The Realistic Joneses- Page 5

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 3/20/14 at 10:39pm

Has anyone rushed this on a Saturday? Any advice on when to arrive?

[broadfan327]

Posted: 3/20/14 at 10:56pm

I saw it tonight. I thought it was funny and well acted, but essentially it felt like watching an episode of Seinfeld, a show about nothing. The audience laughed at many lines and the absurdity of the younger couple, but I don't know what the overarching point of the piece is, if there was meant to be one or not. Another disappointment after Mothers and Sons last night for me.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 12:32am

"I thought it was funny and well acted, but essentially it felt like watching an episode of Seinfeld, a show about nothing."

Why do several of the negative reviews say it's like watching Seinfeld? How is comparing something to possibly the greatest sitcom of the last few decades supposed to make me not want to go?

Guess I'll find out on April 4.

[broadfan327]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 8:23am

I think Seinfeld is very overrated, but I know that is a minority view. I was laughing throughout, but as soon as I walked out, it was forgettable what I had just seen. I don't think I read the other posts that had talked about Seinfeld. For my money, these four actors are some of the best actors currently working. It is a shame they don't have better material. Also, it has probably the ugliest Broadway set I have ever seen. I have seen better sets at off broadway non profits.

Updated On: 3/21/14 at 08:23 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 2:27am

I also have to quickly acknowledge the absolutely awful sound design. I had trouble making out a handful of lines from the get go. It got easier to hear them as the night went on, but I did feel like I was straining the entire time.

Sound design isn't usually something I pick on unless it's atrocious and detrimental to my enjoyment of the show. And while I wouldn't have enjoyed THE REALISTIC JONESES any more had the sound design been better, it definitely didn't help.

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 7:55am

I attended the 3/22 evening performance yesterday. I arrived at the box office around 10:45 a.m. to inquire about rush tickets, but they were all sold. I settled for two balcony seats instead for the same price. I will never sit in the balcony at the Lyceum again... it felt like I was miles away and there is poor ventilation up there.

I agree with what everyone else has been saying. The show has some funny moments here and there, but ultimately did not add up to anything. When the cast came out to take their bows, I wondered what I had just spent 90 minutes watching. The plot was practically non-existent. The first two scenes and the older couple's scene towards the end were pretty good but that was about it. The middle dragged. It also reminded me of The Anarchist; wonderful actors working with bad material. I was most impressed with Letts and Colette.

They have organized the stagedoor. All four leads came out to sign and they were all incredibly gracious.

[ak72090]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:02am

high flying--- ive heard about how steep the balcony is, but is it really that far away? I bought these tickets because I couldnt afford orch. .. are you still able to hear/see everything? thanks.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 8:57am

I sat up there for "Scottsboro Boys" and I loved it. I could see/hear everything, and I didn't feel miles away. Granted I was in the first row of the balcony, so maybe it's different further back.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:36am

this show is terrible.

but i sat LAST row balcony for scottsboro boys and loved every minute of it. great seat. didnt feel nosebleed...

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:55am

I sat fourth row of the balcony (which is significantly higher than the first.) I'm usually not picky about seats but I thought these were pretty awful. At 5'2", I'm fairly petite but I felt like I had no room. To top it all off, the men's restroom is in line with Row D of the balcony, so I had the privilege of watching gentlemen walk in and out of the restroom during the performance. As for view/sound, it seemed like everyone had a full view of the stage. From what I've heard, the first few lines of the show sound muffled no matter where you are sitting, but the sound does improve after that.

[ak72090]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 1:17pm

thanks for clarifying---i have seats in row E, so I guess we'll see how that goes. As far as the show being bad as far as most of you guys are saying, at the very least maybe I'll get to meet Michael Hall, so that could make the trip worth while.

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 2:00pm

I sorta loved it. That elliptical Albee-esque dialogue eventually fused for me into something rather moving. I think I "got" what I was supposed to about the plot, the polite inanities, sometime sexual dynamics and eventual community of "next door neighbors" The sadness of the death of the mind (does Eno have a parent with Alzheimer's does anyone know?) and the loneliness that equally affects those afflicted and those that are the designated caregivers. Michael C Hall has the showiest of roles and is excellent. Just excellent. Marissa unfortunately can't keep up. Letts is great and Toni Colette, with the most "straight" role, holds things steady and is as wonderful as she always it. Gold holds thing steady as well, but its not a director's show.

