Dave Malloy's Moby Dick at A.R.T.- Page 2

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 11/6/19 at 12:08pm

It received a reading at The Public a few months ago. Perhaps that's where it'll end up.

[Browneyes142]

Posted: 11/7/19 at 5:59pm

I am so glad I saw this thread. I had wanted to get tickets but they weren't available when I first looked I hadn't realized it was that time yet. I was able to snag a $25 ticket for January 5th. There were only two seats at that price, everything else was $95 I think, there might have been some $80 ones. But the other $25 one was a partial view. I am so excited.

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 11/15/19 at 4:44pm

Finally got my seat assignment - looks like I'm in BB-5, in the wet deck section of the Port side. Doesn't seem to be partial or obstructed view. Not too shabby for $25.

[jonah3500]

Posted: 11/15/19 at 4:58pm

And my member tix are the last row of the Port side... Thanks A R T!

[schubox]

Posted: 11/15/19 at 5:13pm

jonah3500 said: "And my member tix are the last row of the Port side... Thanks A R T!"

I’m a member too and paid the highest tier of tickets, didn’t love my location either 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/15/19 at 8:57pm

Why are you assuming they are bad seats? If i remember correctly, port and starboard sides are only 5 or so rows deep. Im confident that Chavkin's direction  and staging will be top notch....being fully aware of the sides

Updated On: 11/15/19 at 08:57 PM

[jonah3500]

Posted: 11/15/19 at 9:42pm

dramamama611 said: "Why are you assuming they are bad seats? If i remember correctly, port and starboard sides are only 5 or so rows deep. Im confident that Chavkin's direction and staging will be top notch....being fully aware of the sides"

I know that Chavkin's work is going to be mindful of the sides, but I'm just surprised that the top price gives you last row on the side.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/16/19 at 2:25am

But last row is only like 5 rows back, so not far at all. Not everyone can be in the first row.

I hope you will be pleasantly suprised. Im going very early in the run and will try to get a sense of those seats for you.

[3GamesToLove]

Posted: 11/16/19 at 8:29am

I became a member solely for tickets for this show (travelling from Illinois) and got tickets as soon as they were available to members and opted for the highest price range......and got row J, center, on the aisle. I had hoped I'd be a little closer and/or immersive but it looks to be a pretty intimate house made all the more intimate by the staging, and just seeing it will be wonderful. Crossing every body part possible that there isn't some sort of blizzard in Chicago or Boston or in between for the weekend of January 4th...

[Benjamin Hao]

Posted: 12/2/19 at 7:16pm

Could someone seeing the show in the next few days report back with how obstructed the restricted/partial view seats are? Many thanks!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/2/19 at 7:29pm

I'll be there Friday, and will try to get an idea - I'm not sitting there, but will try my best!

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 12/3/19 at 10:09pm

Previews have begun! Any reports are greatly appreciated

[AndreyIsntHere]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 12:26am

Is there still a splash zone? What's that like?

Also, was there any chance to stage door afterwards? I have a letter for the cast that i'd like to give to them!!

[schubox]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 1:10am

There are several fairly lengthy and detailed reviews on reddit in the r/broadway sub

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 4:08am

Idk how Redit works. Can you link it? Sorry for my ignorance

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 6:09am

AndreyIsntHere said: "Is there still a splash zone? What's that like?

Also, was there any chance to stage door afterwards? I have a letter for the cast that i'd like to give to them!!"

Stage door at  the ART is easy peasy....its the area to the lef of the box office (while facing it) .

[ForB4]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 8:41am

Here's the main thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/e5qij2/first_preview_of_moby_dick_ill_gladly_answer_any/

Here's a review by /u/MedusasHairGel but I would recommend checking out the the whole thread

In any case and in no order:

- It was a challenging and daring piece of theater. I did not see Great Comet so I can’t compare, but it’s a massive departure from Hadestown and I caught very little overlap in Rachel’s direction from that show to this one besides some powerful lighting and staging.

- Dave Malloy is a mad genius. He’s clearly a brilliant songwriter and there is plenty of ear candy stylistically that there’s an incredible show in here. I thought the first two acts had the highlights musically and the ballads dragged a bit (especially in the latter acts 3 and 4)

- For me the company numbers were better than the solos, apart from a few highlights in Part 1.

- Ishmael was a brilliantly written character and wonderfully performed.

- Ahab did very little for me. The script didn’t really do much to suggest more than one-dimensionality for his character when he deserved an arc given the seriousness of his character as a foil.

- There are too many side characters and they get lost. Queequeg has a brilliant intro and then fizzles. Same with the mystic Parsi harpoonist. I imagine Malloy couldn’t help himself in his writing but it felt like he threw a lot of stuff out to see what would stick.

- I understand why Part 3 exists, but I’m not sure if they needed 45 minutes to tell it or if that plot line could be condensed to a song and a reprise and a few lines in the script.

- The show is overtly political at points and at times it adds to the dimensionality of the show and sometimes it detracts.

