Any word on HAND TO GOD? - Page 2

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 3/19/14 at 11:31pm

I saw it this past weekend and Sauja summed up a lot of what I felt. I was surprised of the depth at parts, but in the end, the fact that it's a really well executed dark comedy wins.

Boyer us amazing, but I enjoyed the entire cast, with Carr and Stiles sticking out as well. It was great to see Sarah Stiles in her element. She's such a great young comedic actress and I think she has tons of potential (still).

If you get a chance to catch it, it makes for a great evening.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/20/14 at 1:01am

I think it's too big for the Barrow St.

So I bought a ticket awhile back for this on Tuesday. Stupid me, but I forgot it starts at 7pm. Walk to the theater at like 7:50 to find that it's at intermission. So I saw the set design, but nothing else. Bummer.

I hope it transfers.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 3/20/14 at 2:41am

Oh, no!

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 3:53am

It's not too big for Barrow St. It played fine at EST, which is smaller than Barrow St.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 10:41am

In a situation like this, where a show started small at Ensemble and then moves up, does Ensemble have any skin (financial or at least bragging) in the game? I'm surprised that they aren't at least touting the fact that a show they produced first has moved to a larger house and is doing well.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 11:17am

Well, EST doesn't have rights to the script, of course. And this isn't a true remounting of the EST production, despite sharing the director and lead actors. They may be wanting to distance themselves from the new production, as it's not theirs anymore, despite having debuted it.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 11:54am

Interesting, thanks for the knowledge.

I'd figure it would be a feather in their cap that something they nurtured has done so well.

I'm sure this has been discussed endlessly, but I wonder if there is a business model where a theater produces plays and gets a small piece of future revenues if it succeeds

[Kad]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 11:58am

There are companies dedicated solely to development (like Sundance Theatre Institute or New York Stage & Film) that manage to get a little piece of the pie.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/21/14 at 1:06pm

EST does not have "rights" in the script but most likely has subsidiary rights. However, it is quite normal that they do not get anything from a NFP production which, of course, the MCC one is. My sense is that EST has "touted" the show quite a bit, but they naturally are focused on their own work right now.

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:50pm

What a great way to end my theater going weekend. Phenomenal from top to bottom, funny, provocative, raw, dark, honest. Steven Boyer is at the top of his game (seriously i've seen him four times now and he amazes me every time), one of the best performances of the season, Geneva Carr is hysterical, Sarah Stiles is wonderful, Marc Kudisch is hilarious and Michael Oberholtzer is a total asshole.... and a good one at that lol
Robert Askins is one to watch, his writing is sharp and delectable, I could have watched this play all night.
It would be a sin for this not to transfer especially considering it was suppose to go to broadway last year (after three sold out runs at EST). I highly suggest MCC take advantage of their relationship with MTC and get this to midtown ASAP!
(5/5)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 7:52am

Finally saw Hand To God this weekend and I have to agree with much that has already been said. I truly loved it. Horror may just be the hardest genre to pull off on stage, and this provides true terror with gut-busting laughs.

Steven Boyer was SO good. It was like there were two different actors up there. Tyrone needs to get his own tv show, or maybe a call in program on late night radio. He was so deliciously created.

The writing is deft, making the whole thing feel like 20 minutes. Robert Askins is on my radar now and, like Annie Baker, will be one to keep an eye on.

Hope it transfer somewhere; I heartily welcome the opportunity to see it again!

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 10:55am

Wow, I want to see this so badly! Even tried to sign up for a membership, but too late for that and the tickets are really expensive now. Anybody have a code or suggestion...or know if it's going to ultimately transfer?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 11:50am

Maybe they could transfer this to a Broadway house in rep with The Flick and Mr. Burns? You could buy a subscription for all three as like a best of off-Broadway on Broadway deal.

It really gets a bit ridiculous when these off-Broadway houses start charging $125 for "premium" seating in the Lortel or PH.

Updated On: 3/24/14 at 11:50 AM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:30pm

^ This.

I'm interested in seeing THE MYSTERIES at the Flea, but at some performances (the ones I could attend) all that's left are $125 "VIP seats."

$125! For a show at THE FLEA!

Come the eff on.

