THE WAY WE GET BY Off-Broadway Previews

[atuomala]

Posted: 4/29/15 at 12:36am

I went to their first preview over at Second Stage tonight and loved it, especially Amanda Seyfried. Anyone else go?

[LarryD2]

Posted: 4/29/15 at 7:32am

If it's not too much trouble, could you be more specific about what worked for you? I'm interested in seeing this (mainly for the actors), but Labute can be a frustrating writer, so I'm on the fence. Thanks.

[josiahsjosiah]

Posted: 4/29/15 at 7:27pm

I'm curious to hear more too. I really love Sadoski on stage, but LaBute's writing can be laser-sharp or sensationalistic...hoping for the former here.

[alexxmichele]

Posted: 5/2/15 at 5:04pm

I'm curious to hear anyone else's thoughts on this- also interested in seeing it. I like a lot of LaBute's work, but i'm hesitant on this one...

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 5/2/15 at 5:14pm

When Tatiana Maslany left so did my interest in seeing the show. Nothing against Amanda Seyfried but I can't stand Neil LaBute anymore.

[josiahjosiah]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 11:54am

SPOILERS AHEAD

I saw this last night and it was hands down one of the biggest wastes of time I've experienced in a long while. As a longtime overall LaBute fan I was particularly disappointed because what made it so lousy for me was the writing.

 

First the good: Sadoski does not disappoint, and even in early previews he's giving a fine performance. And the dialogue is overall quite naturalistic (with some rough patches here and there with too much effort spent trying to clarify the central problem).

 

Sadly, I feel that Miss Seyfried suffers in comparison to Sadoski and they are clearly not matched in stage skills, although as two lovely young people there is an element of sexual chemistry between them. While I'm sure that her performance will improve, she seems to exhibit nothing that would lead you to believe that she has a very wide range of expression to offer and, thus far, she is not exhibiting anything close to command of the stage, even in emotional moments.

 

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

However, the one thing that I don't think can or will be corrected and/or improved in previews is the central conceipt of this play: We are presented with a young man and woman who have just had a one-night-stand after picking each other up at a wedding. As the play progresses it is revealed that they have known each other for quite some time (although that contradicts some of the early action of the play). In fact, they are brother and sister! (And LaBute probably should have run with that.) But...but..but...they are only step-brother and step-sister, so his dad married her mom and they don't share any genetic material. So the situation presented here is basically this: what if Marcia and Greg Brady hooked-up a few years after they had gotten out of college and started their professional careers? Really!?! I was having a tough time accepting that two non-blood-related adults who had spent a few years in their teens in the same house would be so twisted and conflicted about being attracted to one another and indeed falling in love. The rest of the story was less-than-bad-TV level rom-com pap and cliche. For me a complete letdown from a writer who has been able to provide believable twists and turns that make the audience uncomfortable and intrigued.

The set was simple and lovely. 

 

Updated On: 5/3/15 at 11:54 AM

[ValentineLaMar]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 7:42pm

Regarding your SPOILER...

 

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER

 

A romance between step-siblings is also the premise of LaBute's DirecTV series BILLY & BILLIE, starring Adam Brody and Lisa Joyce.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 10:15pm

I loved Fat Pig. But oof. I'm not sure I can get behind this. Sounds quite silly. 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 10:27pm

Well, this sounds like another miss from LaBute. 

[MorningGlow2]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 10:40pm

I was wondering how to put this but josiah explained it nicely - spot on. I couldn't get behind the characters at all because, well, the story doesn't quite make sense. Judging from the post show conversations I heard on the way out, seems to be the general consensus.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 11:08pm

I might just be me... but I feel as if Second Stage hasn't produced something original in their last few seasons that people really, really enjoyed (ex. Dogfight). Maybe Between Riverside and Crazy... but I don't think people really flocked to see that either. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 11:40pm

Murder for Two was a hit at their uptown space and ended up transferring for a commercial Off-Broadway run at New World Stages.

Sex with Strangers was very well received. It was one of my favorite shows from last season.

But there's no denying that their recent track record hasn't been great. Terrible new musicals like Nobody Loves You and Little Miss Sunshine. Horrible revivals of Lips Together, Teeth Apart and The Substance of Fire.

At Second Stage I find that I really love the show (Chad Deity, Vera Stark) or really hate it ( Blue Flower, All New People).

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/4/15 at 12:14am

I just feel like they haven't been relevant in awhile. To me, it seems like they tend toward the Hollywood or the easy sell like a Zach Braff play - which are terrible. There whole mission is to give shows 2nd Stagings, no? So ... it doesn't quite make any sense. 

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/4/15 at 7:54am

There [sic] whole mission is to give shows 2nd Stagings, no? So ... it doesn't quite make any sense. 

 

Not exactly: "Second Stage Theatre was founded in 1979 to produce 'second stagings' of contemporary American plays that deserved to reach a wider audience. We soon expanded this mission to produce new plays by our developing corps of writers. Over time, our dedication to telling essential American stories in their most exciting forms has come to include genre-bending solo performances, cutting-edge theatrical events, explosive new musicals, and world and New York premieres by America’s most esteemed playwrights."

 

Updated On: 5/4/15 at 07:54 AM