Kong or Lear?

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/15/19 at 11:27pm

One more slot to fill! Which King should I see?

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 4/15/19 at 11:31pm

Neither? Glenda Jackson's marvelous, but it's a pretty awful production of LEAR (and close to 4hours long). And KONG is an embarrassment. 

Do you have any other options??

[east side story]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 8:25am

Skip both Kings, they’re terrible. Find another option.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 8:28am

I honestly thought both were pretty damn terrible... Are these your only options?

Updated On: 4/16/19 at 08:28 AM

[TFMH18]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 9:44am

God, neither. For a musical, The Prom or Hadestown. For a play, Constitution or The Ferryman. Thank me later.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 10:24am

tombomb31 said: "One more slot to fill! Which King should I see?"

What other shows are you already seeing?

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 10:34am

If you're set on either of these, just get a rush ticket to Kong. Don't break your bank for that show, but for $30 Im sure the Kong puppet is incredible. The little I saw on youtube of King Lear with Ms Jackson is what others have said. Seems like a mess with a fantastic performance in there. I really think there are better options out there, depending on what you're seeing/havent seen. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 11:12am

I'm not as down on Kong as everyone else seems to be here. If you're going for Pulitzer-worthy theatre then that definitely ain't it, but as a spectacle I thought it was extraordinary. Certainly like nothing I'd ever seen before on stage. That said, the success of the spectacle is really dependent on the enormity of Kong. So I'd only go if you can sit close in the orchestra and be overwhelmed by the scale of the puppetry and set design - I'd imagine it loses quite a bit from the mezz and balcony. 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 12:07pm

What an absurd binary.

[Braniff Forever]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 12:32pm

Do you want a show which could be fun in seeing a large puppet? Or do you want a show that he an amazing performance from Glenda Jackson but otherwise I was totally lost in the production. If you’re going to Lear (which I did) make sure you know as much about the story prior, become you won’t pick it up at that performance. But the individual actors were great! Jame Houdyshell was awesome too and it has quite a renowned supporting cast and the guy playing Cornwall in the kilt is hot! But I would recommend Hadestown or Network, even The Prom, all more fulfilling choices. Hadestown is amazing!!

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 12:47pm

Go see Lear, for the simple reason that in 30 years, you're going to feel much more proud saying "I saw Glenda Jackson perform live" than "I saw King Kong".

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 1:09pm

King Lear is one of the best things I've seen in a lifetime of theatergoing. Not just Jackson but the whole thing. I get why people don't like it... but if you have a slot and have the desire I wouldn't miss it. I believe it will be talked about for much longer than it's critics think. 

King Kong is quite a spectacle. I didn't like it. I'm surprised the book and music could be quite as awful as they are... given all the development the show went through. But. You know what you're getting into... and it does deliver on the puppet.  

[hveasey]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 2:07pm

Broadway61004 said: "Go see Lear, for the simple reason that in 30 years, you're going to feel much more proud saying "I saw Glenda Jackson perform live" than "I saw King Kong"."

Exactly this.

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 1:35pm

Thank you all so much for your input.

This is what I have so far:

Hillary and Clinton (Huge fan of Hillary and Laurie)
Hadestown
Gary??
Patti in concert
King Lear?? Or whats the dish on Frankie and Johnny?
The Cher Show
Burn This

And Im also headed to MetLife Stadium to see BTS one evening...feel free to judge

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 1:44pm

Wondering why you're not considering some of the more highly acclaimed plays this season like Ferryman, TKAM, What the Constitution, Network? Did you already see them? 

Interesting to prioritize Gary, Burn This, and/or Lear unless you're a big fan of someone in the cast.

Just curious!

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 2:29pm

JudyDenmark said: "Wondering why you're not considering some of the more highly acclaimed plays this season like Ferryman, TKAM, What the Constitution, Network? Did you already see them?

Interesting to prioritize Gary, Burn This, and/or Lear unless you're a big fan of someone in the cast.

Just curious!"

I’m a huge fan of Adam Driver so that’s why I am seeing Burn This. 

Nathan Lane cracks me up and I’ve never seen him in anything but The Nance. Gary looks like it would be hilarious. 

King Lear is seeming like it’s gonna be cut from my list so I’ll need one more. 

Ive heard so much about Ferryman but I know nothing shout the story. Network does look interesting. Shockingly I’ve never been a fan of TKAMB. 

I really am curious about Frankie and Johnny...would that be another good option? Love Audra ! 

 

 

 

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 4:08pm

Can someone tell me what it is about this specific Mockingbird so great? Same goes for Ferryman.

Also any info on Frankie and Johnny? 

And should I also skip Gary? The previews just look ridiculous but in a good way. 

