This Is How It Goes
This Is How It Goes
#0This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/14/06 at 6:31pm
This play is being performed in South Miami. Is it a must-see?
I wish I had seen the Off Broadway production with Amanda Peet(who replaced Marisa Tomei at the last minute and got rave reviews), Jeffrey Wright and Ben Stiller. This is about an hour from me. I usually dislike plays. Any advice from anyone that has seen this show?
#1re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/14/06 at 9:23pm
The critics loved it:
PRAISE FOR This is How it Goes:
Ben Stiller offers “an artfully layered performance.” ‑ The New York Times
“George C. Wolfe, one of the most socially astute directors of his generation, briskly guides a cast that is as savvy as it is starry.”‑ USA Today
“Stiller, Peet, and Wright are a remarkable ensemble; each delivers a funny, nuanced, intelligent performance.” ‑ New York magazine
“The only unambiguous thing about this astonishing play is its quality” ‑ Newsday
“A sharply honed work that insidiously inches under the skin” ‑ Variety
#2re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 1:39amWell, I went to see this play in Coral Gables, FL, rightaway i noticed that the actors were excellent. It wasn't amateur-ish at all. Great play! very entertaining, but at the same time it was disturbing and clever. LaBute's This Is How It Goes is provocative and it's about marriage's problems and appearances. I recommend it to anyone in the South Florida area. It closes next Sunday. The play stars Todd Allen Durkin, Beth McIntosh and Brandon Morris.
#3re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 1:44amThe Pillowman will make its debut in South Fl next month at this same theatre(GableStage)
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#4re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 1:55amI love Labute. Just picked up "Some Girl(s)" today. Can't wait to read it.
#5re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 2:18am
Ben Brantley of The New York Times: "The first third of the play's 90 minutes is pretty involving. But then the realization sinks in that for all the distracting fancy footwork, Mr. LaBute is doing a waltz he has danced better before. The moralizing machinery of the plot overwhelms and shrinks two hitherto intriguing characters into totemic figures of manly evil. Mr. Wolfe, a brilliant director, is not in top form. Though the designer Riccardo Hernández keeps the look of the production artificially simple, an even less realistic approach might work better. Mr. Wright, one of the finest actors in New York, is uncomfortably miscast as the grown-up golden boy and he overcompensates with an elaborately mannered performance. And even Mr. Stiller, a natural for his part, can't conceal the sound of grinding gears toward the play's end. Ms. Peet is wonderful throughout."
I agree, the first part of the play was thrilling, then towards the end, it gets too complicated and it makes one lose interest in the story. It's funny how Brantley praised Peet in this play and he disliked her in Barefoot in the Park. He didn't seem to like the other 2 actors in the play, though, most of the reviewers praised Stiller and Wright, as well as Peet. I remember that Ben Stiller was trying to get Renee Zellwegger to play the role of Belinda, then Marisa Tomei accepted the role and had to be removed from the production because of family issues, and Peet was the last minute replacement.
#6re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 2:42am
Don't miss "Pillowman"! This will change your idea about plays being boring...
As a composer, I often prefer plays. Sometimes you just don't need the music to create the tension. Many times, in musicals, the songs actually stop the dramatic action. This is how I determine a "good" from "bad" musical. Although, I always try to find something interesting in everything I see. And many times, the worse the show is, the more I learn.
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." GMarx
#7re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 3:31am
I love love love THIS IS HOW IT GOES. I've never seen it live, but it's my favorite LaBute play that I've read.
(I have seen THE SHAPE OF THINGS.)
I'd love to play the (white) MALE, but I can't see Amanda playing Belinda.
#8re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 4:58am
Why can't you see Amanda playing Belinda? It seems everyone enjoyed her performance in this play.
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#9re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 9:03amPeete was quite luminous at The Public and did just fine acting along side Jeffrey Wright and Ben Stiller. Not sure how solid her acting chops are (she seemed more than competent), but she was a very compelling presence. I also think she was immeasureably aided by the fact the theatre only had about 200 seats, so she didn't have to worry about projecting and could give a completely naturalistic performance.
#10re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 11:10am
"It's funny how Brantley praised Peet in this play and he disliked her in Barefoot in the Park."
Well, I mean...he was right. She may have been good in this play, but she was GOD AWFUL in Barefoot in the Park. I felt like she was screaming at me the entire time. Just goes to show you that certain performers are capable of giving a bad performance and that their reputations shouldn't have any effect on the reviews they get from good critics.
#11re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/17/06 at 12:33pmMargo, I read that the entire run of this play was sold out at the Public and extended an extra week. Is that correct?
#12re: This Is How It Goes
Posted: 7/18/06 at 3:48am
Has anyone else seen this hit-play?
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
Videos