WHITE NOISE at The Public Theater

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 12/20/18 at 12:38am

Just a fyi most of the dates of the initial run are almost sold out, really excited to see Daveed Diggs back onstage

WHITE NOISE

[Danielle49]

Posted: 12/21/18 at 8:54pm

Thanks for this. Went into the Public the other day to grab student tickets for Sea Wall / A Life thinking Gyllenhaal would be a huge draw, but saw this post and figured I’d grab them for White Noise as well. I got the last one on my date. Looked at the calendar and it seems most dates are sold out with seats here and there that are AmEx exclusive. What a hot ticket this is turning out to be with Parks, Diggs, and the world premiere label.

Updated On: 12/21/18 at 08:54 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/23/18 at 7:42pm

I always wondered what had happened to this show. I really enjoyed it in Chicago several years ago with Luba Mason and Diuglas Sills. It needed some work, but a timely book and solid score. The Hip Hop Howdown brought down the house.

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 12/23/18 at 7:54pm

Not the same show (thank god imo). This is not a musical.

[RunningThatRoad]

Posted: 1/14/19 at 4:41pm

FYI, this was completely sold out not as of yesterday, but a bunch of seats on the far edges just opened up for almost every performance. I snagged a few to go with friends in late March.

[macnyc]

Posted: 1/14/19 at 5:17pm

Thanks! I bought two tickets. They are partial view, but they are only $40 (not including fees). But I have to confess I really wish the Hip Hop Hoedown was part of the show! I bet Daveed would do it justice.

[Danielle49]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 3:42pm

Show was extended for an extra week — the rest of the run is sold out so snatch up tickets for that final week while you can!

http://bit.ly/World-Premiere-Suzan-Lori-Parks-White-Noise-Extends-Public

[Megsamegatron]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 4:52pm

Danielle49 said: "Show was extended for an extra week — the rest of the run is sold out so snatch up tickets for that final week while you can!

http://bit.ly/World-Premiere-Suzan-Lori-Parks-White-Noise-Extends-Public"

Thank you so much!!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 5:09pm

Not the same show (thank god imo). This is not a musical.

Well, that's a shame.  Everyone deserves a chance to see the Hip Hop Hoedown.

I bet Daveed would do it justice.

He totally would.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 10:08pm

Friend works on the show and is getting me a ticket for a Sunday in March. Don’t know much about the show, but it takes place in a bowling alley and there is a fully functional bowling set. And the goal, as always, is to move to Broadway in the fall.

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 3/4/19 at 7:19pm

Previews start tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5.  Running time says 3 hours, 15 minutes, with one intermission.  Who's going?  

Updated On: 3/4/19 at 07:19 PM

[Danielbee]

Posted: 3/5/19 at 12:39pm

Updated On: 3/7/19 at 12:39 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/6/19 at 8:28am

I was there last night...

I’m really not sure how I felt about it. For the first hour or so, I kept thinking “this is pretty good, but it’s the most normal Suzan-Lori Parks play I’ve ever seen or read. When is it going to get weird?” And then, toward the end of Act 1, it gets WEIRD. Stylistically, the play stays pretty naturalistic the whole time (at least, for an SLP Play). But the premise that arises is so strange and outlandish, that I truly can’t figure out whether I thought it worked. But I do know that, for better or for worse, it was designed to make the audience deeply uncomfortable, and it succeeded.

The play is in fact over 3 hours long. The lights came up at 10:20 last night after a 7pm curtain. Some of it does feel cuttable; there are some plot elements that feel extraneous, making the play sometimes feel overly busy. But I think I see why Parks threw everything she had at us; because if we don’t REALLY spend time with these characters and get to know them, if we don’t REALLY get to see the scenario unfold all the way, the bizarre premise would just feel like cheap shock-value, and I don’t think it does. But I also don’t think it quite feels as cohesive it should be yet. Still, it’s a pretty fascinating piece, and parts of it work really well.

Daveed Diggs is excellent; in this role role, he proves that he’s not just a charismatic performer - he’s genuinely a very skilled actor. The rest of the cast is also very strong.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/6/19 at 1:35pm

how is the bowling alley set?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/6/19 at 2:23pm

LightsOut90 said: "how is the bowling alley set?"

