The Portuguese Kid (Previews)

[PianoMann]

Posted: 9/19/17 at 6:34pm

John Patrick Shanley's new play The Portuguese Kid begins previews tonight at City Center Stage I. Will anybody be there this evening or soon? I'm going in early October and I'm looking forward to it!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/19/17 at 6:38pm

I would see Sherie René Scott in absolutely anything.

[The Pecan Sandies]

Posted: 9/19/17 at 6:51pm

I have tickets for 9/30. The only John Patrick Shanley show I have seen is Outside Mullingar which I very much enjoyed so I am looking forward to this. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/19/17 at 11:37pm

I'm going early in October as well.  Looking forward to it.

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/20/17 at 7:32am

I'd say this is one of John Patrick Shanley's more successful efforts. Overwrought and over- the-top from the get go, forced a good part of the time, coarse and at times caricatural, the play nonetheless garners an ample supply of laughs, and the tale it tells has a satisfying arc.The audience seemed entertained by it, as, to a certain degree, was I. Sherie Rene Scott has the showiest role, and she makes the most of it. Jason Alexander is just as good in a less flashy part. Aimee Carrero and Pico Akexander were both exceptionally good.. Unfortunately, Mary Testa was saddled with a pugnacious and stubbornly unfunny character.

Four set changes in a 100 minute evening with no intermission.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/20/17 at 7:51am

 

Aww, man, how disappointing. I was interested in this, but a relatively positive review from After Eight is a deterrent.

[dave1606]

Posted: 9/20/17 at 11:42pm

I was there last night and tried to post earlier, but somehow my post got deleted! 

I really liked this. It is essentially a 90 minute sitcom, but it made me laugh. The set up is schticky, but it works. I thought the first scene in the lawyer's office was most successful, and the last scene went on a bit too long (and turned into a bit of a shouting match). I agree, that Sherie was excellent.  She is a great comedic actress, and this shows of her talents well. I will say that I Mary Testa was my favorite though. I thought she was hysterical for the most part.

Aimee Carerro was also wonderful and it was a delight to see her onstage as she is great on the TV show Young and Hungry. The set changes (which felt like commercial breaks) were pretty impressive. Some of the bigger sets I have scene in that space. Jason Alexander does have the least showy part but he still has some nice moments and a few things (the tissue box) reminded me of Seinfeld and really made me laugh. Pico Alexander  was gorgeous (may have to see Home Again now!) and landed a few great jokes as well. 

Overall they are still finding their timing (they rushed through some jokes, I thought there needed to be more time to give for the audience to react), but I'm sure another week or so in front of an audience and they will be great. 

The material isn't mind blowing, but for a light and entertaining play this is one I enjoyed in large part thanks to a strong cast. 

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 5:58pm

Has anyone found any promo code for this?  If so, I'd love to know what it is.  Thanks in advance.

[Harriet Craig]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 6:03pm

TELTPK for $59 tickets.

[lczvera]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 6:16pm

It's a MTC production. So if you happen to be under 30 or can bring a friend who is under 30, use code 3U3 to get a $30 tix.

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 8:57pm

lczvera said: "It's a MTC production. So if you happen to be under 30 or can bring a friend who is under 30, use code 3U3 to get a $30 tix."

Thank you!  Looks like there is only one seat left for my date and it's $112.50 plus fees.   The code shows no seats for that lower promo code price, and I am over 30 with no friends under 30 traveling with me.  Oh well, now to decide what to do.  

[Alfie6]

Posted: 9/26/17 at 10:35pm

I like this play a lot, it was a really enjoyable night at the theater! It plays like a sitcom (I would actually argue more telenovela since it was so over the top) but tries to have some serious  overtones as well, as a criticism this made the show feel a little uneven at times. The first scene is hysterical and then the show falls flat in the second scene which had the least amount of laughs. I got nervous that all the comedy was in that first scene and the rest of the show would be dull but the comedy does come back in full force for the second half. This show isn't laugh a minute and some parts felt a little stilted but the audience was roaring with laughter at many points. I had tears coming down on more than one occasion. Mary Testa did bring the house down and I wish she was in it more. The show ran about an hour and forty-five minutes no intermission. 

[PianoMann]

Posted: 9/27/17 at 11:40am

Thanks AfterEight, dave1606, and Alfie6 for the early reports! Even more excited to see this now.

