Mary-Louise Parker in HEISENBERG Off-Broadway in May

[PianoMann]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 4:09pm

After last season's Snow Geese, Mary-Louise Parker is leading Heisenberg Off-Broadway for Manhattan Theater Club.

Parker will play a woman who kisses a much older man (Kenneth Welsh) in a London train station. The play will run for six weeks beginning May 19th.

I'm looking forward to seeing Parker on stage again!

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/mary-louise-parker-to-star-in-heisenberg-off-broadway/?_r=0

[LarryD2]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 11:52am

FYI: tickets for this are now on sale to the general public (as of about an hour ago) and it's virtually sold out already. If you want to grab tickets, I'd act fast.

Also, Denis Arndt has replaced Ken Welsh.

[AnarchyinthePreK]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 4:54pm

Is there any chance this could be extended? I really like Simon Stephens but will be in town a few days too late

[PianoMann]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 5:04pm

Damn, I kept meaning to check out the pre-sale that was offered through MTC's 30 Under 30 program, but I forgot and now it looks like it is almost completely sold out! I don't think MTC was offering a discount to members, though, so I don't know if I would have wanted to spend $75 a ticket. It looks like it is going to do very well, sight unseen. Perhaps they're exploring an extension and Ken Welsh didn't want to commit to more than six weeks, hence his swift replacement? One can hope!

[cardamon]

Posted: 5/17/15 at 9:00pm

If anyone was looking for tickets for this, I just noticed they released a few seats for the first three performances.

[followspot]

Posted: 5/17/15 at 9:20pm

Got one!  Thanks, cardamon!

[followspot]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:27am

^ Wow! — and so glad I did!  Engrossing, remarkably dynamic 80-minute two-hander told with nothing more than two tables, two chairs, and knockout performances by Denis Arndt and Mary-Louise Parker.  Loved it.  Although the intimacy of the 150-seat theater would be unfortunate to lose, this deserves a bigger life beyond this six-week run.

Although the run is technically sold out, I overheard the box-office staffer tell people to check daily for subscriber seats opening up at the last minute.  (How I got my ticket.)

 

Updated On: 5/20/15 at 09:27 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:42am

"Parker will play a woman who kisses a much older man in a London train station."

So, a 50 year old woman kisses a 76 year old man? That's the gimmick?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:08am

newintown I haven't seen it yet, but I remember reading it's a stranger/aka a man she doesn't know, not just the fact that he's older.

[newintown]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:50am

I'm sure you're right, I was merely reacting to the (terse) plot summary stated earlier in the thread.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:58am

Haven't seen the play yet (going this weekend), but I assume the press release plot summary is intentionally vague.

A positive report of last night's first preview on ATC is a bit more specific, though still a tad vague. http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=2283988

[rmfc1990]

Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:47pm

It looks like they just released several tickets for Friday if anyone is looking!

[mamaleh]

Posted: 5/21/15 at 2:35pm

Saw the play last night.  Parker does quirky (without being annoying) as well as or better than anyone, and she shines here as an impulsive woman who latches on to an elderly stranger in a London subway station.  Denis Arndt is also very effective as the older Irish butcher who gets entangled in her life.  It's a fast, fun and touching 80 or so minutes.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/21/15 at 3:16pm

Can I do 30 Under 30 at the box office?

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 12:47am

"Parker will play a woman who kisses a much older man in a London train station."

So, a 50 year old woman kisses a 76 year old man? That's the gimmick?

 

Maybe they're also nudging audiences toward making a connection with the other show in which Mary Louise Parker kissed a man in his 70s with dramatic results, "Prelude to a Kiss?"

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 10:05am

There are 12 tickets showing up for tonight. The price is $30. Fees add to that, of course. I think I paid $36 or $37. I'm going tonight and will report back!

[wolfwriter2]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 10:37am

Saw this last night. There were at least 10 empty seats.

This what two good actors (and a good playwright) can accomplish on stage, with minimal costumes/sets. It's hard to discuss specifics without ruining the play. A rudimentary idea of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, although, not necessary, will add additional layers to the work.

Interesting occurrence, last night...

Ms. Parker stopped the show, about 7-8 minutes in. 

There was a high-pitched buzzing noise that could be heard by everyone.

Ms. Parker, threw her purse on a table and said......"you have to turn off your cell phone. We'll wait, while you do and start over." Then she walked offstage and could be heard saying "they have to turn off their g-d cell phones."