Updated On: 4/17/19 at 04:08 PM

[ebenn77]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 4:31pm

I mean, if you're a fan of Nathan Lane, go see him. I did that with The Front Page, and while the show wasn't great, he's an absolute delight in anything he's in. You're bound to have a good time.

The Ferryman is the best show on Broadway right now, in my opinion. This cast is pretty solid, too, so I think you'll really enjoy it. It's a big, epic story, you should look it up! 

I will echo Judy in that What the Constitution Means to Me should also be on your list! It's such a great show, and very quick.

EDIT: For Frankie and Johnny, that doesn't start previews until May 4th and won't open until June--I don't know what your dates are, but that might be a factor. I haven't heard anything regarding the show, but it's two great actors.

Updated On: 4/17/19 at 04:31 PM

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 4:42pm

Saw The Ferryman a few weeks ago, and while I don't want to get too deep into the plot details in terms of any spoilers, I will say that it was one of the best plays I've seen on Broadway. The time flew by and the performances were stellar (we saw it with the current cast, not the original). If you have a free slot, I would absolutely recommend seeing it. Out of the seven shows I saw that week, The Ferryman and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish were easily the top. 

I have heard nothing positive about King Kong, save for the puppet itself. I saw King Lear that week as well and while I thought Glenda Jackson was tremendous, the show itself is incredibly muddled and you feel every minute of the run time. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 5:23pm

Oh man, I had a whole reply typed and got called into a meeting, haha.

Thanks for others jumping on on The Ferryman! I agree that it's one of the best plays I've ever seen, and right now I think it's the frontrunner for the Best Play Tony. For a quick setup, it's a sweeping epic about a family in rural Northern Ireland during The Troubles (when there was conflict between one side wanting Northern Ireland to remain loyal to the UK, and the other side wanting to join with the Republic of Ireland to become one united Ireland). The writing and acting are exceptional across the board, and even though it's a hefty run time, you never feel it because there's so much intrigue. I'm someone who often gets bored in a long straight play, and this was the opposite of that. Highly recommended.

Network is kind of polarizing on these boards, but personally I loved it in large part for the innovation of the experience (the action is all live-streamed by steadicam onto giant screens in a really creative way, but it's so much more than that) and for the acting masterclass that is Bryan Cranston.  

I'm going to plead the 5th on TKAM because I personally loathed it, but I know I'm in the minority on that and it's definitely an "it's not you it's me" situation. It's clearly a very polished production. 

Totally different, but take a look at The Prom as well - hilarious, heartfelt, some brilliant performances, and it's poised to rack up a bunch of award nominations this season. 

Also, seeing a show for the talent (Nathan Lane and Adam Driver in this case) is a totally valid reason! I was just curious about your list as a whole.

Regardless of what you end up with, have fun!

 

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 5:34pm

Well it looks like I’m gonna add Ferryman to my list!! Should I also make room for Frankie and Johnny? I noticed they play on Mondays so that would fit right in. I’m a big Audra fan but I know nothing about this play.

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/18/19 at 3:21pm

So I bought a ticket to Hadestown because of the hype and great reviews. Well, I wish I had listened to the soundtrack first. It was torture to get through! What’s a solid musical to replace it with? Already seeing Cher Show, Prom, and Patti. In addition to some plays.

[52889j]

Posted: 4/18/19 at 3:33pm

tombomb31 said: "So I bought a ticket to Hadestown because of the hype and great reviews. Well, I wish I had listened to the soundtrack first. It was torture to get through! What’s a solid musical to replace it with? Already seeing Cher Show, Prom, and Patti. In addition to some plays."

I can't.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/18/19 at 3:37pm

tombomb31 said: "So I bought a ticket to Hadestown because of the hype and great reviews. Well, I wish I had listened to the soundtrack first. It was torture to get through! What’s a solid musical to replace it with? Already seeing Cher Show, Prom, and Patti. In addition to some plays."

 

If you already have your Hadestown ticket, hang onto it. I saw it in early previews and really didn’t enjoy the live recording either. I had bottom of the barrel expectations despite the buzz and walked away LOVING it. There is something odd about that recording, I honestly couldn’t stand it and now it’s all I listen to after seeing the show. It’s just one of those shows that the music works better on stage, I suppose. Don’t miss it, it’s my favorite musical since Fun Home.

 

Also, don’t miss The Ferryman. I saw the original cast (but seeing the current cast right before it closes) and it’s sensational.

 

[tombomb31]

Posted: 4/18/19 at 9:04pm

Those of you who are suggesting Ferryman...what makes this production such a must see? It’s down to Ferryman or Frankie and Johnny. Ferryman is getting raves from everyone... but then on the other hand there is Audra... and I adore her. So conflicted!!

Updated On: 4/18/19 at 09:04 PM