BETRAYAL Begins Previews Tonight- Page 3

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 4:02pm

Thanks for the info DeNada. I adored Ian Rickson's Seagull with KST a few seasons back. It might even be my favorite production of that play I've ever seen. Would have loved to see their take on Betrayal. (I was obsessed with The Norman Conquests so Ben Miles would have been a draw for me too.)

I don't see Emma as being cold either, and Weisz didn't play her as such. It was Robert who was distant and cool towards her, making the affair seem all the more justifiable and understandable.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 4:37pm

I love love Ben Miles. I was slightly obsessed with Norman as well and spend the entire time (every time I saw it) thinking "Why doesn't she like Tom? He may be a boring vet, but dang is he hot. Hit it, girl!"

[curtain_call]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 5:03pm

Hmmmmmmmm. Not getting a tremendous amount of positive feedback. Feels very luke warm. What were some of the highlights? Did any actor stand out from the rest? How was the music? The scenery? The costumes?

Was there anything that wowed you—or at least impressed you?

[vegas2]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 5:06pm

I agree with AC126748. While I'm sure that Craig fans are driving lots of ticket sales, this production also appeals to lots of serious theatre folks. I'm not a Craig fan at all (whether on screen or on stage), and had no interest whatsoever in seeing Steady Rain. Frankly I would be more excited about Betrayal if Craig's role were played by one of my favorite stage actors. Even so, on paper this production looks amazing, and that's why I jumped on tickets from day one. I hope not to be disappointed, but of course You Never Can Tell.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 5:16pm

>Hmmmmmmmm. Not getting a tremendous amount of positive feedback. Feels very luke warm. What were some of the highlights? Did any actor stand out from the rest? How was the music? The scenery? The costumes? Was there anything that wowed you—or at least impressed you?<

Whizzer answers most of your questions on page one of this thread.

[curtain_call]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 5:24pm

Sorry, missed that on the first page. Nice recap....does anyone else have anything to add?

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 11:15pm

someone else brought this up but is there any merch? and has anyone been by the stagedoor yet?

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 11:16pm

"But if someone is going for the sole purpose of seeing a movie star on stage, then he probably doesn't care much about the proceedings, and should be happy to be able to say he saw a movie star on stage."

Dr. Intellectual,

For a doctor you're certainly obtuse. Yes indeed they will care about the vehicle their star is in, and be dissatisfied if their star is not in a starring part in a worthy play that allows him to display his talents to full advantage. They will feel gypped and dissatisfied, just as they felt with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Baby Want a Kiss, Ingrid Bergman in More Stately Mansions, Katharine Hepburn in A Matter of Gravity, Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain,
Craig and Jackman in A Steady Rain, etc.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 11:20pm

Hasn't After Eight learned he can't speak for any other audience member except himself...? I mean, really... Updated On: 10/2/13 at 11:20 PM

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/2/13 at 11:29pm

"Here we have a play by a Nobel laureate. Directed by one of the most respected and beloved artists of theatre and film alive. Starring three well-known, well-respected actors, including an Oscar winner.

People are seeing the show for any number of reasons. Not everyone is as simple as you."

Yeah, the same number of people who flocked in droves to see the the same Nobel laureate's The Homecoming with the amazing Raul Esparza, and made that a near sellout for its entire run before its first performance.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 12:15am

Let's call a spade a spade here- Craig is absolutely the main draw for this production's ticket buyers.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 12:19am

Of course he is. And those complaining about that need to really just shut up. Patti LuPone was the main draw for the last GYPSY revival. Where was AfterEight's outrage over that? Or his "outrage" with Bernadette Peters in FOLLIES? And I certainly hope he gets his Hello Kitty panties in a bunch over Zachary Levi being in FIRST DATE, because Lord knows people aren't flocking to that one to see anyone else.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 9:14am

"Craig is absolutely the main draw for this production's ticket buyers."

I mostly agree with you, but I feel there is a heavy portion of the buying audience who are going to see Craig and Weisz perform together.

[curtain_call]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 2:09pm

Sounds like this play is solid...professional...and workmanlike. Good, perhaps even very good, but not dazzling. Still looking forward to seeing it, but was hoping for some glowing reviews.

[The Glenbuck Laird]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 4:33pm

"Here we have a play by a Nobel laureate. Directed by one of the most respected and beloved artists of theatre and film alive. Starring three well-known, well-respected actors, including an Oscar winner.

People are seeing the show for any number of reasons. Not everyone is as simple as you."

Didn't need the simple bit eh After Eight. I love this play, listen to it maybe once a month. I like the text, it really works told backwards. It's just Pinteresque I guess.