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:39pm

I'm bothered by high Off Broadway prices as much as anyone, but I find them understandable. If a theater company finds itself with a big hit on its hands, why not try to maximize that? It probably doesn't happen all that often. I'm sure most theater companies are in a constant struggle to keep the lights on.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:49pm

Ticket pricing is a game. People complained on here that If/Then was charging $135 despite it having book problems to work out, but there were discount codes for a majority of seats in the house. Many shows offer a discount code if you buy a ticket for a show before previews begin, so you're rolling the dice.

Of course, growl, in your example, they aren't charging $125 for tickets. You just waited until other people had already purchased the cheaper tickets and all that is left is VIP. So, had you booked earlier you could have gone cheaper. That isn't a high price issue, but a booking late issue. And, for a show with buzz, the VIP seats are expressly there for that reason... so you could attend without planning ahead. If the tickets were much cheaper, and the show got buzz, people might grab them and pop them on StubHub for more.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:51pm

These off-Broadway houses seem to operate at one of two extremes: either the show is a sold-out critical hit at $99-$125 or it's a play-by-play-can't-give-'em-away disaster.

I understand them needing to charge more for the hits to balance the flops, but maybe what these companies need are more subsidies from private or government sources to keep afloat and offer reasonably priced tickets. The Signature seems to do the best job in regards to this.

I don't like to subscribe to places because I prefer the freedom of an open schedule, but it looks like that might be the only affordable route to see these shows in the future.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:02pm

Honestly, my appetite for these things is too great and I usually usher at the Lortel, but forgot to sign up for this one! So there's always that route...I did wind up joining Atlantic this season so as not to miss "The Night Alive" but I'm with Whizzer, in terms of keeping a schedule open. I tend to avoid the subscriptions where I've prepaid to see a bunch of things, then wind up holding tickets to shows I know I don't want to see :-p

I may yet have to break down and pay a ridiculous price for this one, though!

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:14pm

“Of course, growl, in your example, they aren't charging $125 for tickets.”

Oh, wait. You’re right. They’re not.
Oh, wait. Let me check again. Yes, they are.

Are you deliberately misunderstanding me? I didn’t say that all of the tickets are $125. They are charging $125 for tickets.

I didn’t know about this show until last week, but that’s neither here nor there. No matter how it got on my radar, yes, now that I’m aware of it, the cheaper tickets are gone. It sucks to be me. If they can charge and get people to pay $125 for “VIP” seating, then bully for them.

My opinion is that, marketplace mechanics aside, that particular price at this particular theater is silly… by at least $25 or $30 per seat.

I might still buy them, though.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:17pm

"I tend to avoid the subscriptions where I've prepaid to see a bunch of things, then wind up holding tickets to shows I know I don't want to see :-p"

If you run the numbers, this usually works in your favor. If you look at the cost of buying 6 tickets in advance, and not wanting to see one of the shows, those 5 shows are still cheaper than if you bought the 5 tickets you wanted as a non-member.

Mentally, it is sometimes difficult to have a ticket in your hand to a show, and not attend, but you still come out ahead. If you go past one show, then the math doesn't work, so it has to be a place where you have some faith in the quality of the work with only the occasional miss.

Sometimes, if I'm not sure about a prepaid show, I'll book the Sunday matinee. That way, if the show is bad, the elderly crowd will be amusing in their hostility towards the material. I enjoyed Mr. Burns at PH, but I didn't know how much I would... but the intermission chatter from the seniors was a show unto itself. Even better, they may bitch and complain, but they almost NEVER leave.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:22pm

"Are you deliberately misunderstanding me?"

No, I meant to type they weren't charging $125 for every ticket, just that that is the only ticket price left since the cheaper tickets are already purchased.

That's a lot of histrionics for a missing word, given that the context seemed to make my point clear, as you were subsequently able to respond to it.

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 4:52am

anyone know why the havent opened up the mezz in the lortel? the only show in like the last four years i can remember them opening the mezz for was Carrie.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 7:23am

Because it is a joke, not a mezzanine. They figured Carrie was going to be a must-not-miss event with show queens banging down the doors. The mezzanine level at the Lortel is offensively bad and unless you sit in the first row, you legitimately can not see a thing. It should be a tech / spot booth and storage.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 8:55am

That mezzanine is just awful, seats are not staggered and the rake does not allow you to see over the person sitting in front of you. IMO, anything behind Row A should be sold as partial view.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/25/14 at 12:29pm

Closing the mezz is economics-considering the quality/likely price/saleability against the additional costs, it is a losing proposition.