[billis2]

Posted: 9/27/17 at 11:48am

AfterEight has given decent reviews to a few shows recently.  I am glad he or she is enjoying himself, but I find it a bit confusing.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/30/17 at 11:27pm

I saw this tonight, and enjoyed it quite a bit! I've never been exposed to Shanley's work before (not even Doubt or Moonstruck, though the latter is one of my mom's favorite films). Knowing it was a light comedy, I really wasn't expecting much, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Shanley's dialogue is impeccably written. He has such a sharp wit, and he really packs in the jokes. The whole cast has excellent timing, and they work together really well.

I've always found Sherie Rene Scott to be kind of annoying, but I'm really starting to turn around on her. She was a surprisingly good Gertrude in Hamlet this summer, and she delivers a really outstanding comedic performance in this. 

The play has some heart to it too, particularly in the end. The plot has echoes of A Little Night Music. Ultimately, the subject matter and themes are fairly run of the mill, but they're hardly the point. It's the comedy and the cast that makes the show soar. I agree with Alfie that there were some moments that dipped in energy a bit. But part of it is just that they really hit the ground running from the very top of the show, packing in a lot of laughs from the get-go. So the less high-octane moments feel lower by comparison, though I think they're still good. 

In any case, I would recommend this to people. It's not life-changing theatre, but it's a very fun evening, and even if you don't like Shanley's writing, I think it's worth it anyway for the cast. 

 

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 12:00am

A bit of a letdown after the wonderful, wonderful Outside Mullingar (I can't remember the last time I was as delighted by any theatre as that play's third act twist), but still a fun evening at the theatre. The cast is game and the play is light enough on its feet to entertain college students and grandparents alike.

[The Pecan Sandies]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 2:06am

I have to agree with bakerwilliams that this was overall a disappointment. There are some great moments in the show but I felt like they weren’t enough to make up for the times the show dragged, particularly the painful second scene. The cast was great across the board particularly Mary Testa and Aimee Carrero who I felt were both standouts. Overall it was just meh but at 30 dollars I can’t complain that much 

I am curious to know how people felt about the constant “did you vote for trump jokes” in the show. Don’t get me wrong I am all for people making fun at that man but I couldn’t really figure out what point they served for the show. I thought the first mention was funny and the last mention in the final scene also worked but everything in between just didn’t make sense to me. It felt like it was just sprinkled in for no reason. Maybe someone can shed some light 

[Relevance81491]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 6:36pm

Oh boy.  I was so looking forward to this one as a fan of Shanley and the actors.... But after a decade of consistent theatre going (atleast 2 or 3 times a month) this mess of a play is probably my biggest disappointment.  I will admit here and now that I voted for Trump (would do it again if my choices were the same)and found his stereotype of Trump supporters highly offensive (we all must be misogynistic biggots), Sweat did a far better job of illuminating the complex psychology of Trumps fan base and creating a productive dialog.  FYI I have seen and enjoyed many Liberal/Anti-Trump plays that although i did not agree with the politics, I left admiring the craftmenship of the play (the one night only performance of Afiew Good Men comes to mind) 

 

Aside from the plays appalling politics, we learn nothing about the characters or their relationship to each other.  So if your a Republican, you will leave the performance furious and if your a Democrat you will most likely leave dissatisfied with the quality of the work. 

 

Shanley should really thank Jason Alexander for getting attached to this play, otherwise MTC probably would have crumpled it up and thrown into the trash can where it belongs.  

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 7:20pm

Relevance81491 said: "... I will admit here and now that I voted for Trump (would do it again if my choices were the same)and found his stereotype of Trump supporters highly offensive (we all must bemisogynistic biggots)"

The portrayal of Trump supporters in this play was 120% accurate (just see the label you put in parenthesis). I thoroughly enjoyed this play. It was a charming and witty battle of the sexes.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 7:22pm

Relevance81491 said: "So if your a Republican, you will leave the performance furious and if your a Democrat you will most likely leave dissatisfied with the quality of the work."

 

And if you are EITHER party, maybe you will learn the proper use of YOU'RE.

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 9:12pm

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/1/17 at 9:15pm

Ever since Donald Trump began beating the birther drum it was clear who and what he was. What anyone proud of their support for him is doing on a message board devoted to the arts is a mystery to me.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 1:20am

Relevance81491 said: I will admit here and now that I voted for Trump (would do it again if my choices were the same)


You sir, are a fool

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/18/17 at 4:49pm

Oh boy, this show made me laugh hard and laugh a lot. Everyone is great but Mary Testa steals the show. I’m going to go back and take some friends to this one, it was too funny to not share it. 

[JayG 2]

Posted: 10/19/17 at 6:33am

This play slashes Trump and his supporters? Really? Great! Can't wait to see it. Time for a comedy after the American tragedy to which we've been subjected since November.