I was quite aghast at your original post but I do also realise everyone has different tastes and that this production wasn't to your taste.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 10:02pm

If you buy a play ticket because someone famous is in the cast, without knowing their role/the play/how they are in the show, then you've already lost your right to complain. You wanted to see someone on stage, and they were on stage, mission accomplished.

Not to be an idealist, but maybe Craig had some personal reason for wanting to do the show, always wanted to play that part, wanted to take a project that doesn't have him away from his wife, etc. There are a number of reasons he might do it, but I don't think he has any reason to be concerned that his fans might pay money to see the show and not like it. I like him as an actor, but I was waiting to hear if the show was any good before getting a ticket. I'm still on the fence. But, if I bought a ticket expressly to see him, not knowing the show or his amount of stage time, that would be my issue, not his.

I thought Bette's show was overpriced and all the good seats were premium, so I did standing room twice. I don't blame Bette for my opinion of an appropriate ticket price, or that she just sat there.

If anything, people who are only going to see someone famous have come in with such a low bar, it is incredibly likely it will be met every time.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:10pm

After Eight's posts should be read, then politely ignored. Or just ignored. That's the important part.

Signed, Dr Intellectual

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:40pm

^
All you need (or needed) to do is use the ignore feature.

One doesn't need a doctorate to figure that out.

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 11:47pm

"I don't think he has any reason to be concerned that his fans might pay money to see the show and not like it."

He most certainly does. That is, if he continues to want fans, and by extension, a career.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 12:48am

Yeah, this is definitely gonna make or break his career.

Just like Julia Roberts lost all of her fans and her career went to sh*t after THREE DAYS OF RAIN.

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 9:24am

"If you buy a play ticket because someone famous is in the cast, without knowing their role/the play/how they are in the show, then you've already lost your right to complain. You wanted to see someone on stage, and they were on stage, mission accomplished. "

What? You say you didn't like Mr. Burns, Bad Jews, Belleville, Fun Home? Well, you wanted to see Mr. Burns, Bad Jews, Belleville, and Fun Home on stage, and there they were on stage. Mission accomplished. You've lost your right to complain.

Jeff, in your oasis, both logic and common sense seem to have flown out the window. That is, if your oasis has any windows. It seems more like a vast wasteland to me. Perhaps you should change your name accordingly.


Updated On: 10/4/13 at 09:24 AM

[The Glenbuck Laird]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 11:16am

"If you buy a play ticket because someone famous is in the cast, without knowing their role/the play/how they are in the show, then you've already lost your right to complain. You wanted to see someone on stage, and they were on stage, mission accomplished. "

Not sure I agree with that Jeff. You may be drawn to the play initially because of a star name but does that automatically rule out any need to want to educate yourself further or maybe explore the work of a playwright that you have liked before. Many reasons to see a play.

[wonkit]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 11:42am

My 2 cents on this: Craig plays larger than life characters on screen. He certainly would not have chosen a Pinter play if he was looking for "dazzling." He may want the opportunity to do a part that is as different as possible from his screen roles, and it is always an interesting experience to do live theater with one's spouse. I think Pinter is a very hard sell without a "draw" and sometimes even with one. Let's at least give the man some credit for taking his Broadway roles seriously as roles, and not just as vehicles.

[curtain_call]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 1:25pm

Getting back on topic....

We've had a few days of previews now. Anyone else have any opinions or insights they can share?

Thanks.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 2:12pm

"What? You say you didn't like Mr. Burns, Bad Jews, Belleville, Fun Home? Well, you wanted to see Mr. Burns, Bad Jews, Belleville, and Fun Home on stage, and there they were on stage. Mission accomplished. You've lost your right to complain.

Jeff, in your oasis, both logic and common sense seem to have flown out the window."

You are conflating my example of buying a ticket solely because a star is in it, without doing any research on the show, their role, etc., with an entire show and the mere notion that the show was performed means you can't complain. That's quite a leap.

In some ways, though, it is the same. If you just buy a ticket without knowing what you are going to, if it's any good, etc., then sure, you're rolling the dice. If you buy a ticket to Soul Doctor sight unseen, is your criticism that you didn't want to see a show about some singing rabbi in the 60s valid? Not really.

Put another way, I guess you're right to complain lives at the level of investment you put into the show: If you bought a ticket solely because of Daniel Craig, you can say he wasn't good in the show, you wanted to see more of him, etc., but it would seem odd to then say "and the show was boring..." or you didn't like the subject matter, it wasn't a musical, and numerous things you could have figured out in advance. It's not a new show, so the basic info is readily available.

That said, people who go to see a show because of a celebrity typically love it, since they already planned to love it in advance (e.g. "I'll Eat You Last"). Most people who were iffy on Lucky Guy still enjoyed seeing Tom Hanks.