TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Previews- Page 8

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 2:36pm

CT2NYC said: "Mike Barrett said: "How are the last 2 rows in the mezz at the Schubert? 69.00 feels like a steal unless I'm missing something about those last 2 rows... very very excited to see this production"

I haven't seen the show yet, so it's notmy pic, but this is the issue with the last 2 rows of the mezzanine:

"

Ah I see. Cheaper seats for first few rows of the balcony it is then! 

[Grace2001]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 10:09pm

One more question POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

I know I am asking a lot, so I PROMISE this will be the last time I post for awhile. Can anyone tell me about Boo Radley’s storyline? Do Scout, Jen and Dill make attempts to see him at all or is the subject forgotten about until the end of the show? In the book and film, the trial takes over a majority of the storyline, but I was curious as to how it is handled in the play. Much appreciated and again I promise to stop posting so much on here.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 10:19pm

CT2NYC said: "Mike Barrett said: "How are the last 2 rows in the mezz at the Schubert? 69.00 feels like a steal unless I'm missing something about those last 2 rows... very very excited to see this production"

I haven't seen the show yet, so it's notmy pic, but this is the issue with the last 2 rows of the mezzanine:

"I can’t imagine the seats are that bad though. This doesn’t have a two tier set, does it?

 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 10:20pm

Mike Barrett said: "CT2NYC said: "Mike Barrett said: "How are the last 2 rows in the mezz at the Schubert? 69.00 feels like a steal unless I'm missing something about those last 2 rows... very very excited to see this production"

I haven't seen the show yet, so it's notmy pic, but this is the issue with the last 2 rows of the mezzanine:

"

Ah I see. Cheaper seats for first few rows of the balcony it is then!"

Wise choice.  I was rear mezzanine and the overhang from the balcony bugged me.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 10:29pm

Anyone sit in the front row for this? Is the stage high for this production?

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 10:41pm

The show followed the movie to an extent.  Boo was a side mention throughout the show and only became reality in the final 15 mins.  Frankly, no one did  Boo as well as Robert Duval.

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/15/18 at 11:14pm

Grace2001 said: "One more question POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

I know I am asking a lot, so I PROMISE this will be the last time I post for awhile. Can anyone tell me about Boo Radley’s storyline? Do Scout, Jen and Dill make attempts to see him at all or is the subject forgotten about until the end of the show? In the book and film, the trial takes over a majority of the storyline, but I was curious as to how it is handled in the play. Much appreciated and again I promise to stop posting so much on here. "

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

The play begins with the trial and the trial is interspersed throughout the kids memories of their childhood.

The children's attempt to see Boo is nearly identical to the scene in the film, complete with Jem's lost pants being found neatly folded and patched up the following morning.  When Boo appears from behind the Finch's bedroom door at the end of the play and Scout says "Hey Boo", well ... I lost it. 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/16/18 at 11:43am

I saw the show last night. Overall, my reaction is definitely positive, but I definitely have reservations.

Let me start by saying that I am not a purist at all. I believe strongly in the adaptor’s right to change whatever they want, and personally I don’t even think it has to be in the spirit of the original source material. I also think that the whole “why didn’t they just write their own play” argument is complete and utter nonsense (for reasons I’d be happy to go into if anyone’s curious, but it might be a discussion for another thread).

So I applaud Sorkin for making it his own. Even if some things were lost from Lee’s vision of the story, they were replaced with another vision of the story that I think is perfectly valid. Which isn’t to say it’s perfect...

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of narration in plays, and I especially don’t like the device of multiple conscious narrators discussing how best to tell a story. That bothered me, but that’s a personal bias of mine, and it didn’t ruin the show for me. And I think it tied together in the end, though maybe not in the neatest of knots.

For me, the changes highlighted the theme of both Atticus and Scout struggling to find their own value system. By critiquing Atticus’ decision to respect everyone despite their evil tendencies, Sorkin emphasizes questions that are key today’s social climate: is respecting a racist person the same as being complicit in their racism? Can we have empathy, and see where people are coming from, without using that empathy as an excuse to let them do whatever they want? How do we find the middle ground? This connects back to Scout’s struggle to riddle out the events of Bob Ewell’s attack. We see her struggle to find clarity in the face of confusion, and in the process, find her own definition of justice and righteousness in the end. I like the choice to challenge what was previously a firm principal of Atticus’ character, and to make it more poignant to our country’s vastly divided discourse. I only wish the play’s ending stance had stayed a bit more in the grey area of those hard questions.

