Misery - Who is to blame for this?

[k-ron78]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 12:32am

I attended the matinee performance of Misery on January 30. Perhaps this was an anomaly, but there was sustained laughter from the audience at every critical moment in the play.  Moments that were definitely not meant to be funny... I don't want to give away any spoilers.  For a production that bills itself as a thriller, this seems like an epic fail.  I'm not an expert, so my question is "Who's fault is this?"  The director?  The actors?

[jpbran]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 12:45am

This has been talked about before... happened at my performance a couple of months ago too, almost to an annoying level. To me it came off more like an inexperienced audience not used to seeing intense plays, and not knowing how to react. Like seeing a horror movie in the theater and the audience titters and giggles for 5 minutes after each scare. This is NOT to say that Misery is super successful making the audience nervous with shocks and suspense; it only marginally and occasionally succeeded... I really fault the viewers way more than the (somewhat mediocre) play and its creators. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 12:56am

It is a mediocre show but it is largely a dark comedy; there's always an element of that with Stephen King. The laughter is not bad. 

[@z5]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 1:55am

First off, I really like this show a lot and have seen it 2 times. Laurie Metcalfe is absolutely fantastic in it!

 

The first time, there was a lot of laughter, even at the points that weren't necessarily mean too be funny. Of course pope will laugh at a few of the one-lines and whatnot. 

The second time I saw the show, the laughter was a lot lesser than the first, and more gasping and definitely was seemingly more suspenseful in the audience.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 3:47am

Scarywarhol said: "It is a mediocre show but it is largely a dark comedy; there's always an element of that with Stephen King. The laughter is not bad. 

 

"

I have always viewed the film version as a black comedy. I always assumed it was written and  directed that way on purpose. Sure, the suspense is there too, but the comedy lies just under the surface throughout most of the film. The balance is carefully maintained, and I think that is what makes it so much fun to watch. Knowing the play and screenplay are written by the same person, I would hope this intent carried over to the stage.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 4:13pm

You also have to consider that Misery, much like other classic horror films such as Carrie, Rosemary's Baby, and The Exorcist to name a few, has entered a different aspect of pop culture now where it has been the subject of countless parodies. The major events of the plot, such as the hobbling scene, or Annie's tirades ("He didn't get out of the cockadoodie car!" do not come as a surprise and I would guess many people are laughing at certain moments not because of what they are seeing on stage, but because of the parody versions that will flash through their minds while the iconic scenes are playing out in front of them.

[jpbran]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 5:29pm

SPOILERS SORTA INCLUDED:

I get all that, but a LOT of it still seemed like inappropriate/nervous laughter from people who don't know how to behave in public.

When ______ is suddenly shot, the matinee audience didn't gasp or anything. They roared with laughter and cheered, holding up the show for 60-90 seconds laughing and talking. People literally talking in full-voice to each other about it while not just giggling -- guffawing. Was so surreal. Might have just been ****ty timing on my part and other performances are that bad, but it was sooooo odd. 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 5:51pm

^^^^^ I think that's called laughing from the release of nervous tension. It's an involuntary response.

 

I'm sorry the talking was annoying, but it actually suggests the suspense was working in the play and then dissipated suddenly, like poking a pin into a balloon.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 5:52pm

That was not my experience when I saw the show. Sounds strange. 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 6:15pm

I echo the praise of Laurie's performance; she's one of the most committed actors I've ever seen. She, sadly, couldn't save the show. That said, I truly didn't hate it until the sorry excuse for the final scuffle. How a director could look at that and say it's stage-ready is beyond me.

[jpbran]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 6:34pm

GavestonPS said: "^^^^^ I think that's called laughing from the release of nervous tension. It's an involuntary response."

I'm obviously not getting this across adequately...haha... I DO get the concept of tension response/release. But this was people talking & laughing w/ the rows behind them, chatting full-voice to people in the same row but 3-4 seats away. And think how long a minute+ actually is: it seemed to go on for just a ridiculous amount of time. I think grown-ass adults should be able to compose themselves a BIT faster than that. Still blaming it on the crowd being largely made up of folks not used to seeing live theater -- or things outside their own living room bubble. 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 6:49pm

^^^^^ That does sound extreme, jp. A brief, spontaneous comment to the person beside you is one thing; a minute-long conversation with the row behind you is another.

[That Groovy Guy]

Posted: 2/8/16 at 12:22am

Saw the show today.  I agree that Laurie Metcalf was great.  I very much disagree with blaming the audience for laughing.  Annie is such an over the top character that the Paul Sheldon character has to balance that out.  Unfortunately Bruce Willis was flat flat flat.  The only tension was when people saw Paul tied to the bed and knew what was coming.  To be honest I don't think I've ever been to a comedy that got this much laughter and today too the audience roared with laughter at the gunshot when they should have been shocked. That part should have been staged differently to be effective.  I would be more likely to place the blame on the director and Bruce Willis for the show not working as it should.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/8/16 at 9:55am

It's a symptom of group think and discomfort.

the audience, when I saw the show, gasped in horror and some yelled when the gunshot came, but that was soon replaced by roaring laughter as a response to their being shocked...

 

Updated On: 2/8/16 at 09:55 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/8/16 at 10:30am

Aside from Misery's shortcomings, Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando used to be disheartened by the nightly audible laughter during the rape scene in the original production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

This is nothing new. Some audience members can't process a mature reaction to violence on stage, happening right in front of them. So they giggle and titter and laugh.

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/8/16 at 12:08pm

It's the tickle phenomenon. People laugh when tickled because the body and mind are attempting to process conflicting signals: a violent physical assault in which harm is neither meant nor done. Onstage, as opposed to a highly edited film, people attempt to process "this is an act of violence unfolding in my line of sight" and "this is not real" at once, differently than in a book or film with their layers of disconnect.