I admit, it was annoying in such a small space, but it was there from the outset and was clearly not a cell phone. It was some sort of interference with the listening devices.

They started the show from the beginning and all went smoothly. I'm on the fence, agreeing with what she did and thinking it unprofessional.

Excellent all around. I hope this has a longer life, elsewhere.

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 12:29pm

I'm not a performer, but I imagine that the noise was distracting her and throwing her off. Did the noise stop after that? Maybe someone's cell phone was interfering with the sound system?

[rkinla&ny]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 1:01pm

I was there last evening as well, and despite what the stage staff announced, I can say with 100% certainty that it was a cell phone making noise, as it was the phone of the person right behind me.  He insisted it was not him, even though the noise was clearly coming from his pocket.  The usher finally had to insist to see his phone, and ended up turning it off himself.  The offending phone owner remained rather indignant, insisting that what happened could not happen.

Given the above, my sympathies are with MLP (who is excellent in the show) on this one.

[wolfwriter2]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 3:29pm

I certainly believe you, that it was his cell phone, but there was also a high-pitched buzzing noise that sounded as if it was coming directly from the ceiling, which is what I had heard and it was there, before Ms. Parker stopped the show. It eventually stopped, as well.

My partner and I agree that audiences need to behave better, so we were happy she took them to task, but, then we kept coming back to the question of professionalism. We never settled on a "right" answer.

I'm with you and tending to side with her, due to the size of the space. It was like sitting in my living room and I would love to see it again. MTC did well to produce this gem of a play.

[wolfwriter2]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 3:29pm

double post

Updated On: 5/22/15 at 03:29 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/23/15 at 10:41am

I saw this last night and I'm happy to report that the audience's cell phones were blessedly quiet. The staff did a great job impressing the need to shut off all phones, not just put them on vibrate or airplane mode.

I wish I had prepared myself better about the Heisenberg Principle of Uncertainty before seeing this show. (I mean, if the playwright names the darn thing after the guy, you had better know something about him.)

I had just skimmed through the Wikipedia entry without really digesting it. If you're not familiar with the ins and outs of quantum mechanics, I recommend finding something that explains it for a lay person such as How Stuff Works. I did some reading on this site after the show.

SLIGHT SPOILERS**************** The thing I came away with from a physics standpoint is that even the process of observing these small quantum particles changes them. Observing a particle's position, maybe by shining a light on it, alters the position. I think that the heart of the play is how these two people, a very unlikely twosome, are having an effect on one another. Each of them hasn't been "observed" by another person in a long time. I'm sure others will have a deeper understanding of all this. END SPOILERS****************

Some of the dialogue references the principle obliquely. It would have really helped me to be more prepared going in. As it was, I felt I wasn't getting it. 

The performances were excellent, although I felt Mary-Louise Parker's character crossed the line from quirky to completely annoying. That was hard to take at first, but the character changes over the course of the 90 minutes and we get used to her. Denis Arndt brought a lot of humanity and pathos to his character. As stated before, the set is very simple, consisting of two chairs and two tables, which the actors move around between scenes. I agree with the previous poster who said not to sit on the far sides. If you do, you will be seeing the back of one of the actors' head for long stretches of time. 

ANOTHER SLIGHT SPOILER********** At first I was put off by Parker's character because she's a compulsive liar. You just don't know if she's telling the truth of making it all up to suit her purposes. It takes a while to gradually figure out what's reality and what's fantasy. And even at the end I found myself wondering about a couple of things. I just find it frustrating to have such an unreliable narrator. I guess that's the "uncertainty" part of it! END SPOILER.

 

Updated On: 5/23/15 at 10:41 AM

[Mr Smith]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 7:37am

 

could this be on Broadway

[Tapdance2]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 4:58pm

Saw the Sunday matinee, and it reminded me of Skylight in its perfection, economy of language and pitch perfect performances. Was surprised that this early in previews the show works so seamlessly. Thank you to those who advised going last min to the box office, that's what I did, ticket was $31 and has to be the best theater bargain in NY. If they can't extend it, I'm certain it will be back again soon, this is too good a show to go away

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 1:18am

It's tough to say whether or not that behavior is unprofessional. I mean, you all paid good money to be there and see the show, right? So, I think, as an actor, she wanted to give you the best performance she could give you and that noise was bothering her. I think that's within her right. It's live theater. Just as if someone were talking loudly the whole time, it would distract you, as an actor, and take away from your performance. Especially in such a small space, I imagine it's tough.