WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Preview Thread- Page 3

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 4:43pm

Metcalf wears a wig in the actual production; very flattering and somewhat in the Elizabeth Taylor mode of the role.

The show is firmly set in the 1960s. George and Martha's house looks to be more of a contemporary design than the usual shoddy, college-cottage aesthetic most productions go for. The living room has floor to ceiling shelves covered in books, but the furniture (and windows) make the house design seem more mid-century modern.

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 4:49pm

Anyone know if there is merch?

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 6:55pm

Went to the preview last night without knowing anything about the show. What a play! And incredibly ahead of its time. This production is all about Laurie Metcalf, she transforms into this character and I hardly recognized her when she entered (and I loved her wig). Patsy Ferran was the other standout for me. Such an interesting and unique actress who left me wanting more. I also think it helps that she’s the only character who truly feels like the victim in all this madness. Russell Tovey was good not great for me. Rupert Everett is good but it feels like he’s still finding his footing a bit. I’m sure by opening he’ll be in tip top shape, but I wanted more choices from him and I was worried about some of his lines. The production is great though I have nothing to compare it to.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/6/20 at 8:25pm

Obviously Rupert Everett wasn't the first choice (we know that was Eddie Izzard), but he feels like such an odd pick. Ben Brantley loved Everett in The Judas Kiss and Blithe Spirit though, so for the show's sake I hope BB reviews it.

[KingOfTheMine]

Posted: 3/7/20 at 12:52pm

This was the first production I've seen of this piece, and I essentially went in blind.  Before I get into the specifics of this production, I'd just like to take a moment to say how incredible this text is.  The play is by turns hilarious and devastating, and I have a huge appreciation for Albee after seeing it.  I was completely drawn in for the entire three hours and marveled at how good the writing was - especially as delivered by this cast.

I thought the four actors were all very strong and working together really well at this early point in the run.  Patsy Ferran is well-suited to play Honey, and her performance just felt natural.  It was the sort of performance where you forget that the person is acting and you just see the character.  Russell Tovey also inhabits Nick completely, and has the perfect physicality for the role.  Rupert Everett was enthralling as George.  I know there are a lot of people who were blown away by Letts in the last revival, and I clearly can't make any comparison.  However, I really thought Everett delivered a great performance.  I'm not sure if the role is usually played British, but there was something just delicious about Everett's delivery of the text.  It worked well in the context of an old-school academic and really highlighted Albee's wit.

Then there's Laurie Metcalf.  What can I say?  The woman is clearly one of the greatest stage actors of our time, and she delivers in this role.  She went up on a line at one point in the first act.  While trying to find her place, she ad-libbed a couple lines and threw in a great physical comedy bit that elicited huge laughter and an extended applause from the audience.  By that point she had the rest of the cast, especially Tovey, struggling to stay in character and was past the point of being able to find her way back to where she was supposed to be in the text.  She ended up calling "line" and having someone backstage feed her the next line.  Then we were immediately back on track without any similar issues for the rest of the performance.  My description might not do it justice, but it was just one of those moments that makes me glad I get to go to the live theatre.  I agree with the previous poster that mentioned how Martha's seduction of Nick is completely believable in this production.  Metcalf's Martha is empowered and a force to be reckoned with.  She nails the comedy, but when things get more serious she's totally devastating.

I thought the set design was very effective, and as usual Joe Mantello shows why he's one of the best directors out there right now.  The production is extremely cohesive, and I believe that these people, while all unique, all inhabit the same world.  This has by far been my favorite production of a play so far this season.  I'll also mention that I didn't miss the second intermission.  There's not even a real pause between Acts II and III, the curtain just comes down for maybe 5-10 seconds.  I wasn't bothered by the long sit, and actually thought the lack of an intermission helped to keep up the dramatic tension and drive things along toward their inevitable conclusion.  As you can tell, I highly recommend this piece and can't wait to hear more people's reactions.

[BenElliott]

Posted: 3/7/20 at 2:51pm

Anyone tried the rush for this? Interested in where your seats were.

[Robstriker]

Posted: 3/7/20 at 8:35pm

I won the Lottery for today's Matinee. Orchestra AA 111. Really enjoyable.

[DebraR]

Posted: 3/7/20 at 9:31pm

Anyone rush? If so, what time did you get there?

[DebraR]

Posted: 3/7/20 at 9:31pm

Anyone rush? If so, what time did you get there?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 8:53am

I caught this yesterday afternoon. This was my first exposure to the material. I really liked this a great deal. Laurie Metcalf proves once again that there is literally no role she cannot tackle with sheer perfection. Patsy Ferran is making a terrific Broadway debut, and I really hope that we see more of her in the future on the stage. Russell Tovey is also great. My one reservation with the production lies with Rupert Everrett. I had a hard time understanding him quite a few times, and I found his diction to be pretty bad. I realize I am the first person to bring this up, so maybe it was just my performance (or just me), but I definitely found it to be problematic. I loved the set and how it changed throughout the three acts. VERY effective. All in all, I would definitely recommend this.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 2:12pm

This might be my new favorite play. I have never been so captivated by a show. I didn't take my eyes off the stage once. It was funny and devastating and honestly? just give Laurie Metcalf the Tony now. She's absolutely incredible. The one thing I questioned when I walked out of the theater was, I wonder how effective it would have been if instead of yelling a lot, she spoke quietly. Sometimes, that's even more effective than yelling; a low, dangerous tone, kind of like how Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada never yells, you just know how upset she is because her tone gets very soft. That was the only thing I questioned when I walked out. Honestly, I have never been so shaken by a production (in a good way!). 

