Ripcord at MTC

[JBroadway]

Did a search and couldn't find a thread on this already, so here goes...

 

Saw ripcord at MTC tonight, and really loved it. Holland Taylor is giving an excellent performance, particularly in the more dramatic sections toward the end, but the true star of the evening is definitely MaryLouise Burke. She lights up the stage, and perfectly hits all of her dramatic and comedic moments. The rest of the cast was less consistent. Rachel Drach (whom I didn't even realize was in this until I got to the theatre!) didn't have much of an opportunity to show off her comedic chops, so her performance fell a bit flat. 

 

The script was mostly very strong. There were a few moments that were a bit predictable or cliche, but in the hands of Taylor and Burke, The text rose above those flaws.

 

Overall, a very fulfilling night at the theatre. I definitely recommend this one.

 

 

 

[Bradway2]

I agree!  I see almost every Broadway musical and many of the off Broadway ones too, but I only see straight plays once or twice a year and when I do, I only go to the most talked about ones.  However I won tickets to see Ripcord from the Broadway Flea Market.  I hadn't even heard of it.   I'm so glad that I got to go!  My friend and I enjoyed it a lot!  It didn't drag during any part.  I really liked the staging, it was cute.  :)   And the actors (especially the leads) were entertaining and fun.  It also brought some tears to my eyes at parts.  It felt like a 2 hour sitcom in a fun way!  Go see it.  :)

[jbm2]

Looking forward to seeing this  in a couple of weeks.

[CurtainsUpat8]

I saw Ripcord tonight, I thought it was really wonderful! GREAT performances, and the few times the writing became predictable, there were five times as many wonderfully surprising moments. It's the best comedy I have seen in a long time. The best thing I have seen in that theatre in a long time. Not to be missed. Just go!

[macnyc]

Based on these comments, I bought tickets for Sunday night. Looking forward to it! Is it in the larger of the City Center stages or the smaller one? 

[CurtainsUpat8]

It's in the larger theater. Enjoy!

[jbm2]

This was on TDF, and now it's off.

do we think it will show up on there again?

[Ennie]

I was a little leery of seeing a show set in a nursing home (eww, depressing), but ended up loving this. It had some poignant moments, but was more often comedic. Great performances. 

[macnyc]

I saw the show tonight and really enjoyed it. Some of the plot points may be a bit farfetched, but that was part of the fun. It was well acted, interesting, and was paced very well. The staging was inventive too. I loved the pairing of Holland Taylor and MaryLouis Burke, both strong actresses. It was great to watch them in action. A couple of surprises kept the audience guessing, and there was a funny scene that took place in the bathroom. Plus, deeper points about family relationships were explored. Highly recommended!

[phan24]

Saw the show last night thouroughly enjoyed it. The show, though not perfect, is worth seeing just for Holland Taylor and Marylouise Burke's great performances. The rest of the supporting characters had little to work with or were just plain and did not match the performance quality of the 2 leads, which was a little disappointing. The play combined a bunch of themes and at parts felt a little too jumbled and unfocused, but overall it was enjoyable and I do recommend it!

[phan24]

Saw the show last night thouroughly enjoyed it. The show, though not perfect, is worth seeing just for Holland Taylor and Marylouise Burke's great performances. The rest of the supporting characters had little to work with or were just plain and did not match the performance quality of the 2 leads, which was a little disappointing. The play combined a bunch of themes and at parts felt a little too jumbled and unfocused, but overall it was enjoyable and I do recommend it!

[RippedMan]

Saw this tonight and was seated basically  next to the creative team, so I was kind of geeking out. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Taylor and Burke are really great in it and both have moments to shine. The play is just bizarre. It really doesn't say anything new or important and the secondary characters are all rather bland. The Haunted House sequence was truly just a bizarre departure from what I thought the show was going to be. 

The biggest misstep to me was the direction. There was some clunky blocking. Characters awkwardly skirting around a table. And I think the Haunted House sequence would have been funnier with stronger direction. Same goes for some of the low-budge gags at the end of Act 1. If they're going to go for a very "cheap" look, that's fine. But it sort of fell somewhere in between. 

For someone that wrote such incredibles plays as Rabbit Hole and Good People, I'm just surprised the dialogue is so...hokey. Facebook jokes, etc. It just wasn't as fresh and funny as I was expecting. But still, I think it'll be a crowd pleaser for MTC. 

Also, side note: I noticed Adam Feldman, reviewer for Time Out, was in the audience. Is it too early for them to review? I mean the creative seemed to still be tinkering with the show? Maybe he was just attending, but I thought I saw him take out a pen? Who knows. Just curious! 

[JBroadway]

I think most reviewers do come sometime in the last week of previews, as that's usually around the time when the show is frozen. It opens on this coming Tuesday so if it is a little earlier than usual, it's probably not by a big margin.

