Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan - Page 2

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/16/14 at 11:48pm

I also saw the show tonight and agree with everything broadwaydevil said.

the $27 balcony tickets are a great deal! Perfectly visible stage, without feeling like you're really far away.

If you care about the stage-door situation:
They had the barricades already set up for the people who did NOT see the show, and they waited until everyone was out of the theatre before they set up the other side of the barricade for the people who did see the show. Daniel Radcliffe came out relatively quickly, and signed and even took pictures with everyone. He was very kind and was totally willing to chat with people.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 7:05am

I saw this in London and Radcliffe was the weakest link by far- if it weren't for his movie star status he would never earn this role on his acting merits. In Act 2 there were moments when he broke character and laughed along with the audience (I think it was the yellow mallows scene).

Much as I love M M's writing, I find this one of his slighter works, with less resonance than The Beauty Queen of Leenane or The Pillowman.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 9:22am

While not so gripping as THE PILLOWMAN--after all, this play has a very different tone--I enjoyed the interplay among those very memorable characters. Daniel Radcliffe was effective, but not more so than the excellent ensemble. I must admit, though, that although I got the gist, I found Pat Shortt fairly difficult to understand; his brogue was practically impenetrable. Still, he was very entertaining, as was Sarah Greene as the feisty egg picker. Heck, they all were. The view from the first row of the balcony was perfect and nicely priced at $27. I hope Radcliffe gets physical therapy after every performance. It must be physically painful to maintain his twisted body manipulations over extended scenes.

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 2:28pm

"Much as I love M M's writing, I find this one of his slighter works, with less resonance than The Beauty Queen of Leenane or The Pillowman."

We haven't seen this production yet, we're seeing it end of May. Did see it at the Atlantic 5 years ago and loved it. Pillowman was our first McDonagh and I can honestly say I have never ever seen anything with darker humor than that. Thank goodness his other works are all lighter. I agree that Beauty Queen is a better story than this, heck, I think Lieutenant of Inishmore is better than this, but this is still a great show.

We shall ignore "Behanding".

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 3:00pm

I saw this last night with a friend from Dublin who's read the play many times and lists it as one of her favorites. She noted how Americans were laughing at different times than they would in the UK but really enjoyed the peformance. Overall, I enjoyed the play but noticed how lighthearted it was when the original story seemed pretty sordid. SPOILER: Helen was beautiful in her haggardness but my goodness she was sadistic! Wouldn't want her around when I had a bump on my head. Radcliffe was amazing - I got lost in his character and didn't notice him break character once. I think he should call Norm Lewis' chiropractor after the run - his cripple had a lot in common with Porgy.

We were able to get $37 rush tickets after 6 PM which were extreme side in the first row of mezz. We moved down to front center orchestra at the interval when two people had asked the ushers to move them due to the stage height. I think I got hit with some egg whites.

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 03:00 PM

[mikey2573]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 8:42pm

Isn't this the same theater where WAITING FOR GODOT recently played. One of the things that really stood out about the set for Godot was the extremely raked stage. You usually can't actually SEE or notice a raked stage. But this was very noticeable. Were they doing this because of the height of the stage? I've heard several people complain about it regarding CRIPPLE.

[Sauja]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 11:53pm

Saw this tonight and found it solid if a touch underinspired. The production at the Atlantic a few years back was so perfect and so much more committed to its own darkness. I felt here that some punches were pulled and the tone a bit softened. It's good. And if you missed it at the Atlantic, by all means, see this version. If you've seen it before, this production feels inessential.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/20/14 at 10:55am

I saw this today and really enjoyed the show. It was my first exposure to any of McDonagh's works, and my friend and I found it much funnier than we had thought. If it was not as dark as the Atlantic production, as Sauja says, that's fine with me because I'm shallow and prefer something lighter anyway. As it is, the play did have its sad and troubling passages, so it was hardly a romp.

As I was watching, it occurred to me that this is what Outside Mullingar aspired to be.

My friend and I did have problems at first deciphering the accent, but we did adjust. And, like Whizzer, my favorite characters were the Aunties. The two actresses played off each other so well, it was a joy to see. Daniel Radcliffe was excellent in scenes with the other characters, but I thought in his solo scene he didn't sell it as much as he could have, but that's just a quibble. The entire cast was wonderful, but in addition to the Aunties, I enjoyed Johnnypateenmike's back-and-forth with his 90-year-old mother. What a pair!

We sat in the center mid mezzanine, and the view was very good from there. As others have noted, the revolving set is extremely well done, and the whole production lit very beautifully. The characters seemed to glow at times. I highly recommend catching this production, and I think getting tickets will be a challenge, especially if the reviews are as good as I think they will be. Let's see what tonight brings!

[Kristie-K2]

Posted: 4/20/14 at 12:00pm

Fine Production...I enjoyed the whole cast....The stage door was insane. I had great seat, third row from stage so I didn't need to wait for Daniel Radcliffe to come out of the stage door. Both sides of the street were packed with people.
This play ended my stay in Manhattan....

[flinger072]

Posted: 4/21/14 at 9:52am

@macnyc i would think radcliffe is not supposed to sell his solo scene. i always interpreted the deathbed monologue as billy's failed acting tryout

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/21/14 at 9:54am

That makes sense. I didn't realize at the time that he was auditioning. Thanks for the explanation.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/21/14 at 10:31am

I figured it out when he says later "I practiced it a lot alone in my hotel," or something like that. I really appreciated all the 3 dozen twists towards the end of the play.

This was my first Broadway play (not musical) in a while! I had a great time. I'd also never seen Radcliffe on stage, and that was a treat.

[Wickedmonkey332]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 9:51am

Any word on Saturday matinee stage door???

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 12:00pm

What is the current run time for this, it is not listed on Telecharge? Thanks

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 1:12pm

It runs about 2:15-2:20.

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 3:00pm

Thanks Broadway61004

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 3:38pm

I went to see this, Aladdin, and Of Mice and Men last weekend and Cripple was my absolute favorite. I didn't realize that Radcliffe wasn't going to be on stage that much, but I was actually kind of glad he wasn't. He was great in the show that I saw (although he seemed a little out of it and he also called out the next day). But every single other person in that company was FANTASTIC. The acting was beautiful and the story lines were really great. It was also the first show that I've ever rushed so paying $37 for a ticket and being able to sit in the balcony for the first time and see 98% of the stage was thrilling. My wallet really loved me after that.

[willep]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 4:10pm

Did he really call out? He's never missed a performance before and I know he has spoken about wanting to keep up that streak with this show.

Updated On: 5/8/14 at 04:10 PM

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 4:17pm

I know he was out on Saturday night – didn’t hear if he was out any more than that.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 4:51pm

I heard he has the flu, but I think he only missed Saturday night. He didn't go to Drama Desk press because he is still not feeling well.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 4:52pm

^Yes he called out Saturday night. We went to the Saturday matinee (you can imagine how happy we were to be able to see him!)

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 5:59pm

Wow..I was there Saturday afternoon also..whew, glad he was there. So lucky...

If he was sick, he covered it well with a great performance. (not insinuating he was not sick).

He was so proud he never missed a How to Succeed show...he must have been really ill.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 7:38pm

That's really a shame that he broke his streak! Did anyone here see his understudy? if so, how was he? I'm guessing there was a huge mass of people getting their money back.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 8:00pm

Wife is there tonight ( I am assuming Radcliffe back) , but told me ton of empty seats. Sad.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 5:16am

There were a lot of empty seats last Saturday (afternoon) as well. I was in the balcony so I couldn't see all the way in the back of the orchestra, but mezzanine barely had anyone in it.