I have heard nothing but absolute raves about this. Once again jealous that I don’t live in London for all the amazing theatre they create. Hoping this comes over!
It's clearly written with a New York audience in mind, I'm sure a transfer has always been the goal. Hopefully they will fix the second part, which at times feels a bit of a let down after the excellent first one.
It is rumoured to be transferring into the West End this September after the run at the Young Vic (Noel Coward Theatre). Word of mouth has been very positive.
I saw part one last night. Seeing part two tonight. I found it riveting. Minimal set, great actors. Andrew Burnap is terrific in the lead. They are transferring to the Noel Coward theater in the West End in the fall.
It’s a 7 hour trashy soap with some moving moments. It should run off-Broadway but I don’t personally think it deserves a commercial Broadway run either for commercial or artistic reasons.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Relevance81491 said: "just had to special order my copy of the script because no one seems to be able to keep it in stock. Excited to read what all the fuss is about"
How do you make a special order? I've been checking Amazon and B&N and it's always unavailable. Is the only place where they sell a copy of play script at the theater in West End London? I'm thinking of going to London in the fall and would like to see this play.
Thank you! Will check that place out. Also, I read someplace that the play was inspired by EM Forster's Howards End. For those who have read or seen the play, would you recommend reading Howards End first?
This has to be on the cards. The London producer is Sonia Friedman (Mormon, Potter, Mean Gilrs) and the whole thing is set in New York. And it is a smash in London, the talk of the town.
I LOVED it. Saw it all in one day and when it got to the end of the first play was livid that I had to wait a full 2 hours for the second one. Deeply moving. This is stunning theatre.
I saw Part One at the Young Vic, back in March, and it is a transcendent, life-altering piece of Theatre. I could've have seen Part Two the following night, but had tickets to Hamilton. It might've been because it was my third time seeing Hamilton, but I DEEPLY regret not seeing Part Two instead. And to quote BB from his Hamilton review, "Yes, it really is that good." Especially to have seen the luminous Vanessa Redgrave make an, albeit brief, appearance towards the end of Part Two, as a bereaved mother of a victim of The Plague. (Read the script, her monologue is heart-wrenching. Good bless Matthew Lopez!???)
I could go on for days about it, but all I will say is this: It deserves the f**king Pulitzer, and, do whatever you can to see it, either in London or in NYC. You will NOT regret it.???
Jordan Catalano said: "Oh wow. Well, damn. And Redgrave is only in it for a few minutes at the end of part 2??"
Yup, for the last 15-20 min. approx, based on her character's dialogue in the script. But it's apparently one of her finest moments on the stage.
This is a very important work for not only the Theatre, but for the community. It's everything that I've been thinking about in regards to us as a community, ever since I got to college (I'm 22). How can we move forward without knowing, appreciating, or recognizing how we got here. It is being hailed by The Telegraph in London as "the greatest American play of the century, so far." It's gonna be big.
Thanks! I bought a copy yesterday! Looking forward to reading it. If there's anyone in NYC who has read the play and want to discuss it over coffee or a drink after I finish reading it, feel free to PM me.
Saw both parts at the Young Vic last spring. It's wonderfully audacious and at times enjoyable and good, at times a mess. And at times down right bad.
It's a modern retelling of "Howards End" with E.M. Foster as a character. Sort of. The set up is Foster is giving a writer's master class to a group of modern 2018 gay men (because theatre). The story evolves from one of the young writing student's imagination.
It's either derivative or a tribute to gay plays of the past (the ending denouement is right out of "Love, Valour Compassion"the obvious one is "Angels" in it's length and subject matter (not only is the inheritance of the title a Howard's End type country home in upstate New York, it's also the legacy of AIDS.) I had really liked the first part until Lopez felt he had to match Angel's stunning First Part closing event. I rolled my eyes at it, but people around me were sobbing.
The Second Part I didn't enjoy anywhere near as much, as a matter of fact a lot of it just made me mad. Trying to combine a couple characters from Howard's End, he dispatches my favorite character with cliches and indifference. Lopez seemed to be much more in love with the Emma Thompason based character, who is a bit of a saintly simp and a bore. And when the film Howard's End's Vanessa Redgrave shows up at the end of the play, in a role she is far too old for, I again had to roll my eyes (it's another reach for Lopez to match a Kushner nadir in Part Two of "Angels"...and he fails).
Beautifully and simply directed by Stephen Daltry on a mostly bare stage, I'm hoping that it's eventual landing in New York will be extensively rewritten.
Also agree. I’m surprised anyone would describe this as one of Redgrave’s finest moments on stage. Maybe I saw her on an off night but she seems far too old, tentative in the role, lines, accent and movement.
I am so glad I saw this and did enjoy myself, but if you are expecting this to be a life changing experience and the best theatre you’ve ever seen in your life I can’t help but predict many will be disappointed. It’s so not as important as the creative team and cast think it is. It might have been if we didn’t already have such high quality gay HIV-themed plays in the past.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Am not seeing it again until next week but I have heard that the second part has been extensively rewritten for the West End transfer. Still think this is the best thing I’ve seen this year.