From a more technical standpoint, I found most of the evening to be very engaging. The writing was tight, well-paced, and full of tension. My only technical criticism (besides the narration) is that the Boo Radley plot seemed messily handled, and the final sequence in particular felt a bit tacked-on, making Act 2 feel kind of lopsided.

The staging reminded me of Bridges of Madison County, but I thought it’ll the style worked better here. Though I still think Sher is better with musical revivals than anything else. Daniels and CKB are both wonderful. To me, CKB should rightly be put in the leading category at the Tonys, but if they put her in featured, she’ll have a much better shot at getting the recognition she deserves.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 11/16/18 at 11:59am

These positive forum reviews have convinced me to move this onto my “really wanna see” list.

[HunterK]

Posted: 11/17/18 at 12:09am

I was there last night and I am not going to even try and review this. In my own opinion, anything that has me leaving the theatre in tears (for good reasons) and has me still moved the next day, is a special piece of art. For 2:50 (which seemed much shorter), I was glued to my seat. The performances were truly brilliant, especially Celia as Scout and Gideon Glick. I have read the book, taught the book, loved the film, but something bout seeing it up on the stage in 2018 with such an outstanding cast and set, still gives me chills. 

Go see it! This is the reason I LOVE theater!

[KKeller6]

Posted: 11/17/18 at 12:45am

Atticus physically fighting? This dude can not abide!

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/17/18 at 4:46pm

KKeller6 said: "Atticus physically fighting? This dude can not abide!"

Very, very brief and cathartic moment.

[petewk87]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 2:07pm

Do last rows of the mezzanine have obstructed views? Thanks!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 5:10pm

petewk87 said: "Do last rows of the mezzanine have obstructed views? Thanks!"

 

I was in the last row of the Mezz through Linctix. You can't see the top of the stage, but it's a single-level set, so you literally don't miss anything. Usually I hate big overhang cutoffs, even if it's full-view, because it feels like watch the show through a slit. But it didn't bother me at all during this show. I felt very connected to the onstage action the whole time. 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/19/18 at 10:15pm

petewk87 said: "Do last rows of the mezzanine have obstructed views? Thanks!"

JBroadway is correct, but I still didn't care for my rear mezzanine seat precisely because of the balcony overhang.  Should I return to the show again this summer I'll try for front row balcony.

 

[Grace2001]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 2:06pm

SPOILERS

If any guns are fired, are they firing blanks or is it a sound effect? Also, does the cast stage door at the end?

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 2:20pm

And old college chum is in the cast...I’m so proud of him!

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/23/18 at 11:07pm

What’s the running time? Thanks in advance.

[Danielle49]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 9:38am

DramaTeach said: "What’s the running time? Thanks in advance."

I got to the Times Square subway at around 10:50 last night, so I’d say it’s hovering around 2 hours, 40 minutes at this point. (It certainly feels it.)

[Danielle49]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 9:41am

petewk87 said: "Do last rows of the mezzanine have obstructed views? Thanks!"

Technically you don’t miss anything, but that boxed in feeing from the overhang was no fun. There’s also very little rake in the back half of the mezzanine. I had to sit on my foot and lean my head against the aisle railing to get a view that wasn’t the entire head of the person in front of me. I’d also recommend front balcony instead!

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 4:37pm

Danielle49 said: "petewk87 said: "Do last rows of the mezzanine have obstructed views? Thanks!"

Technically you don’t miss anything, but that boxed in feeing from the overhang was no fun. There’s also very little rake in the back half of the mezzanine. I had to sit on my foot and lean my head against the aisle railing to get a view that wasn’t the entire head of the person in front of me.I’d also recommend front balcony instead!"

I agree wholeheartedly.  Front balcony for me should I attend again next July.

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 10:18pm

No guns in TKAM -- at least nothing startled me, and I'm fairly easy startled. As I was tonight seeing Network. Gunfire near the end.

Tremendous shows. Quite an intense theater weekend for me -- those, plus American Son. I'm still processing it all.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 10:27pm

Have to say that I thought this was good but not great.  Bolger is consistently great in everything, and this is no exception.  Glick also stood out to me, but others seems to all blend together.  Even Atticus, the center of morality and virtue, doesn't have the conviction needed to make an impact.  In that case, it was Mr. Daniels who was the letdown.  The writing was there, but I didn't think he rose to the occasion, which is interesting because Bolger's Scout repeatedly mentions our need as a people to RISE.  

