Posted: 9/4/17 at 2:15pm
Seeing "F*CKing A" yesterday and noticed "Tiny Beautiful Things" was rehearsing there. Looked liked they had an actual logo, etc. My friend who worked on the show said they were aiming for Broadway this fall, but with the Booth taken, I doubt that's going to happen now. Maybe commercial off-Broadway?
Posted: 9/4/17 at 2:48pm
Tiny Beautiful Things is going back to the Public for an encore engagement. It will be in the Newman.
https://www.publictheater.org/Public-Theater-Season/Tiny-Beautiful-Things/
Updated On: 9/4/17 at 02:48 PM
Posted: 9/5/17 at 8:22am
They are using this production to gauge whether a commercial transfer will be worthwhile.
Posted: 10/10/17 at 6:09pm
Anybody seen this in the current form it is in? Might be able to fit this in on my trip.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 5:41pm
Bump. Also if anyone can help with the Newman house seating, only seats are available for me are the last row of the theatre. Will this be ok? Or does it feel very far?
Posted: 10/11/17 at 6:16pm
I sat in E4 today, and I had a very nice view of the entire stage. The Newman is a pretty intimate theater, so the last row isn't too far away. Where do you normally prefer to sit? I was considering getting an even closer seat at the Newman for the next show I see there. I took a photo of my view from E4, but am not sure how to post it from my phone here.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 6:26pm
I knew nothing about this show before seeing it today. It's very quiet in the theater except for the rumble of the subway every two minutes, the coughing and nose blowing of patrons, the grumbling of hungry stomachs, opening of people's water bottles, and the vibrating and alarms on various phones which were not powered off. The fact that I noticed all of this during the entire play means that I was not particularly engaged in this show today.
Runtime is 85 minutes. Venue is nice, set is nice though not really used much.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 6:38pm
Yes, I've seen mixed things. Maybe I'm just better off saving my $50 and exploring the city some more.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 6:50pm
Some people were sniffling back tears, so parts of the narrative hit home with them and they felt a connection. The people near me said something about how it wasn't what they expected. I thought it was interesting but tedious.
Can you get a seat for Sweeney Todd or Torch Song? Those were my favorite so far this trip. The Portuguese Kid was also entertaining (like a lively sitcom and fun to watch).
Updated On: 10/12/17 at 06:50 PM
Posted: 10/11/17 at 6:52pm
I am seeing Sweeney! And Tiny Beautiful things was the only 1pm matinee on a Saturday that I could find that would work before I see Ghost Quartet at 3:30. Really trying to maximize my time, if you couldn't tell
Posted: 10/11/17 at 7:02pm
The acting is great but this isn't much of a play. It's literally three actors reciting letters from the book and Nia reciting the letters from Sugar. The letters themselves are well-written but I found the whole thing to be dull. Thankfully it's only 85 minutes.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 7:13pm
Having seen this, I would not recommend it. As others have said, it's not much a play. I was rather bored.
Posted: 10/11/17 at 11:59pm
Agreed. I don't think this works as a play at all. I think maybe as a book, sure? But there's not dramatic tension, no plot, no anything? It's just letters. Maybe it will hit home for you, but I just found it rather boring and very...."stagy." Wasn't for me.
But LesWickedly, the theaters are very close, so if you have any interesting, you'd easily be able to pop over to "Ghost Quartet" after. But the area of town is really interesting and fun to just walk around and explore, honestly. But the Public is a really cool space, and maybe worth just having a drink in the Library upstairs and exploring the space instead of seeing the show.
Posted: 10/12/17 at 2:16am
I rushed the show maybe 2.5 weeks ago, and I think it did a fantastic job for what it was. Don't expect a "traditional" play or even a plot. For me, it was a very pleasant night at the theatre. Nia Vardalos was out the night I went, so I saw it with Ceci Fernandez, and my goodness, she was amazing!
I described the show to my roommate as, "a dramatic reading of an advice column. The columnist, Sugar, has had a hard life, but she has been beaten, betrayed, and broken into a strong, compassionate, empathetic, and forgiving person. The best part for me was seeing that despite all the rough life she's had, she's not bitter; she's been able to make a decently good life for herself. At the end of the day, she's getting along fine. She's survived a lot, so this "decently normal" life of hers is a great and admirable accomplishment."
I, too, have had a pretty hard life, and almost all the experiences and emotions Sugar revealed and in her responses in the show hit home really hard for me. I saw a lot of myself in Sugar. It was a really cathartic experience for me. I almost never cry during any show, film, book, etc., but I definitely cried at this show. It wasn't a perfect show, but it was definitely enjoyable. I thought it refreshing to see such a relatable, broken character be "okay."
I see and understand why this show doesn't work or resonate with everyone, though. I just wanted to be at least one positive vote for this show! I originally saw it because it had a random Sunday evening performance, and I had that evening free, but now I'm hoping I'll have time to go back and see it again!
Posted: 10/12/17 at 3:32am
Ripped, thanks for the advice! Didn’t realize the Public had areas open to the Public haha but I really wanted to get a feel of the place and see where so many historical productions have taken place, but that might just fit the bill. And I’ll maybe just say if they have any student tix the day of.
Posted: 10/12/17 at 1:25pm
It has been crazy renovated, so not much to see, but "The Library" is their like restaurant/bar upstairs. But the area itself is fun for theater lovers! Blue Man Group is accross the street and Stomp (where Little Shop played) is in the area too.
