THIS IS OUR YOUTH Reviews- Page 2

[goldenboy]

Posted: 9/13/14 at 4:13pm

Tavi spoke on two notes. b flat and C. Grating and irritating to listen to.
I thought the boys were terrific. Especially Culkin who was very impressive. It was good but doesn't really deserve the raves its getting. I don't understand the critics. It has a "Steppenwolf Stamp of Approval" and they have to rave. It's like the Emperors new Clothes. Please don't make me listen to Tavi Gevison in anything ever again. Maybe if she played Johnny Belinda.

[LucyEth]

Posted: 9/13/14 at 4:30pm

Interesting that this was originally done in a smaller house. I do feel that Cera and Gevinson are doing that inexperienced actor thing where they shout their lines so that they'll be heard in the balcony. Very one note and annoying.

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/13/14 at 11:29pm

"I don't understand the critics. It has a "Steppenwolf Stamp of Approval" and they have to rave. "

It's the whole critics' darling phenomenon: Steppenwolf, Sondheim, British imports, Rylance, favored repertory companies and directors ....... The list is tiring and and long.

"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."

Yep, that's the name of the game.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 9/16/14 at 11:27am

I saw this last night, Cera was out last night and management ran it very poorly. Instead of splitting up the line into people who were picking up tickets and people who were getting refunds it was just one line. It was getting close to 7pm so I finally had to complain to get my tickets at will call because I wasn't looking for a refund anyway cause I never liked Cera. They ended up starting the show about 30mins late.

I forgot his name but the understudy was fine. The whole problem with the show for me was that I found all the characters to be extremely annoying. There were some funny jokes here and there but overall just a completely forgettable show for me. I also agree with the comments about that girls voice. Just down right painful to listen to.

Updated On: 9/16/14 at 11:27 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/16/14 at 1:25pm

You hit the nail on the head After 8

It being a critics darling does nothing for us.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 9/16/14 at 1:31pm

I saw it a few days before opening. I had heard bad things, but I loved it. Glad to see the reviews so good. It's really a magnificent play, and it's a very good production of it.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 9/16/14 at 1:39pm

Is there any worse criticism in the history of narrative art than "the characters are unlikeable"?

[jnb9872]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 12:05am

I caught this over the weekend and on the whole thought it was a good production. Mostly, Culkin was a revelation. It was the first time I've seen him on stage, and clearly his experience showed as he was a natural up there. His performance felt lived-in, honest, and I thought he earned every moment. Cera was a little hit-and-miss for me, but more hit than miss. Especially given his character, written to be an oddball and uncomfortable in the skin he lives in, Cera used his persona and any stage-jitters to good effect (or at least his casting was effective in the part.)

Gevinson was the weak link, by far. Almost her entire performance felt like an actress concentrating more on projecting for the Balcony than performing a character. She had some moments here and there, but the dominant note of her mostly one-note performance was "enunciate and project loudly." A stark contrast with someone like Culkin, who was as clearly-heard without sounding once like he was projecting beyond reason.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 1:11am

"Is there any worse criticism in the history of narrative art than "the characters are unlikeable"?"

For me the characters of Warren and the girl were so unlikable in that I didn't care what happened to them, good or bad, I just wanted them off the stage so I didn't have to listen to them.

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 3:45am

"Is there any worse criticism in the history of narrative art than "the characters are unlikeable"?" "

Uh....... yeah. That a bad play is brilliant, for example.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 6:52am

Of course one can argue whether the play itself is good or not, or whether Kenneth Lonergan is a good writer or not. But how likable any or all of the characters are is so irrelevant as to whether a work is good or not. A similar conversation was had about Bad Jews last year.

I mean, the central characters of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf are not exactly what I'd call likable. I'm not comparing the plays, but I've never heard any one say that play was bad BECAUSE the characters are unlikable.

Characters, including well-written ones in well-written plays, are under no obligation to be likable or sympathetic.

Updated On: 9/17/14 at 06:52 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 7:32am

^

Well, you don't seem to get it; it's not that the play is bad solely because the characters are unlikable; it's that the play is bad and the characters are unlikable. So too, the appalling Bad Jews.

Moreover, no member of the audience need apologize for feeling irritation, disgust, or anger at being subjected to reprehensible, loathsome, or annoying characters on stage, especially if the authors of such plays, (and their fawning admirers) demand that we feel a certain empathy for characters who deserve nothing but the revulsion and scorn we feel.