 

PS. No show specific cups or merchandise available when I saw it--yesterday.  

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 2:23pm

Is anyone intending on catching this that also saw the Letts/Morton revival?

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 2:32pm

PrinceAli said "Anyone know if there is merch?"

hearthemsing22 said: "PS. No show specific cups or merchandise available when I saw it--yesterday."

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think Rudin allows any merch for his plays? Mockingbird might be the only exception because I do not recall Gary having any merch when that ran last spring. 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 2:38pm

DoTheDood said: "PrinceAli said "Anyone know if there is merch?"

hearthemsing22 said: "PS. No show specific cups or merchandise available when I saw it--yesterday."

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not thinkRudin allows any merch for his plays? Mockingbird might be the only exception because I do not recall Gary having any merch when that ran last spring."

Really? That's so interesting! I wonder why he'd make that decision (no sarcasm or anything. I didn't see Gary so I don't know if this is a normal thing). 

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 2:56pm

hearthemsing22 said: Really? That's so interesting! I wonder why he'd make that decision (no sarcasm or anything. I didn't see Gary so I don't know if this is a normal thing)."

Yeah, it's a bit odd. Previous threads mentioned Rudin does not want merch to take away from the show (again IIRC), and only does it for big musicals and for plays that other producers insist on merch (like Mockingbird). A shame too as imo Gary had some amazing art that would have been fantastic on merch. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 5:16pm

I remember Gary at the very least had drink cups that had the logo on it.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 5:22pm

I don’t believe Three Tall Women had any merch either. I was desperate for a magnet but nothing was for sale.

[Umeboshi]

Posted: 3/8/20 at 6:07pm

For someone who seems to enjoy imposing rules, I wish he would ban food for his shows. The constant noises of crinkling candy wrappers were very distracting during To Kill a Mockingbird.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/9/20 at 6:24am

Umeboshi said: "For someone who seems to enjoy imposing rules, I wish he would ban food forhis shows. The constant noises of crinkling candy wrappers were very distracting during To Kill a Mockingbird."

I'm so sorry this happened to you! I can't believe anyone would be focused on anything else except the actors onstage during such an intense production,

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 12:23am

Was at the Monday night preview. Holy wow.

From someone who very greatly enjoyed the Morton/Letts revival with MacKinnons masterful directing, this revival is neck and neck in terms of bold choices that ultimately pay off, performances that start sizzling from the first scene until they reach their fiery blaze, and yet another example of why Albee has created a masterpiece that still breathes after all these years.

To try to even...try to justify Metcalf’s performance is futile. What she achieves in this play is something new for her: she transforms. Metcalf has this uncanny knack of bringing herself into every role she plays. Whether it’s Nora in ADHP2 or Julianna in The Other Place, or even the stiff adaptation of Misery, she brings her familiarity into the role. Her honesty is front and center, always. This time she has done well to erase any trace of warmth or understanding. Her Martha is both revelatory and yet, exactly how one imagines Albee intended. Her climactic moments at the very end of the play live up to any sort of hype you may hear.

Everett’s performance rises to her level often, but the major issue I had is the lack of variety in choices. It often feels like he boils to a certain point and then quickly lets things go, but upon boiling again it doesn’t feel as though he is showing us any new shadings to George. There is an interesting moment of homosexual subtext between George and Nick that I thought was interesting and hadn’t witnessed before in a production of this play, but it still felt like a relatively by the books interpretation. And truthfully, nothing will touch Lett’s stone cold performance.

Ferran is so delightful and heartbreaking in the role of Honey, it’s almost shocking how fresh she makes it feel. This is definitely the youngest Honey you will see in a production of Woolf, and it certainly paints her as the most victimized, no question. And when she utters, “I want a child” and curls up into the tiniest ball on the couch, you see just how easily it is for a couple to morph into their own version of George and Martha.

Russel Tovey gives a very fine performance, if at times very underwhelming. I often feel the role of Nick is underrated in terms of how difficult it is to achieve likability and horrendous understanding of his disposition. That being said, it feels as though he’s still finding more depth and variance.

Mantello’s hand here, while calculated and precise, still needs a little more push and pull in some areas. I wonder if he considered removing everything but the base living room set for the final act- having the four of them stranded on an island in the middle of the stage has my stomach churning just thinking about it.

Overall, glad I went. It’s worth it, and for $49 the mezz had a perfect view. If you really really loved the most recent revival, I’m almost positive you will not love this more- but to watch what Metcalf is doing in this play transcends any previous iteration.