- On that note, perhaps Moby Dick as a books best quality is that it’s a multi-dimensional allegory. By that I mean, it is a story about whaling within a story about nature/environmentalism within a story about how man relates to religion/god within a story about man and his mind. Dave Malloy writes that dimensionality into the script but it brings it right to 2019 and the show becomes a very meta critique of itself — venturing almost into the territory of commenting on the nature of life itself. The metaphors are palpable to be sure, but the writing isn’t tight. Yet.

- On that note, the plot is lacking threads tied nicely or pulled throughout. It jumps. A lot. All the pieces are there but it needs some major editing. My guess is from open to close we’ll see a lot of editing, particularly in parts 3 and 4. I thought Part 4 was the weakest writing when in many ways it needed to be the strongest.

- Broadway level voices in the show and great melodic lines. Nothing memorable that stuck out at first listen but in time maybe they could reestablish some themes in a reprise? Does Malloy even write reprises?! In any case, the sound design was disappointing as mics often came in late. Hopefully they fix that in a couple shows.

- Overall its a show in progress to be sure, but with tons of raw ingredients ready to be worked and polished. I watched Rachel at times and she looked pleased in the first half but the seconds darkness did a lot of the audience in and she seemed to take note of that.

Should you go? I think if you like seeing theater as it’s in progress, like hearing broadway level talent, and get a kick out of seeing something before it gets huge then this is a great ticket! That being said, it’s far from polished and will go through a lot of iterations before it reaches Broadway. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t, but, I can’t think of anything on Broadway that is, at times, difficult to digest.

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 9:28am

AndreyIsntHere said: "Is there still a splash zone? What's that like?

Also, was there any chance to stage door afterwards? I have a letter for the cast that i'd like to give to them!!"

i sat in the "splash zone" on the port first preview last night, but we never got splashed. also, i would prefer sitting in rows A-M (?) off of the Pequod as i doubt the view is as limited as being on it. being close up to the action is great though being able to see all of it (especially projections and lighting effects. also! i was on the stage for all of part two and it was very fun. we were given rain ponchos, got pushed around in boats,ate fried whale  (falafel), and squeezed whale sperm with the cast. no stage door last night as they were having a meeting after, but i guarantee there will be one later in the run.

 

i can also agree that part 3 was a hot mess - not surprising as at dress on sunday they did not have it ready. so last night first preview was the first time they ever performed part 3 in front of a live audience. many of the orchestrations did mimic back to comet though which was nice - you can def tell malloy composed it

[Kad]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 10:08am

Out of curiosity, what's the runtime? When I arranged my ticket, I was specifically told it was it was lengthy. 

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 10:11am

the box office at the theatre says 3 hours 35 mins and that's what it was last night - though their site now says 3 hours and 30 mins. i'm sure it's a tentative run time as they make changes ! (: def length though but does not feel like over 3 hours.

[Ledaero]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 11:39am

i sat in the "splash zone" on the portfirst preview last night, but we never got splashed. also, i would prefer sitting in rows A-M (?) off of the Pequod as i doubt the view is as limited as being on it. being close up to the action is great though being able to see all of it (especially projections and lightingeffects. also! i was on the stage for all of part two and it was very fun. we were given rain ponchos, got pushed around in boats,ate fried whale(falafel), and squeezed whale sperm with the cast. no stage door last night as they were having a meeting after, but i guarantee there will be one later in the run.

!!!!! Is it only the splash zone sections that do audience participation like this? And is the whale dream ballet still in the show?

 

[3GamesToLove]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 12:01pm

Any ideas as to how they're choosing which people get to participate in the second part?

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 1:12pm

Travel plans have changed and I can no longer use the 2 tickets I have for December 10th. I will only be in Boston for 1 weekend and since the show is Sold Out, they can’t move my tickets

If anyone has a ticket for December 13 or 15 and would be willing to swap (would even consider a single ticket at this point), please PM me

[Anotherdayofmadness]

Posted: 12/4/19 at 2:09pm

Re: Participating

What happens last night was:

At the end of part 1 during the ‘5 minute pause,’ Manik Choksi (Ishmael) asked for audience volunteers to participate in Part 2. He did his best to select audience members from throughout the theater. Roughly 15-16 people were chosen.

I’ll be attending opening next Wednesday and once more later in the run so I can update if this changes
 

Updated On: 12/4/19 at 02:09 PM

[Eboyd514]

Posted: 12/5/19 at 12:03am

Saw this tonight. I’m tired so bare with me.

It has potential be something amazing, but honestly right now it’s a mess. It has no idea what it wants to be not trying be. They throw everything into it and had no idea where to stop. I know the story pretty well and man I was getting lost.

There are way too many characters. They all sang their own ballad and then poof they are gone til the end.

The music is amazing and Dave Malloy really does shine once again. However, there are some duds especially with some of the ballads. A ballad where you repeat the same sentence over and over again does not work.

Part 3 needs to be condensed into one song. I found it very interesting that associate director sat right next to me taking notes just on this part. Clearly this is a huge problem right now.

You know there is an issue when there audience doesn’t even know when the show is over.

The first half is much stronger then the second half which is rough when the show is 3.5 hours long.

Sooo should you go....

Honestly, I would pass right now unless you are a die hard Moby Dick fan. I’m a huge fan of Dave Malloy and I struggled to not walk out.