The Big Knife First Preview

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 10:58pm

This production of The Big Knife could aptly be renamed The Sword of Damocles as that is how it looms over this Broadway season. They have combined the first two acts before the intermission and save the third for after. The first act was laborious and sent me into an absolutely comatose state. Act Two picked up a bit, but nothing was going to save this show by that point.

Perhaps Roundabout had no idea that we were all going to be treated to Bartlett's magnificent vision of Golden Boy when they selected this play, but being reminded how brilliant Odets can be and then to be faced with the reality of what Odets at Roundabout is, is staggering and depressing.

Doug Hughes must bear the brunt of the blame. His direction is so stagnant that one can barely pay attention to the dialogue. The play is a one set ordeal and we are forced to watch Bobby Cannavale sit on a sofa for two and a half hours talking with the other characters in nearby chairs. The set is massive, and yet the action felt like it was staged for a black box theater.

I think Cannavale is a splendid actor, but he seemed to be sleeping through act one. (Everyone did, save for Richard Kind who was playing the other extreme in what one can only assume was an attempt to wake the audience and his cast members up.) Everyone picked up energy in act two, but it was too late. Even the gorgeous Marin Ireland didn't register like she normally does.

The casting is not the problem though. Cannavale, Ireland, Zien, Kind, Reg Rogers are all strong actors who could ably play their roles. They needed a different director at the helm though to get them on track.

There were walkouts galore at intermission, including a few of my friends. How could the American Airlines serve up anything MORE boring than The Philanthropist and Road to Mecca??? It truly boggles the mind, but Roundabout has done it again.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:02pm

Worse than THE PHILANTHROPIST?!

That's unpossible!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:07pm

How sad.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:08pm

Well it was overall not worse than The Philanthropist; the text of Big Knife is much, much better. But it was on the same level of boring.

Do you remember that scene in The Philanthropist where Broderick was talking to his young mistress on a sofa or bench for like 15 minutes and it felt like an eternity? Well there's a scene between Ana Reeder and Cannavale that felt exactly the same way!

Updated On: 3/22/13 at 11:08 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:11pm

COMPARABLE. TO. THE. PHILANTHROPIST?!

NOOOOOO. I was hoping this would be a surprise of the season for some reason...I love Cannavale and wish he would pick stronger vehicles! Updated On: 3/22/13 at 11:11 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:45pm

I'm only able to see a fraction of the number of shows I'm used to seeing, so this sounds like one I'll definitely pass on.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:50pm

I really enjoyed this production and think it can garner good reviews with some slight trimming to Act I. Great to see Richard Kind and Bobby Cannavale on stage, and I've seen Marin Ireland transform from an off-Broadway actress to a Broadway actress recently.

We learn why Charlie (Bobby Cannavale) and his wife are having problems, how Buddy and his wife Connie interact with each of them, and why Marcus (Richard Kind) is enraged at what Dixie Evans knows and what his proposed solution is to this. There's a violent slap in the face in Act III that starts a chain reaction of events. Just when you think Act III is calm and everything is over, a suddenly violent conclusion erupts.

I saw The Road to Mecca and that was one of the worst (most boring) shows I have ever seen, and this is definitely not a Road to Mecca. This is an entertaining show with a great cast that just needs a slight bit of cuts to the first act. I didn't notice anyone leave at intermission; the theater looked quite full to me after intermission. I'd recommend this show.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:56pm

I'll tell you now, Steve, they ain't cutting a word of Clifford Odets.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 12:04am

They can trim some of the pauses a bit while leaving all dialog intact. A minor quibble for a production I enjoyed and would recommend.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 1:29am

The girlfriend and I are trying to play our day tomorrow after seeing the matinee... What is the running time?

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 1:29am

damn it why can't all roundabout productions be like drood, so not looking forward to seeing this now.

[srg129]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 3:37am

Hoping this is so much better than the terribly misguided production of Drood.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:34am

Sorry to hear this is a bore. Going to the Matinee of Encores! and am debating on seeing this tonight. May just go to check out the cast, especially Bobby Canavalle.

Jeff, I called Roundabout and was told as of yesterday, the run time was 2:25.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:36am

It looked like Roundabout was going to have a decent season, with bonafide successes Drood and Talley's Folly. Guess they decided to go out with a whimper.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:56am

Whizzer, as per another thread here, are you sure you're not just trying to prove you can dislike a show?

Glad to hear that I chose correctly in selling my tickets for this on Sunday in favor of Nance...but hoping that these guys can pull this one together, I'd watch Cannavale in almost anything. I'd read reviews of other productions of this play and critics seemed to keep mentioning that this was a "minor" work of Odets. Do you think it's possible that Big Knife is just not going to be a terrific play in anyone's hands?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 9:10am

Ha, April, would that I were just disliking this to dislike something! I desperately wish this hadn't been such a chore to sit through.