Updated On: 10/23/14 at 07:32 AM

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 11:28am

It really sounds like the dynamics of the show shifted somewhat drastically moving from the intimate, alley-seating set-up at Steppenwolf to NYC. I never once thought about Gevinson’s vocals in terms of projection when I saw it in Chicago. She was very natural and spoke normally – it must have been a challenge for her to figure out how to project for a bigger space and, from reports on here, it seems she has yet to master that and it has sacrificed much of her naturalness. A shame, because, while not perfect, I thought her performance was a very nice professional theatre debut and I saw a lot of potential in her. It seems like a similar thing happened with Cera’s performance (perhaps not so much in terms of his vocals, but more so in his subtle acting choices), although to a lesser extent. And, it seems Culkin’s larger than life (though still fully realistic) character carries perfectly in the bigger space.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 12:20pm

Correct. No member of the audience need apologize for feeling irritation, disgust, or anger at being subjected to reprehensible, loathsome, or annoying characters on stage. But nor should that be a qualification for judging a work? Kenneth Lonergan may want us to feel some empathy for these characters, but he is highly critical of them. So I don't even see how your point is valid. Do you think Lonergan finds these people/characters model citizens or something?

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/17/14 at 1:00pm

"But nor should that be a qualification for judging a work?"

Is that a question or a statement? Either way, you do not decide for the rest us what is acceptable in assessing a work. Yes, indeed, the depiction of a character can very well be a factor in judging a work. The grotesque harpy in Bad Jews is a most egregious example of it. Yes, that creature did indeed contribute to making that show the garbage that it was.

I would try to avoid making the type of grand, sweeping, (and frankly, snooty) pronouncements that you have made here. It's not for you, or anyone like you, to determine the criteria to be used in judging a work.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:01am

Saw it last night. Cera was out. Nick Lehane, who covers both men, was terrific. Loved everything about the show, including Gevinson's truthful and touching performance. The role in some ways pales next to the guys' roles but I loved what she is doing with it. And I liked her voice which I agree seems perfectly normal and natural. If her vocal range (at least here) is modest I found it perfectly calibrated for the character and, to my ears, never grating. it never seemed to me that anyone was overprojecting.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:22am

Henrikegerman, did you by chance hear if Michael was going to be out the entire week? According to this thread, he was out another day this week, plus your performance. He is really the only reason I want to see this. If they are giving out refunds, then I can see the Sylvester show.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:25am

Word was that he was out sick but don't know anything else.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 1:28pm

Thanks for the info.

[Patash]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 2:22pm

"Tavi spoke on two notes. b flat and C. Grating and irritating to listen to."

I'd sort of agree with that -- but found that ideal -- just like the grating monotone voices of most girls that age. I've seen Tavi in an interview and she didn't sound like that at all, so I considered it a wise acting choice.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 4:27am

^Exactly, Patash, and particularly as Jessica might well be a couple years younger than Dennis and Warren.

[Patash]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 8:59am

"For me the characters of Warren and the girl were so unlikable in that I didn't care what happened to them, good or bad, I just wanted them off the stage so I didn't have to listen to them."

Let me guess -- Macbeth is not your favorite play either?

If I limited my play watching only to plays in which all the characters were likeable, I'd probably lose interest in theatre after awhile.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 10:35am

"I would try to avoid making the type of grand, sweeping, (and frankly, snooty) pronouncements that you have made here."

Oh, that's RRRRRRRICH!

And yes, "the characters aren't likeable enough" is a non-criticism and the very essence of basic-bitch thinking.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 8:40am

Saw this Sunday night. Everybody was in. Although not a masterpiece it was entertaining enough to fill up my time slot. At only $35 for the ticket, I can't complain too much. I thought it was very well acted. You have to admit, all three have very long lines of dialogue, and none seemed to mess up. I went to a taping of Designing Women once, and it took the late great Dixie Carter about a half hour to get through her "Julia rant" correctly. On a side note, I am curious if anyone who has stagedoored has had a negative interaction with Kieran Culkin. He came across to me like a huge douche. He had a problem with me when I asked him if I could take a picture. He stated "that was really messed up of me to want to take a picture of a guy, since I was a guy" I did not want to be in the picture with him, so I don't know where the problem was. Then I complimented him on his acting and how they remember all the long lines of dialogue. He stated sarcastically, "that's my job dude, that why." I stated under my breath, "what an ass". My only hope is he heard me. (I have a very deep booming voice). He was the only negative aspect of my weekend trip.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 9/23/14 at 11:08am

TalkinLoud, though unlikeable characters don't make a work bad, they certainly help. There have been shows in the past that are good and only have unlikeable characters, but WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, BAD JEWS, and THIS IS OUR YOUTH are all bad plays. Maybe something like I REMEMBER MAMA or THE WILD PARTY would be better suited to that argument.