I did a Friday rush, got there at 7:45 and was first in line, the second person showed up minutes later. First row, center, the only partial view was when someone was sitting at a bench stage right. And that wasn't that often. Totally, totally worth 35.00.

[AirJewels]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 10:21am

Has anyone been able to get a rush ticket later in the day or are they all usually sold when the box office opens?

[Patash]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 12:05pm

I saw it Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Excellent cast, and I even thought (unlike some others here)) that Marisa Tomai was in top form.

And I DO get the comparisons to Seinfeld.

Nothing much happens. It's mainly people talking about things that have happened or could happen.
It's really just a bunch of self absorbed people we have no reason to care about.
It's a lot of witty dialogue that really has no purpose other than to be witty.

You can decide if those descriptions apply to Seinfeld, The Realistic Joneses, or both.

[AirJewels]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 1:27pm

Well I answered my own question. I swung by the box office today at 1pm to see if any rush tickets were left and got one! Probably one of the last ones, if not the last, though. It's second row mezzanine on the right.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 2:23pm

Ala Seinfeld - it is a show about nothing.

Cannot see the critics raving about it. The best it can hope for are respectable reviews. This is like a turkey 3 days after Thanksgiving. The frame is there but it has been picked clean.

Without this cast, it would be off broadway material.

[ak72090]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 6:24am

Going to see Seinfeld on broadway aka the Joneses tomorrow. Excited!!

Anyone know if the cast leaves the theatre in between shows on Saturday? I want to meet Marissa and Michael. Im guessing they might leave for lunch, considering there is a big gap of time between shows.

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 11:46am

How has rush been recently? Would getting there tomorrow at 9am for the matinee be fine?

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 11:55am

My friend and I got box rush seats at 6:00pm yesterday.

[ak72090]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:25pm

khakis--- what did you think of the show?

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 11:07pm

Saw it tonight, and I guess I get all the Seinfeld stuff people have said, only not really. On Seinfeld, they might have inane conversations while waiting to be told their table is ready at a Chinese restaurant, but here there is no restaurant or structure to contextualize it in the same way. I mean, Marisa randomly saying "I'm going to start putting dandelions in salads" apropos of nothing in mid-conversation could be Seinfeldesque, but they seemed far less random on Seinfeld.

Had I not read so many Seinfeld references on here, I doubt I'd've made any connection to the show, really.

Of course, I always thought the notion that Seinfeld was "about nothing" was always lazy shorthand anyway.

Otherwise, the show was enjoyable and funny, in a stilted, awkward way, which seemed to be the point. A few people up and left before it ended, including one guy behind me five minutes before it ended.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 11:27pm

Tonight, about a third of the mezz left before it ended, and a man behind me audibly snored throughout. If I hadn't been in the middle of a row, I would have fled. Then again, Seinfeld makes me want to peel my skin off, so I'm probably not the ideal audience for this kind of thing. But it was an endurance test. The cast is great. Thank God it's over.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/9/14 at 11:45pm

Saw this tonight. I'm a fan of Eno, and generally find his existentialism and one-liners interesting and intriguing, so I liked this. It's not his best (that would go to either Thom Pain (based on nothing) or Middletown), and is a bit too long- but it's a great cast and I was engaged. An off-kilter choice for a Broadway star vehicle, which I also sort of respect.

[ALBERTGENDO]

Posted: 4/10/14 at 12:12am

it seems to not for everyone so should this be on Broadway or is it more off Broadway play???

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 4/10/14 at 12:52am

^ Well since the play IS on Broadway, it would appear the Producers have already answered that question for us. An endless debate here as to whether it should be isn't going to change that. There has been enough written about the play that if people do 3 minutes of research, they can decide for themselves whether it is for them. I applaud them for having the guts to try something unusual and a bit risky that may not appeal to everyone instead of doing the season's 37th version of "Blah Blah Blah: The Musical"