Marin Ireland and Bobby Cannavale are actually two of my favorite actors working. I almost always am thrilled by their performances. Ireland's work in A Lie of Mind was so startling, and then to follow that up with reasons to be pretty, Three Sisters and Maple & Vine- well she's amazing. (The less said about After Miss Julie, another American Airlines bomb, the better) Cannavale exudes masculinity and charisma like few male leading men today can. Thought he was great in both Motherfvcker and Glengary. Something just went wrong with this production and the director must be blamed.

There was no imagination, nothing to hold our interest. Compare this to the magic that Bartlett spun with his staging of Golden Boy. It transported the text to a higher level, and his actors were all on the same page with his vision. The Big Knife simply lacks any vision at all.

Of course The Big Knife isn't as good a play as Golden Boy, but I wouldn't say it's chopped liver either. I don't think the text is the problem. It's the lackluster presentation that the fine set of actors couldn't rise above.

[mikem]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 9:11am

April Saul, I was also thinking, "Well, that didn't take very long, did it?"

I can't believe there are still 7 more first previews on Broadway this season. Things are really back-loaded. But it sounds like this isn't going to be a must-see.

Sorry to threadjack a bit here:
srg129, I'm sincerely curious why you think that the Drood revival was terribly misguided. I haven't seen any other production of it, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it didn't seem off the rails in terms of direction given the material. Can you elaborate?

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:35am

Part of the problem lies with the play itself, which is far inferior to Golden Boy. It's static and undramatic until the last act. Worse, the characters are not sharply drawn, with their behavior often leaving you scratching your head. The central character is particularly murky in both his actions and motivations.

I think this might be the reason some of the cast members seem uncharacteristically at sea here. Bobby Cannavale, usually the most dynamic of actors, doesn't yet seem to have found the key to a character that neither the author nor director provides, and his performance lacks assurance.

Alhough the play and production are wanting, at least there's a beautiful set to feast your eyes upon.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:57am

That's what I'd heard, Eight, which begs the question of why they would choose it. And I echo Whizzer's sentiments about Marin Ireland, she never disappoints.

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 12:18pm

I had no knowledge or exposure to The Big Knife before seeing it last night, but left a little underwhelmed based on the expectations I had of the cast.

From the 4th row of the mezzanine I had to strain to hear everything that happened in the first act until Richard Kind entered. Everyone's energy felt very low until Kind came onto the scene - once he left, everyone turned it up a notch.

The twists and turns that seem to be presented in the work - the mysterious death, the Castle's marriage, etc. - all come across as stale and you're never able to quite get behind them. They're so predictable, I just kept wondering why we needed three acts to get to them, as they're never explored very deeply.

I enjoyed the expansive set, which for some reason made me think of what I imagine the Wyeths' from Other Desert Cities home would have looked like 50 years earlier. It could definitely have been used more though - basically everything centered around the bar in the center of the stage and the two chairs that flanked it downstage. The foyer, card table area, and stereo area weren't used quite as much as they could have been.

The energy of the third act was a surprise compared to the slow pace of the first two, and was the most enjoyable portion of the evening.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 12:48pm

Am I really the only person thought ROAD TO MECCA was exquisite?

[JayG 2]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 6:27pm

Don't listen to the morons on this board who claim it's a bore. I guess they feel such because you actually have to listen to the show and if it's not a vapid musical and the leading man doesn't have a nude scene.
Why do you people go to the theater???

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 6:31pm

I actually really like THE BIG KNIFE. Sorry to hear all this bad word of mouth, but this is no GOLDEN BOY. It's a flawed, but worthwhile play that deserves a revival. Hope they can shape it up in previews.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 6:39pm

Don't listen to the morons on this board who claim it's a bore. I guess they feel such because you actually have to listen to the show and if it's not a vapid musical and the leading man doesn't have a nude scene.
Why do you people go to the theater???

Yup. Those are our requirements as to what makes a good show. A vapid musical with naked men. Your posts are literally the most ridiculous things I've ever read on this board in nine years of being a member. And that includes the plethora of shills that have crossed through here. Did you even see THE BIG KNIFE? Can you at least elaborate on what you liked about it instead of making jabs at everyone else? Updated On: 3/23/13 at 06:39 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 6:43pm

Because they're gay, like vapid musicals and it brings great pleasure to them. No crime in any of that. And there are some very well-thought comments on the board -- e.g., Whizzer, for whose judgment I have great respect. That's not to say I agree with him every time, but his are always thoughtful, well-balanced comments.