WHITE NOISE at The Public Theater — Page 2

Broadway_Boy, if you go to a Suzan-Lori Parks play looking for realism, you are really barking up the wrong tree. That isn't what she traffics in as a writer, and the point of this play isn't to offer up a plausible scenario. It's deliberately just a few steps off from reality, but close enough to cause discomfort and introspection.

Anyway, I was at the invited dress for this and happened to think it was brilliant. I think there's some slightly extraneous material that could be cut but overall it moves along at a nice clip and the performances are uniformly excellent, with Thomas Sadoski doing especially strong work. Something that I think Suzan-Lori is exceptional at is grounding heightened scenarios in very real and deliberate emotion, and she mostly accomplished that in this play.

I did not go in expecting realism, but I was presented with writing and direction that provided such, but with a scenario thrown in that was so far fetched it didn’t mesh. And you didn’t answer my question as to what the writer was trying to convey. What is the point of this? It provided discomfort for me, but unlike “Race,” It didn’t teach any bigot sitting in the theatre anything. If any insanely racist person saw this, they would walk out thinking, “see? Black people want to be slaves.” If she wasn’t a Pulitzer winner, this play would never have been seen by anyone.



Also, an hour could have easily been cut from it. There is so much chitter chatter that provides nothing and each characters long and boring monogue was completely unnecessary.

I also want to add a lot of black people left at intermission, and the ones who stayed at the end all looked absolutely appalled, and I’ve personally never been so confused and distraught about a play.

Updated On: 3/18/19 at 02:49 AM

Have you considered that the purpose of this play is not to instruct anyone about race or racism? Black writers (or queer writers, or indigenous writers, or Latinx writers, or women, etc. etc.) are not honor-bound to write plays that educate people who aren't part of that marginalized group or groups. We don't need to make everything palatable to everyone. If it isn't your thing, that's fine; it doesn't make the work meaningless.

RippedMan said: "I saw this and agree it's a boring, boring mess. The writing was pretty basic, and I'm a BIG Parks fan, which is why I went. I honestly thought the "Ask a Black" was a more interesting idea/story - a black girl who fakes her "blackness."

I have to agree. I was extremely disappointed in how obvious the storytelling was, while how overwritten and underdeveloped the characters were - an endlessly stream of maladies doesn't make a character.

Frankly, and I hesitate to say this, but after seeing Slave Play, I felt like this was no where near as complicated and ambitious. Possible spoiler, except it's really obvious: when the premise started, I thought, "Watch, the white guy will love being a master." I didn't need 3 hours to get there.

The production itself also feels really flat footed and earnest.

A really positive review. I saw it pretty much the same way she did.
https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/theater-suzan-lori-parkss-white-noise-is-sneakily-radical.html?utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=vulture&utm_medium=s1&fbclid=IwAR2VJBGdHbod8gElro8Pgraxvn6ctpGAw1Zz_XNPZQ8GI0qS44DGqRJ4gOc

Can anyone tell me if Daveed will stage door after the matinee? I initially saw it on a Tues night, but I couldn't stay. Was going again this weekend. I wasn't crazy about the show, but I like him.

VirginiaK said: "https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/theater/white-noise-review.html

Ben Brantley is enthusiastic"

Huh, so Brantley must have not been laughing the last 30 minutes like Broadway_Boy suggested. Makes ya think.

Babe_Williams said: "VirginiaK said: "https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/theater/white-noise-review.html

Ben Brantley is enthusiastic"

Huh, so Brantley must have not been laughing the last 30 minutes like Broadway_Boy suggested. Makes ya think."

Does he go to previews? I thought there was an understanding that performances prior to opening night were off limits to reviews, since the show isn’t finished till then.

Anyhow if he was there laughing — there’s plenty to laugh at, script is quite often funny, and also as well as the possibility of delight in how things get put into play.

RippedMan said: "This whole thing comes from privilege so then to put it down just seems...not justified?"

What kind of privilege are you talking about?