The House of Blue Leaves- 1st preview- Page 4

[vodkastinger]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 8:33am

Also saw it last night and thought it was a fantastic evening at the theatre. Probably my favorite revival of the season I've seen thus far.

Ben Stiller gave a wonderful performance. Familiar and funny, yet layered and deeply moving. He was the surprise for me, as I was braced for distaste as I haven't really liked any of his film career.

Edie Falco was wonderful. Just an all-around lived in performance.

Jennifer Jason Leigh was just not very good, which is all that separated this from being totally first-rate for me. She just came off very mannered and not sure of when to play for laughs and when to play for the scene. Given the honesty of the rest of the production, she stood out like a sore thumb.

Also loved the design. Fantastic work all-around.

I am curious to see how the critics will receive it, after hearing such contrary opinions to mine on here.

[vodkastinger]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 9:06am

Also...

If Stuart Thompson or Scott Rudin have any interns reading this board, please pass along to your bosses that they need to petition Edie Falco to Featured Actress. I would buy placing Bunny & Bananas in either category. While Edie would get nominated in either, I'm afraid she would get left behind in the wake of the tour-de-force that is Frances. But, she would win Featured Actress hands down, race over.

Edie needs to EGOT. Please help her make that happen.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 10:21am

Ben Stiller wasn't bad, but, for me, you got glimpses of the desperation but there wasn't really a build up to the end.

******POSSIBLE SPOILER*****

I would like to have seen some facial/body experession or action in that last scene to show more that he realized that his dreams where shattered and given the imprssion that he was going to try to give Bananas love, as suggested by his friend. My jaw did drop at the end but moreso because of the writing and not his acting.

vodka, sorry you didn't like Leigh. I thought she was wonderful and it seemed the audience did also. JMO

[newintown]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:11am

God spare us from "brilliant" directors.

The kind that give us:

David Cromer's Our Town.

Or John Doyle's Company.

They so often end up as flashes in the pan.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:29am

"Edie needs to EGOT."

What's EGOT? Never mind, I found out.

Oh, and stop trying to make EGOT happen.

Updated On: 4/19/11 at 11:29 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:31am

Emmy
Grammy
Oscar
Tony

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:35am

@newintown: David Cromer's Our Town was, in fact, brilliant. He's won three consecutive Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Director, in addition to two Obies. He's not a flash in the pan and he's far from a one-trick pony.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 12:08pm

I didn't say his Our Town wasn't good. I enjoyed it, although I would call it good rather than brilliant. It was one of those productions that felt like it was more about the director than the piece itself.

Whether or not, however, he's a one-trick pony still remains to be seen. I felt that he didn't understand Blue Leaves at all.

And citing awards isn't the same thing as proving merit. Remember, Harvey won the Pulitzer (not that it's bad, but it certainly isn't brilliant).

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 8:38pm

I feel like, with the stuff I've seen, Cromer is all about making "moments" happen. He's a visual person. But I don't think it always works. I mean, do we really need blue leaves to fall from the sky? That seemed a little too obvious to me. Just like in Our town, I thought the acting here was poor. He doesn't seem to get great performances out of people, but worries more about the visual and the visual metaphors, etc.

[Brick]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 9:15pm

Cromer is an extremely talented director. Is he brilliant? Who cares! Why must everyone be brilliant or a hack?

And simply because he may not have had a slam dunk with this one doesn't take away from his exemplary work in New York thus far. OUR TOWN, BRIGHTEN BEACH MEMOIRS, and WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING were all highlights of their seasons.

Hal Prince has had flops in the double digits.

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 9:54pm

I think Cromer often gets great performances from his actors: the leads in Adding Machine, most of the When the Rain cast, and I heard the Brighton Beach cast was very good.

[April Saul]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 11:34pm

I saw all of those and they all were excellent...then again, I actually like House of Blue Leaves, so what do I know?

[thismyshow]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 1:10am

saw it tonight

thoughts:

jesus i have never seen such extremely unlikeable characters then those played by jennifer and ben in the first act, just seemed mean for no real reason toward edie's characters. except for her, it was like pulling teeth.

It seemed like once all the secondary characters came into the picture it was starting to come together in the 2nd act but hit a weird screeching halt once billy came into the picture.

I thought alison pill and the nuns were really funny the whole chaotic bit in act 2 that energy needed to be in the whole production and it just wasnt.

The set was cool but was it really necessary to stage the set that way i would have been pissed sitting on the right side of the theater and not being able to see the kitchen also the set pulling apart seemed unnecessary, also the ending yikes that was just the cherry on top of a terrible production o.o

and on top of everything else no one came out the stagedoor tonight

all in all a bust of a night

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 11:24am

"all in all a bust of a night"

The play itself is a bust, and has been from the first time it appeared.

Sorry you were subjected to it.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 2:12pm

"The play itself is a bust, and has been from the first time it appeared."

A pox on your house. The '86 production did an excellent job with the play.

[thismyshow]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 2:40pm

^ thats what ive heard.

and shame on stiller considering he was in that production you would think he would know which way this one should have gone

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 3:01pm

It's worth reposting
'86 Production

[Buffyfan51]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 6:57pm

I saw this play Saturday night. I got student rush tickets for it. I thought the show was decent but not great. I felt so bad for Edie Falco's character Bananas. The second act was much better than the first imo.

I also staged doored the play that night. Ben Stiller came out and signed for the people right at the barracade on bothe sides before getting into his car. I was fortunate enough to get an auto and a picture of him. Some of the minor characters came out before him but just left and did not sign. I don't think anyone other than me even noticed.