 

The way it’s done is clever and creative, but it’s visually very ugly IMO 

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 12:31am

I was at the first preview as well and pretty much agree with JBroadway's assessment. The twist is WAY OUT THERE (at least IMO). With such a weird start, I never bought in to the rest of the storyline. There is also a LOT going on (e.g. personal issues) with each character - so much so that we don't get a deep look at anyone in particular.

The acting was strong and DD is very good. The bowling alley isn't introduced until sometime into the show, and I kept wondering what those set parts were going to be used for.

I will say that for a play that is just over 3 hours, it didn't lag all that much. That being said, there are enough mini storylines in the show that can be cut to trim the time.

[Danielbee]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 12:37am

Updated On: 3/8/19 at 12:37 AM

[bandbfilm]

Posted: 3/13/19 at 1:56pm

Hi. Have 2 seats I can’t use for this Sunday March 10 - they are center reserved row d, if anyone wants them at cost. (166 total including service charges). Thanks.

[Ledaero]

Posted: 3/13/19 at 2:52pm

Late on posting this, but I was also at the first preview of White Noise. I absolutely loved the show. I think Lori-Park's script is a brilliant analysis of modern race relations and power dynamics. I didn't mind the set, it wasn't amazing but it functioned well. And its bowling alley caught me by surprise and I found it very effective how they used it/bowled. The play is long, but really worth every minute. Tempted to try and see it again before it closes.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/15/19 at 12:18am

Saw this tonight & thought it was a huge miss. Clunky writing ( “He beat the **** out of her. Literally.” ), terrible direction (why is there a fridge at the bowling alley?), lackluster performances.

So, the main character willing signs himself up to be treated like a slave for 40 days and then discovers it’s hard? And we are suppose to, what, feel empathy for him? Or the fact that these 4 best friends are all terrible friends to each other? The characters were so unlikeable.

[Broadway_Boy]

Posted: 3/17/19 at 10:05am

This play is a huge mess, completely offensive to both black and white people and not one bit believable. Ben Brantley was at the matinee yesterday and he was laughing for the entirety of the final 30 min, and it’s not supposed to be funny.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 12:56am

i give this piece a lot of credit for being such a huge swing, is it a home run, no, does it feature an amazing performance from Daveed Diggs and Thomas Sadoski being super scary, yes, could it be 15 minutes shorter YES YES YES

was still more interesting then 70% of the noise on broadway, but yikes what an ugly set.

But again, Daveed is showing he has more in him then being the fast rapper guy from Hamilton (which if you saw him in Blindspotting last year you would already know) 

[Broadway_Boy]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 1:50am

I walked out thinking Diggs did not prove himself worthy as a tony winner, and is very lucky he has been bestowed such an honor for being in a brilliant show with little to no dialogue. It was a fine performance, but far from award worthy. The direction was abysmal, but I thought the two women gave much stronger performances than the men.

The “Ask a Black” scenes were hysterical. 

Does anyone who saw this play actually believe there is a black person in this day and age who would ask their white friend to sign a contract asking them to own him, and then that white friend actually agreeing to it?

I’m disgusted at what I witnessed. I’ve been thinking of it non stop and I can not come to a conclusion of what the playwright was trying to convey with this piece. 

Updated On: 3/18/19 at 01:50 AM

[LuPita2]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 2:06am

Daveed proved himself worthy of a Tony when he won it...for Hamilton.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 3/18/19 at 2:29am

Broadway_Boy, if you go to a Suzan-Lori Parks play looking for realism, you are really barking up the wrong tree. That isn't what she traffics in as a writer, and the point of this play isn't to offer up a plausible scenario. It's deliberately just a few steps off from reality, but close enough to cause discomfort and introspection. 

Anyway, I was at the invited dress for this and happened to think it was brilliant. I think there's some slightly extraneous material that could be cut but overall it moves along at a nice clip and the performances are uniformly excellent, with Thomas Sadoski doing especially strong work. Something that I think Suzan-Lori is exceptional at is grounding heightened scenarios in very real and deliberate emotion, and she mostly accomplished that in this play.