The Spoils Previews Reviews
#2
Posted: 5/8/15 at 1:33pm
Anyone gone yet? Curious to hear some opinions.
"Pardon my prior Mcfee slip. I know how to spell her name. I just don't know how to type it." -Talulah
#3
Posted: 5/8/15 at 2:43pm
I saw it last night...Brief thoughts because I'm at work!
I thought there were some nice moments and great jokes but that it needs a great deal of work to feel cohesive.
First and foremost, Eisenberg plays a character that is so unlikable. He is a filmmaker yet doesn't show any passion. He says he "hates his father" (lives in the apartment he bought him and for some reason has the decor of a newly married couple as opposed to a bachelor pad with a rebellious filmmaker) but why?
Also, why so many Billy Joel songs? Didn't get that
Finally and I think this sums up my thoughts about this play - if there is glass and popcorn on the floor, react!
Updated On: 5/8/15 at 02:43 PM
#4
Posted: 5/8/15 at 7:41pm
I'm planning to see this towards the end of the month. Anyone else catching it? Thoughts of those who have?
#7
Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:18pm
I thought it was incredibly funny but kind of rough, i can see what their going for with the ending but it needs to be better defined, and my god Eisenbergs character is probably the biggest monster I've ever seen onstage, just 100% no filter the product of white privledge and trust fund kid to the extreme, also REALLY enjoyed Kunal Nayyar performance as his best friend. And to the above poster, to be fair one of the characters does point out that theres glass and popcorn all over lol
Was surprised even though it just started previews, for a saturday evening they moved the 5 of us in the balcony down to the orchestra and there were still like 20 empty seats downstairs, i thought this would be a hot ticket with Eisenberg involved.
Updated On: 5/10/15 at 08:18 PM
#8
Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:30pm
I saw the show today and I liked it up until the "ending." Which I put in quotes because it wasn't so much an ending as the play just stopping. I heard multiple comments from the audience of "Is that it?" "That's it?" "That's the end?" etc.
Eisenberg's character was so unlikeable that I kept waiting for there to be some kind of explanation or self reflection or resolution, something! I really don't get where they were going with that ending.
"It's Phantom meets Hamlet... Phamlet!"
#9
Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:41pm
SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY
I think the point of her telling Ben that story was to try to snap him out of whatever the **** is going on with him, he so fixated on her and she's saying "hey you did this incredible thing for this girl and she probably thinks about you everyday for what you did for her, but she's not still obsessed and has probably found another person, also I think it was her trying to say, there is humanity in you somewhere, wake up!" thats what i took away from it but yeah I'm not sure why i see so many plays that think blackout mid scene is a resolution.
#10
Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:52pm
Does this show have any gunshots in it? I'm asking because my poor ears are sensitive. I can handle it as long as I know they're coming... Thanks! Doesn't seem like the kind of show that would, but you never know.
#11
Posted: 5/10/15 at 8:58pm
a glass gets shattered but thats about it.
#13
Posted: 5/16/15 at 9:53am
Anyone else see this this week? Thinking of checking it out.
#15
Posted: 5/19/15 at 10:27am
Eisenberg has some sharp writing and I really enjoyed Kunal Nayyar and Annapurna Sriram (very believable) but that ending just felt so undeserved based on how we'd seen Ben act throughout the entire show. It didn't sit well as even a partial resolution due to (without going too much into spoilers) how he approached the entirety of Act Two. Don't expect me to feel sympathy for someone you've spent 2 hours showing me is an asshole.
#16
Posted: 6/11/15 at 11:32am
I caught this last night and have mixed thoughts, but a lot of them are positive.
After the relatively pointless Asuncion (I missed The Revisionist), Eisenberg has definitely sharpened his writing skills. I think he really has an ear for dialogue, especially in the fantastic dinner scene in Act 1. I thought it was quite funny and very entertaining. This has shades of Clybourne Park, Disgraced, and This is Our Youth.
I really enjoyed Kunal Nayyar. I thought he was warm and funny. Eisenbeg's character unfortunately is really hateful, especially in Act 2. This is where I lost the play a bit. Not only because he was so hateful, but because I didn't find things as interesting without everyone onstage. You can only watch someone mope around and smoke weed and feel sorry for themselves for so long before it gets old.
Finally, the redemption that comes at the end, just didn't work for me. I wanted either more or none at all.
While I am mixed on the actual text, I thought the production was well done, and that the acting and direction were top notch. I'd absolutely recommend checking it out if you are a fan of Eisenbergs or Nayyar's.
There is a facebook code for $27 tickets. Also, the whole cast is quite friendly at the stage door (which is in the lobby by the bathrooms) and will take pictures and sign if asked.
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