There was WAY too much narration.  I was being told too much, and it was in one ear and out the other.  I needed to see it happening to be invested.  And there wasn't enough mention of Boo being a recluse or the kids trying to see him for his moment to be impactful.  

The set was fine, with the family's porch being the highlight.  The music didn't pack enough punch either.  It wasn't bad, but it's not something that'll stick with me, and I'm pretty sure that sticking with us is something for which Harper Lee aimed.

[Danielle49]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 10:57pm

DramaTeach said: "Have to say that I thought this was good but not great. Bolger is consistently great in everything, and this is no exception. Glick also stood out to me, but others seems to all blend together. Even Atticus, the center of morality and virtue, doesn't have the conviction needed to make an impact. In that case, it was Mr. Daniels who was the letdown. The writing was there, but I didn't think he rose to the occasion, which is interesting because Bolger's Scout repeatedly mentions our need as a people to RISE.

There was WAYtoo much narration. I was being told too much, and it was in one ear and out the other. I needed to see it happening to be invested. And there wasn't enough mention of Boo being a recluse or the kids trying to see him for his moment to be impactful.

The set was fine, with the family's porch being the highlight. The music didn't pack enough punch either. It wasn't bad, but it's not something that'll stick with me, and I'm pretty sure that sticking with us is something for which Harper Lee aimed."

After seeing the show yesterday, I was considering how I could best say what I thought of the show. Then I saw this response and agree with all of this 100%. You nailed it, DramaTeach.

So many folks on the board were raving about the show and talking about how good Daniels was, but I left underwhelmed in both respects. Adaptation or no, Atticus needs to have conviction and leave a true impact on the audience, reader, what-have-you. Daniels was not that. Sorkin's characteristically cold, dense writing didn't help him, either. With the buildup at the end of Act 2 to prepare for Atticus' closing statement, I was prepared for something powerful. Instead, the result was a real deflated balloon of a moment. I could feel it within the people around me too, after Daniels performed his closing remarks of the trial. It was like we were all thinking, "Uh...that was it?"

Speaking of the writing: the amount of narration irked the heck out of me. Like mentioned above, I would rather be shown than told. I know with the flashback format of the show narration is necessary, but it was unbalanced here. I could have done without the winky "hey, we're telling a story and breaking the fourth wall" business at least.

That said, I very much appreciated the new perspective on Atticus' staunch morality, the youths' push against it a bit. Very of the moment and a nice, nuanced reworking of the material.

The Boo Radley storyline was very sloppy on Sorkin's part. The focus (as it is in the book and film) was so heavily placed on the Tom Robinson case, but here it's to the point that anything in relation to Boo Radley seemed like an afterthought. Thus, the ending fell really flat for me.

Celia Keenan-Bolger was fantastic. The story is relevant and iconic and important. The production itself though didn't really work for me.

Updated On: 11/24/18 at 10:57 PM

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 7:33am

This is was a perfect reminder of why we love theater in the first place.  Found this to be incredibly cathartic anchored by the writing of Aaron Sorkin who I am a huge admirer of of.   CKB is a stand out and the show rests on her shoulders and she nailed it.   I admit I hadn't read the book since Middle School which would have been around the time I last saw the film - so this really stood out on its on.

I found the sheer number of cast on stage - the trial scenes in particular - incredibly epic and theatrical in the best of ways.  

My only quip - and its my own fault - I was sitting in the front row of the Orchestra where my sightline was blocked during the trial scenes so I never go to see ANYONE on the stand - I do feel like I missed a bit by not being able to see the expressions on the actors faces during these pivotal moments.   IN THE FUTURE THOSE SHOULD BE DISCOUNTED SEATS FOR BEING BLOCKED - but I understand it was Thanksgiving weekend and tickets are super jacked up high.

Another gripe - so many god damn cell phones going off and old folks talking during the play.  I am not being agist but seriously respect the god damn theater and KNOW how to shut off your phone and know when the shut your mouth (which would be during the entire production)   It's amazing to me how out of touch these folks are.   Oh and there was a woman a few seats behind me that was a total Shussher - she would loudly shush people - which was equally distracting.  

Off the soapbox and back to the show.  Performances all across the board were exceptional and in particular admired the work of Jeff Daniels.  A very tight ensemble.

Four Stars, A Critic's Pic and all good things are coming their way to this show.  I cried, I was moved and it reminded me once again why I love theater