The Public's THE VISITOR - Previews

I'm very excited to hear how this is. It looks beautiful from what I've seen so far.

What the heck is going on over there at the Public? Isn't this a small chamber piece? Previews are the time to make changes, and the authors had an entire year and a half break to revise the show.

It's not like the Public doesn't know how to produce a new musical...unless the issue (as I have surmised before) is Dan Sullivan, who has directed very few musicals.

I cannot speak to this show specifically, but am responding to this comment:

"authors had an entire year and a half break to revise the show."

During the pandemic, creatives did have time to revise a show (any show). That is not the same as the revision process once you get the cast in a room, which only resumed fairly recently for most productions.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "You're correct that it's not the same, but they had also had workshops and readings prior to the Public engagement. It's not like this was the first time it's being heard out loud."

Again, I am not speaking of knowledge of this particular production, but workshops and readings likely happened before the pandemic. Then, revisions are often made AFTER the workshops and readings (in this case, during the pandemic), and so the latest version will have only been tried with actors on stage for a fairly short while as things only recently opened up to being able to do that in person.

Updated On: 10/14/21 at 06:52 PM

Sutton Ross said: "Goddamn, Ive had to change dates like 3 times. They had SO MUCH TIME to perfect this during 18 months of shut down. What is going on?"

Yes, as we all know, arts workers were so well taken care of during the pandemic. Everyone’s pockets were overflowing, there mental health was extraordinary, and they were all able to really gather in big groups and really workshop and perfect the material.


Art isn’t easy. We are living in unprecedented times. Try not to act so entitled. Please. People are doing the best they can.

Yes, as we all know, arts workers were so well taken care of during the pandemic. Everyone’s pockets were overflowing, there mental health was extraordinary, and they were all able to really gather in big groups and really workshop and perfect the material. Art isn’t easy. We are living in unprecedented times. Try not to act so entitled. Please. People are doing the best they can."

I'm a donor, other people have had similar comments and they had 18 months to rewrite and allll that over Zoom. So, nope it's not cool, but that's just me. And it's okay to feel disappointed. Feel free to have a different opinion. Thanks.

Updated On: 10/15/21 at 11:48 PM

2 said: "Ari’el Stachel is not in the show tonight."

Oh wow...at the risk of jumping to conclusions from circumstantial evidence, do we think it's likely that this has to do with the most recent round of delays? And how much might that have to do with what we know led to the first round of delays?

I hesitate to speculate any further, because I don't want to inadvertently contribute to any unsubstantiated rumors. But it's a bit strange.

In any case, whatever is going on, I do hope everything works out in the end.

I was at the show tonight.

As already reported, Ari Stachel did not perform. I am assuming that was why the extra 2-day delay. To get the understudy ready to perform? But I'm just assuming that. Since the first delay was reported by Playbill to be because Stachel and other cast members were unhappy with certain aspects of how the production was being handled, I wonder if Stachel has left the show for good? (to be clear, I have no additional information on the subject, just stupid speculation on my part)

Any way, the show was OK, IMO.

I do agree that the show kinda weakens itself by centering this important topic on the one white character, and spending the majority of the time on him. Personally, I think the story and message would benefit a lot more from giving some of the other characters more specificity and backstory.

With that said, David Hyde Pearce does a great job with the role. He is given an 11:00 number (maybe called something about Fallen Angels?) that is quite moving and performed clearly very heartfelt from Pearce's soul.

I am a huge Next to Normal fan, but I was kinda disappointed in this Kitt/Yorkey score. Kinda unspecific I thought. Generic post-2000 musical theatre. And I thought the subject matter deserved more. Some of the individual numbers are quite effective, but as a whole, the score doesn't take me on the journey I would have liked.

I don't exactly know how to verbalize my feelings on this matter, but I kinda felt like this story and this crisis we are in as a country, are very high-stakes...but some times, the music lowered the stakes rather than raising them. Does that make sense?

Some of the movement is great. The ensemble is fantastic. And it does feel like it's coming from a very honest place of trying to move us all forward in this area as an American society. So kudos for that. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to know what can/should be done, so for me, it kind of just sits there at the end. Which i guess could maybe be the point???

Over all, I think it's worth seeing, if for no other reason, then for the discussion you will probably want to have afterward.

Oh, loved seeing Jacqueline Anteramian. What an icon.

Agreed, J Broadway. But I feel like DEH is also just bland musical theater, they just maybe found some better melodies.

How was the design/direction? Anything interesting?

Updated On: 10/17/21 at 10:30 AM