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 12:58am

Caught this tonight and three hours flew by. The production has its flaws, but, this is Laurie Metcalf's show.

This is light years better than the inert, unmoving Letts/Morton production with Morton starting out at 100mph with nowhere to go. Metcalf avoids that pitfall. The production does not, however, erase the memory of the Kathleen Turner/Bill Irwin production.

I can only imagine Metcalf will hone this performance and it will be extraordinary. She is playful, sexual, angry, hurt and every other emotion you can think of. You watch her performance build to its inevitable collapse, but unfortunately, what should be a heartbreaking final scene is oddly unmoving. I think this is a director issue. Mantello mostly does a decent job, but it's this sort of thing that needs fixing during the preview period.

I was intermittently taken with Rupert Everett. His performance started off a bit shaky. I think he's still finding his footing, but he got much better as the play progressed and I think he'll get there, because, he was very good by the conclusion. What he doesn't bring is anything new. Bill Irwin illuminated George in ways I had never seen or imagined. I'm not sure Everett will rise to that level. Letts didn't come close. I'm glad he performs with his natural accent. It adds to his character and worked well for me.

Russell Tovey is good, but not great. Again, maybe just finding his footing in this bear of a play. I bought Metcalf going after him, but not the other way around.

I'm conflicted on Patsy Ferren. The more I think about her the more I liked her, but while I watching her, I wasn't getting it.

I see what Mantello was doing with the set and it doesn't fully work. The idea is there, but it's not fully executed yet. He is skilled, however, in pulling nuance from his actors and that's a good thing in this play.

Overall, this is a solid production that will get more solid with time. The three hours flew and I never checked my watch once. I look forward to returning, down the road, to see how everyone has deepened and developed their characters.

[jiaxing_26]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 2:01am

Saw it during Monday night's preview and here's my quickie. 

Laurie Metcalf is the show. She is just boisterous as Albee intended to be and totally sold me Martha, someone I would imagine to be akin to Gena Rowlands's reckless neuroticism in Influence and Opening Night; Her seduction of Nick is believable, and she dare to use her body and makes bold choices. I think Metcalf alone is worth all the accolades and ticket price and will probably win the Tony's if everything goes well. Rupert... spat a lot. Although this would only become a problem if you're sitting in the front row, it's certainly noticeable, given the lighting and how close I sat (fifth-row orchestra). His performance wasn't as engrossing as Laurie (that applies to everyone and it's certainly not a criticism), but I am a little reticent to commend that he lives up my expectation of George. Patsy Ferran's performances edged over her counterpart, in my mind, despite having less time on stage than he does. Overall I think it's a strong cast and will only get better as the opening night approaches. 

The three-hour length is well justified, and I don't really mind only having one intermission; it provides a more natural emotional build-up to the final catharsis, and honestly, at least for me, sitting through a two-hour performance is hardly a problem at all. The show started around 8 p.m. and ended at 10:55 p.m., and the first intermission started around 9 p.m.

One of the tiny reservations I have for this play (well, it's actually my pet peeve for all the drama) lies in its ability to strike a balance between humor and intensity. For my taste, it's either as suffocating as Revolutionary Road or as lighthearted as Who's Sylvia. I was talking to the person sitting right next to me during intermission, and she told me the West End revival was emotionally plain -- depressing all the way through. I know it's not what the director intended, but the laughter from the audience certainly distracts me a little bit from the seriousness it tries to convey. Besides, as someone pointed out in an earlier reply, I also found the ending scene unsatisfactory, or at least not as moving as I thought it would be (as in National Theater version of All My Sons). Nonetheless, that's my taste, and I chuckled several times when I read the play, so I guess I am just being petty here. 

Last but not least, I stagedoored after the show was over and met three out of the four except Laurie, who was said to have a meeting (with the director I suppose) as it's still in preview. They were all genuinely friendly but some of them didn't bring a Sharpie...... 

Would love to see it again after its opening if Corona is no longer an issue and I could win a lotto; also curious to see the West End version thru NTLive. 

Updated On: 3/10/20 at 02:01 AM

[morosco]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 2:49am

I stagedoored after the show was over and met three out of the four except Laurie, who was said to have a meeting (with the director I suppose) as it's still in preview. They were all genuinely friendly but some of them didn't bring a Sharpie...... 

Are you saying that some of the actors didn't bring a sharpie or are you saying that some of the fans didn't bring a sharpie? Not that it really matters to me, but is it considered unusual that actors don't carry around sharpies or is it considered unusual that a fan would request an autograph without offering a sharpie?

[AlanB3]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 7:45am

From a health standpoint as an actor, I'd want to use my own Sharpie right now.

[jiaxing_26]

Posted: 3/10/20 at 8:30am

Sorry, some of the actors didn't. I brought my own, but last time I stagedoored for four musicals and pretty much all actors had their own sharpies, so I assumed it would be the same. Not sure how long they will do still do stage door tho, due to health concerns.