 

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it as much as many of us did. I think your criticisms are valid, and I even agree with some of them. But I just found the show so enjoyable that I didn't mind the clichés and the weird bits that took place outside the senior center. I'm not familiar with Lindsay-Abaire's work, so I can't compare it to anything else he's written.

[RippedMan]

By no means would I disuade anyone from seeing this! I really did enjoy myself! But I just felt like it didn't amount to anything. And the scenes with her son felt long and didn't reveal anything interesting. 

[Patash]

I thoroughly enjoyed it especially the performances of the two amazing leading ladies.  But as with many of Lindsay-Abaire’s plays, I felt the script needed some major tightening.  I really didn't get the rather long series of the Halloween thing. Did we need all that just to set up the idea of her not getting scared?  It accomplished little else and all seemed so pointless to me -- and quite amateurish. 

But there is much to like in the show.  

[little_sally]

I thought this was very fun and enjoyable, and in some instances, not at all what I was expecting. The second act does start to drag a bit. It's a lot of fluff but Taylor and Burke are really fantastic (the supporting cast doesn't have much to do) and it's a nice night out at the theater.

[nasty_khakis]

I enjoyed this very much. It's nice to see Abaire get back into a more absurd and silly genre after getting very dark and serious with Rabbit Hole and Good People (both of which I loved). I just wish this piece had more to it. Not necessarily anything deeper, just...more. Marylouise easily walks away with the entire show and I couldn't help but wonder how Mary Louise Wilson would have done in the other role as it was originally supposed to be. I normally love her but thought Dratch did just a serviceable job and I kept thinking Amy Sedaris would have knocked those tiny bits out of the park. 

I may revisit this show in a few weeks to see what's changed or improved.

[JBroadway]

" I normally love her but thought Dratch did just a serviceable job"

 

I agree. I think that she is a good at comedy, but might not actually be good at acting. 

[nasty_khakis]

Yeah. She never even seemed to tap into the utter weirdness that her character gets into. 

[RippedMan]

I don't think the show really asked anything more of her. Plus she looks a lot like Burke and they have the same kind of energy. I wish they had given her a scene or two, or had given Taylor's character a daughter as well so there could be another level of rivalry. 

Yeah the Halloween thing was just bizarre. 

[ClydeBarrow]

I have the same feelings as RippedMan on this one. I really don't get all the praise heaped upon this show. It came off as an overly long sitcom with good lead performers. There are some good elements but by no means do I think this should have ever been 2 hours. I've never actually seem a David Lindsay-Abaire show that I've truly loved.

 

It's been said before but I have to wonder if the play would have been better had there been stronger bit players. Rachel Dratch came off the best of the bunch for me which isn't to say much because all the other secondary characters were bad. I had seen Nate Miller previously in OF GOOD STOCK and didn't like him in either performance. At least here he is called out for being a bad actor with a joke later in the show that you can see from a mile away. 

 

I know there were some technical difficulties which caused the previews being delayed and the night I saw the show the projector wasn't working. David Hyde Pierce made an announcement before the show so everyone was prepared. I don't think it really hindered my enjoyment of the skydiving scene but I don't know if there was something more in the haunted house scenes that I was missing. 

 

I'm not saying it's not an enjoyable evening but I think there are better plays currently Off-Broadway that are funnier and have more heart.

[Patash]

"I really don't get all the praise heaped upon this show."

I'm not sure what you're talking about there. Where is all the praise heaped upon this show been?  No reviews yet, so it wasn't there.  And generally here I don't see raves either. Most people seem to be saying what you're saying, or else only slightly more entertained than you were.

 

 

[RippedMan]

Well upon reading this reviews thread, I'd say most people enjoyed themselves. Which isn't to say I didn't, but I just don't think it's a very good show. It's not as funny as it could be, not as madcap as it could be, not as zany as it could be, not as heartfelt as it should be. I wonder what was Lindsay-Abaire's inspiration? Was he commissioned to write a play for two older actresses? It didn't seem like a very heart-felt writing gig. 

[CurtainsUpat8]

I saw Ripcord for the second time today, and this is an official RAVE.  It has only gotten better since the first time I saw it.
The  two ladies are just remarkable. Stunning. Two of the best performances of the year.
The play is a sheer delight. It is very difficult to write comedy and good comedies are often underrated. This is well crafted from beginning to end. Full of surprises. Silly at times. Clever at times. Touching. Heartfelt. Moving.
This is better than MANY Broadway shows I have seen in  recent years. This could be on Broadway and it might be. Let's wait for the reviews and I hope, and anticipate, they will agree with me, but I really don't care.  You won't see a better production of Ripcord ever again, anywhere.  Ignore the naysayers, and Just Go.

[jbm2]

What is the running time?