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 1:48pm

I haven't read much on the boards about it, but I did check the reviews last night and was pleased by how positive they are. It did seem like a relatively minor work to me, but it's beautifully performed and a wonderful production. It's entirely worth attending, in my opinion.

It also strikes me that saying Gevinson is the weakest of the three isn't really a very disparaging remark given how wonderful the three person cast is. She's the youngest and least experienced of the performers, but I found this to be a rousing debut--she plays the character with complexity and heart, and it's a role that would have been all too easy to make shrill and bitchy. I think she found something wonderful and earnest and sentimental in Jessica. And yet I still felt Cera and Culkin were "better" than her.

The play itself might not dig incredibly deep, but the writing is effortless and real, and it has lovely moments of grace and a lot of good humor.

[rjm516]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 2:54pm

I skipped on seeing this when I had the chance because of the reaction here. I don't think critics reviews will make me think I made a mistake when everyone who seems to be about my demographic (and the characters') thinks it's not a must see.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 4:07pm

I'm looking forward to seeing this show. As I haven't seen Gevinson I can't comment on her work, but I still find it jaw-dropping that the Steppenwolf Theater of all places would cast a "fashion blogger" who has no stage experience in a major role.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 4:17pm

I don’t think Steppenwolf would cast Gevinson just because she is somewhat known as a fashion blogger. They clearly thought she was the best fit for the role, experience or not.

I saw this in Chicago and agree with what Sauja said – Gevinson is the weakest in the cast, but I surely would not consider that an insult, because I thought Cera and Culkin were fantastic. She did some very sincere, deep work as Jessica – she just didn’t look as comfortable on the stage as her costars. I think it’s a pretty terrific debut for an 18 year old.

I thought it was interesting to read Chris Jones’ review of the show at Steppenwolf and then his review of it again in NYC: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/broadway/chi-this-is-our-youth-broadway-review-column.html

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 4:59pm

Well it does sound like Chicago was the better fit for it. Too bad they couldn't have kept the thrust stage feel at the Cort.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/12/14 at 5:27pm

In Chicago, nobody was more than 8 rows away from the stage. It was a very intimate experience, and the consensus seemed to be "This is fantastic, but I wonder how this will come across in a much larger house." It's a small play probably meant more for off-Broadway than Broadway. Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre was the ideal space for the play.

I saw it at the beginning and end of the Chicago run, and I have to say that Tavi improved very much throughout the run. Yes, Michael and Kieran were stronger, but Tavi wasn't "weak" at all.