There was a merch stand, and I didn't stop to see what they had, but it would totally be in accordance with the show to have your hand towel and lube suggestion there.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Here's my question. Did anyone...and I mean ANYONE...think that a comedy about the porn industry would be After Eight's cuppa tay (sometimes I like to speak Eliza Doolittle for funs).
So why, oh why, would someone choose to go see a show about a subject which would offend their sensibilities?
I mean...she can't even take when I say sh*t or c*nt. Even with the *.
"You didn't find the jokes about Graynor making fun of the Queen of England taking a sh!t funny? Or when she admitted she lied about the broken toliet, and how she drank 8 glasses of orange juice so she could pee in front of her, and she didn't even like orange juice! OR when she admitted to liking the remake of Freaky Friday so much more the "sh!tty original?""
Whizzer, I haven't seen this and don't know if I will, but judging by these "jokes" and my general respect for your opinion, I can only conclude that Graynor must be a genius to make this material so amusing.
henrik- Well those jokes admittedly aren't one liners that come off well out of context, but in the context of the scene it was comedy gold for Graynor. I was referencing more for the sake of After Eight to see if he could deny the hilarity of that specific scene, which I think was the one truly brilliant scene because of Graynor's wild performance.
I think I'm going to be making a return trip this weekend. Shows this jaw-dropping don't come around often enough, and I want to take Graynor out for drinks afterward (with Growl and After Eight if they're game).
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
"I suppose I'll see it if it's still around when I'm in next, just for Henry, who I've worked with and whose appearance in this is amusing on some level, considering at one time he turned down a role in what was then a REALLY raunchy film. :)"
Saw it last night and thought it was extremely funny and entertaining. Is a revolutionary new play? No but it doesn't need to be. I just want to sit there for 90-100 mins and laugh.
I agree that the women steal the show especially Ari Graynor with her explanation of Freaky Friday which I think got the most laughs from the audience. My one issue with the cast (and I'm sure I'll get raked over the coals for this) is that Daniel Breaker comes across too gay in the role. During the opening scene I thought he was gay until he started talking about getting engaged.
The set was really great and I loved the transition between the two hotel rooms.
I must say that I would have ended the show with them all sitting on the bed rather than acting out that one scene.
For people who asked about merch, all they currently have are posters.
"Pardon my prior Mcfee slip. I know how to spell her name. I just don't know how to type it." -Talulah
Lights come up on an almost naked Cheyenne Jackson in the first scene, standing there buff, tattooed, pecs pumped, wearing a little suede bathing suit, which he soon takes off to reveal his 'SuperMan' briefs.... and yep, they're brief!!! I mean, come on... come on.... what more do you need?
When someone from the box office told me they had been selling lots of tickets to single men who wanted to sit up front, I suggested they pass out a kleenex with every ticket purchased.
Reminds me of a night at New World Stages years ago when EVIL DEAD was playing and the first three rows were sold as the 'Splatter Zone' since audience members might get covered with blood from the stage. A man came to the box office window, having just seen EVIL DEAD and wanted a ticket to the later performance of NAKED BOYS SINGING, playing in the same venue. But before buying the ticket, the man asked if he might be able to sit in the 'Splatter Zone.'
Guess what I'm trying to say is... whatever gets 'em into the theatre... all good. Some is art and some ain't.
The number of people who will not see a show they don't want to see... is unlimited.
Oscar Hammerstein
I gave my free tickets to this away tonight so I could see the screening of HALLOWEEN at AMC. I'm sad to miss it tonight but I'll catch it this weekend or next week.
My feeling is that the show has some wonderful and hilarious moments but is altogether uneven. I think that it's quite possible the show, with some small rewrites and tweaks in previews, becomes a lot stronger before opening. I think chances are, critics will be mixed, partly because of the raunchiness of the subject matter.
Ari Graynor - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I've never seen her before, but MY GOD, I'm obsessed with her. She manages to give an extremely nuanced comedic performance of this shallow and stupid pornstar. She ALONE is worth the price of the ticket. So. friggin. good.
Cheyenne. I really liked his performance a lot. He has great comedic timing and actually manages to put some heart into this role. Also, he's beautiful.
The sets were also great.
The PLAY - I think the play has some hilarious lines and funny situations. BUT there are plenty of lines that aren't really funny and definitely a couple of groaners. Beyond the comedy, there are a few awkward scenes where the play tried to get a bit 'deeper' and it sort of misses. Specifically, the second scene, in which the Alicia Silverstone character has to make a huge 180 degree turn and decide to try and 'get back' at the boyfriend she was madly in love with 5 minutes earlier. I had a hard time trying to decide whether the scene was poorly written or if it's just the actress.
Random note: I'm not like trying to put in a good word for pornstars...but one aspect of the show that didn't sit well with me was that every single one of the pornstar characters (all but two of the roles) are portrayed as stupid and shallow. Some more so than others, but a little more variety would have been nice. I'm sure ALL pornstars aren't so stupid... :)
Speaking of Alicia Silverstone, I would say she's probably the weakest link. The character is written as someone who's prim and proper (sexually) who decided to go on a sex spree to get back her husband. She's obviously more comfortable in the latter role, and I don't believe her as the goody-goody girl. She is given several funny lines, but, in comparison to Ari Graynor, she doesn't really land them as well (except for the aformentioned "get me coffee, bitch" which sorta stopped the show).
Someone else mentioned Daniel Breaker as weak, and I don't think he's amazing in the role, but it's not that great of a role and I think he does the best with it. So much of the comedy is given to the other characters that he ends up getting the short end of the stick in a sense.
Again, I did like quite a bit of it, and the writer seems to be competent enough to make some real solid changes during previews, so I think it has the potential to be a stellar show, just cutting some not-so-funny jokes and working on some of the more dramatic parts of scenes, mostly between Daniel Breaker and Alicia Silverstone.
I saw the show tonight and definitely laughed hard, but not consistently, and not for 90 minutes straight. It's uneven and definitely nothing revelatory, but it certainly isn't aiming to be. It's dumb fluff and I enjoyed it for what it was. The cast is wonderful; yes Graynor is hilarious, but Jenni Barber is just as great! She reminded me a lot of Annaleigh Ashford, in a good way. The audience seemed to enjoy it (even though a lot of the theater was papered). I think this will definitely get a lot better and more fun as the preview period goes on; Winkler seems a bit stiff and a few of the actors had trouble landing jokes/stumbled on a couple of lines. I didn't love it as much as Whizzer, but I was definitely entertained. There are more than a few good, hearty laughs to be had over at the Longacre.
It definitely fits the bill as far as shows about porn stars go. It's not Chekhov. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel. Grab a few drinks beforehand and go have fun!
Eric, yes, Henry was the first person we went to because Cindy Williams was going out with him at the time (briefly). He came to my house, heard the songs, loved the idea of it, but there was no way he could say yes - the Fonz was just too popular and it would have really hurt him - we all knew that but we tried anyway.