Marie and Bruce

[jbm2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 1:42am

Whats the buzz on Marie and Bruce? Is it a must see for when I am in town?

[jbm2]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 7:02pm

......or what about Tomorrow Morning at the York?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 7:44pm

I've never seen Marie and Bruce, but I read the play and loved it! Beware of some extremely graphic language, though!

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 8:53pm

There's been a lot of feedback on the ATC board on this...all of it negative. You might want to check it out.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:19pm

I saw one of the first previews Marie and Bruce, I did not care for it at all. Seemed like the actors did the best they could with what they had but IMO, it was a real bore. On the other hand, The Other Place was great, worth a trip if you are in town.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/26/11 at 9:39pm

Yes, isn't The Other Place great? Laurie Metcalf delivers such a powerful performance.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/27/11 at 9:47am

yes April, loved it, she was awesome, as was the story, hit close to home and was pretty much on the money. Well Done, so well done.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/30/11 at 9:44pm

Saw it tonight and I didn't care for it much. The actors did try to make something out of it, but I didn't like the characters (don't know if we were supposed to) and was bored during stretches. It had a weird feel for me, like it was fighting between being hyper-realistic and absurdist and it never quite came together.

Did anyone see the original production in the 70s? Was it a hit? How did audiences respond then, etc?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/30/11 at 11:56pm

I was curious to see this. How was the production? Cool set? Boring? I bought a TDF ticket forever ago, and I just forgot about it.

You would with think with Tomei people would be flocking to it, but I guess not.

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 12:34am

agreed. with Tomei involved.... I am surprised there isnt more buzz.

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 1:47pm

I know this opens tomorrow...
Has anyone seen it?
Is it worth seeing?

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 1:57pm

The few reviews I read for "Tomorrow Morning" were not favorable ones.

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/4/11 at 5:29pm

yeah.....nor great reviews for Tomorrow Morning.
Wondering about Marie and Bruce..
has anyone seen it yet?

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/5/11 at 11:47am

opening tonight...anyone going?
report back!

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/6/11 at 12:56am

anyone see this tonight?
Curious to hear feedback...

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/6/11 at 1:39am

Here's the NYTimes review from Brantley himself, very positive, especially in regards to Tomei, the play and Scott Elliot's production. Quite neat since Tomei is one of my favorite actresses:

As soon as you walk into the Acorn Theater, where “Marie and Bruce” runs through May 7, you will find the title characters fully visible on stage, in a funky bed (those sheets haven’t been changed in ages) that they have made and now must lie in. Not that Marie (Ms. Tomei) intends to stay there much longer. Stirring restlessly, chain-smoking, eyes wide open, Marie lets loose with an expletive-dense ode of hate to her husband, Bruce (Mr. Whaley), who snores by her side.

You are never quite sure how much of this diatribe is heard by Bruce (or even spoken aloud by Marie), but only a man without senses could fail to register its toxic vibes. Ms. Tomei’s Marie exists in a raw state of existential irritation, in which everything anyone does (Bruce in particular) inspires prickles of disgust. While Bruce has a placating manner, Mr. Whaley has endowed him with a defensive whine that is, well, pretty irritating.

This opening scene brings to mind a Strindberg-style exercise in marital disharmony, perfect for an acting class, perhaps, but likely to pall fast. Mr. Shawn wisely releases Marie and Bruce from their claustrophobic apartment and sends them to a party, to demonstrate that Marie’s annihilating vision can easily accommodate the wider world.

Anyone who has seen Mr. Elliott’s productions of the plays of Mike Leigh (or of “Aunt Dan and Lemon”) knows that this director loves a party, especially as a setting for bad behavior. But here he tops himself
Brantley's Review

"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

[jbm2]

Posted: 4/6/11 at 1:53am

yeah...
I just read the posts review...it was equally as positive..
really makes me want to see it.

[aseatontheaisle]

Posted: 4/6/11 at 8:59am

The play itself is banal and boring, a one note composition focusing on the relationship between Bruce (Frank Whaley), a narcissistic,thick-skinned lout and Marie (Marisa Tomei), his dysfunctional, foul mouthed wife. And the play’s unrealized pretensions to existential insights are just plain embarrassing.

Marisa Tomei does as well as might be expected with the role she has been given but the role itself isn’t much. Probably the best performance in the play is that turned in by Frank Whaley as Bruce, who milks his role for all its worth. Similarly, Adam Trese provides a fine performance as Marie’s and Bruce’s friend Frank, their dinner party host. But notwithstanding Tomei’s, Whaley’s and Trese’s performances, the play really wasn’t worth reviving in the first place and you won’t be missing much if you skip it.

I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.