Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
#1Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/15/19 at 2:53pm
Curious to hear some thoughts about the play and production. Thanks.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#2Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/15/19 at 7:02pmSeeing it tomorrow! Will report back!
#3Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/16/19 at 10:26am
Scratch that. Just received word that today's matinee is cancelled.
Updated On: 2/16/19 at 10:26 AM#4Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/16/19 at 10:42amI just saw that. I have tickets to tomorrow’s evening performance — fingers crossed it goes on.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
whatdoesntkillme
Featured Actor Joined: 8/15/16
#5Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/17/19 at 3:08pm
Any updates? I'm going tomorrow evening.
#6Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/18/19 at 8:00am
I saw last night's performance. The full cast was present and the show went off without a hitch, so I assume whatever caused both Saturday performances to be cancelled was a fluke.
Those who've seen previous work by Jackie Sibblies Drury will not be surprised by the style and tone of the piece, which is very discursive, not strictly narrative and often deliberately anachronistic. The play's theme is the role of women (and especially women of color) as caregivers throughout Western history, refracted through the story of Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse and entrepreneur who worked the battlefield of the Crimean War. Sibblies Drury suggests, in a way, that all caregivers are descendants of Mary -- hence the plurality of the title.
The script includes some trenchant humor and sharp observations, though at times it tries too hard to be disorienting. Sometimes its messages are conveyed with a touch too much bluntness. The production is very well directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz and strongly acted by the cast of six. Quincy Tyler Bernstine is particularly outstanding as Mary.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#7Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/18/19 at 10:52amThanks for the review AC126748. Good to know everyone was there and like you said the issues were a fluke.
whatdoesntkillme
Featured Actor Joined: 8/15/16
#8Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/18/19 at 8:59pm
Just got out of tonight’s performance. All went well, though one actor flubbed a few lines, so I suspect they’re still making script changes. I sat right in front of the creative team and they seemed to be in good spirits.
The play itself is WILD. Tells an important story about a fierce historical figure and also relates her story to contemporary caregivers, particularly black women, particularly Jamaican immigrants. If you know Jackie Sibblies Drury’s earlier work, you won’t be too surprised by how much it departs from the norm. Production-wise, the sound design is particularly excellent. It really fits well in that theater.
#9Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/23/19 at 1:00pm
I saw this on Thursday night. I echo whatdoesntkillme's sentiments, even the few flubbed lines. I went in with low expectations per the word of mouth on show-score but really enjoyed this. I wasn't hooked at the opening monologue or even the second scene, but as the play went on, I became more and more invested. The play succeeded more in the abstract scenes and tableaus. I left moved and have thought about it in the following days far more than I think about other plays.
Suggested, especially for the price.
#10Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/24/19 at 1:49pm
I finally got to see this, after my initial date was cancelled!
My opinions are pretty much in line with that everyone has said so far - particularly Bandit964's comments. The play didn't really grab me at first, but I become more involved as it went on, and began to take shape. The play felt uneven to me - some sections work better than others. But I think it manages to paint a very interesting portrait of modern caregivers are under-appreciated figures, in contrast with the renown and attention Mary Seacole received in her time. Glad I saw it, but a little bit disappointing compared to Fairview, which I thought was brilliant.
whatdoesntkillme
Featured Actor Joined: 8/15/16
#11Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/24/19 at 8:57pm
Renown and attention?
One of the main points of the piece is that Seacole was unappreciated and discriminated against when she was alive and doesn’t receive nearly enough recognition for her work today.
#12Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/27/19 at 9:58am
Critic's pick from the Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/theater/marys-seacole-review.html
LarryD2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/1/14
#13Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 2/27/19 at 1:00pm
whatdoesntkillme said: "Renown and attention?
One of the main points of the piece is that Seacole was unappreciated and discriminated against when she was alive and doesn’t receive nearly enough recognition for her work today."
Mary Seacole was quite well known in her time, even as she experienced discrimination. She has largely been forgotten by history. I think the play makes that point very clearly.
#14Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 3/4/19 at 2:47am
I was hooked from the beginning.
Quincy Tyler Bernstine is wonderful! This is a well-crafted work about an important historical figure. Its larger theme, about how we view people paid to care for those we cannot or will not, will make some uncomfortable. So be it.
LightsOut90
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/14
#15Has anyone here seen MARYS SEACOLE at LCT3 yet?
Posted: 3/13/19 at 11:33pm
Another whirlwind from Jackie Sibiblies Drury. Dug this, reminded me ascetically of WAR another show they did at LCT3 with the director of this show. Also I will never hear a certain Whitney Houston song the same way again
