Safeword... has anyone seen it?

[explorer]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 4:04am

Has anyone seen it yet? 

Updated On: 4/16/19 at 04:04 AM

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 4/16/19 at 6:54pm

I'm headed there in a few minutes - Will post my thoughts. Anything you want to know in particular?

UPDATE: It's great! If you were thinking of going, GO! (no spoilers)

The show started on 4/11 and tonight they skipped the intermission - I hope they bring it back. I pretty much know where it would have been, and it needs to be put back in.  Even if just for a 5-minute break.

Otherwise, the story felt very 2019 (small lag in Act 2). It's funny and touching. The set is really cool.

If you liked Afterglow, you'll like this too :)

Updated On: 4/17/19 at 06:54 PM

[explorer]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 3:31am

Thanks so much...will be seeing it in May!

 

[Theater3232]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 10:44am

Read several complaints on Show Score that it was slow and way too long and needed to be cut to 90 minutes no intermission. I saw an early lengthy version of Afterglow which everyone afterward was complaining how long and boring it was. It appears many people prefer 90 minute versions of their shows.

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 12:40pm

Theater3232 said: "Read several complaints on Show Score that it was slow and way too long and needed to be cut to 90 minutes no intermission. I saw an early lengthy version of Afterglow which everyone afterward was complaining how long and boring it was. It appears many people prefer 90 minute versions of their shows."

I can see why they were complaining - Act II could use a trim. Yeah, people are getting too used to 90 min plays LOL

[Swiss Miss]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 12:54pm

Is there a lot of nudity in it like in Afterglow? It doesn’t bother me, but it makes my friend uncomfortable. Trying to decide if I should invite her.

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 4/17/19 at 1:07pm

Swiss Miss said: "Is there a lot of nudity in it like in Afterglow? It doesn’t bother me, but it makes my friend uncomfortable. Trying to decide if I should invite her."

No, there was no nudity at all (at least last night). Characters end up in their skivvies, but not fully nude even though in the dialogue they say things like..."you were naked".  And unlike Afterglow, the scenes that would call for nudity are very few. On one of the IG accounts (i forget if it's for the show or the costume designer) you'll see drawings of the costumes - plenty of clothes :) .

LOL - the night I went to see Afterglow, they were taping the show, so there was NO nudity - skivvies for everyone. Darn! 

A small note (not a story spoiler):

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Dropping this into a spoiler tag, just in case.... you should know that one of the characters is non-gender conforming. Not sure if this would be a concern for your friend, but throwing it out there as you said that nudity bothers her.

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/20/19 at 8:56am

I watched safeword last night and I found it more interesting and more thought-provoking than Afterglow. I'll admit I don't know anything about BDSM but it opened my mind to different viewpoints and perspectives (which is one of the awesome things theater can do.) No it is not perfect and there certainly is room for improvement but I understand they're still in previews and this is off-broadway. I love food so that was an added bonus.   Oh and this is not a gay-themed play necessarily as there is a straight couple. In addition to BDSM as a theme, it can be argued that sexism is a theme as well. Ok no more spoilers from me. I'd recommend friends to see this (even those who are unexposed or unaware to BDSM.)

As far as running time, I also wish there was an intermission and I think I know which scene you're talking about as the ideal time to have one. I went with a few friends and the intermission would have been a good time to at least talk about what we're seeing and how we're looking forward to see how it resolves. For the most part, I was certainly intrigued and focused in their world for those 100 minutes. I sat in the 2nd row but I wish I had sat maybe 4th or 5th row as it's a 2-tier set so sitting on the 2nd row I couldn't see everything happening on the 2nd level. 

For off-broadway previews I thought the acting was pretty solid and will only get better as these actors get more seasoned into their roles.

One more note... (similar to what Carmen wrote in her spoiler)

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I also appreciated the gender-bending character role as I think the play will still work if the character is a he or she (in the playbill the character has a gender-neutral name.) Oh and the 2nd tier/floor is where the 'dungeon' is.

I look forward seeing how this play evolves. 

Updated On: 4/20/19 at 08:56 AM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 4/20/19 at 12:03pm

Judging by some performances looks like the show is playing to an audience of one 

[Theater3232]

Posted: 4/20/19 at 11:45pm

Very entertaining show.  There's a gay couple upstairs who sleep in separate bedrooms (one of which is used for BDSM activities) and a straight couple whose lives become intertwined.  Turns out the straight guy has been doing BDSM "on the sly" for several years.  The first row or two might be a bit too close as there is a 2-level set.  The acting is all-around superb and the audience was howling with laughter at many key scenes.  4 person cast, one of who is trans, and it was just so nice to see such an inclusive (and excellent!) cast on stage.  Glad there was no intermission, since 1 hour 40 minutes was the perfect length for the show.

[LxGstv]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 9:25am

I feel like this could be a very good play, unfortunately, it’s not there yet. It is entertaining and it kept me interested throughout though.

In reality, this is really a play about a straight married couple that’s going through issues, with some BDSM added to it. My problem is that it’s not very deep, about any of the issues it approaches. It felt a bit unresolved. When the conversation started to get interesting, such as bdsm used almost like therapy by some people, they quickly changed the conversation into something else, like watersports.

I feel that with the wrong cast, this could really be a disaster, but the actors are all terrific and have really great chemistry together. They really make the show work.

The set, however, was a huge miss for me. As mentioned above, it’s a two-story set, so sit too close and you’ll miss on the dungeon “action”. Sit too far and the whole dungeon will be covered by a screen. It’s baffling that a play that advertises itself as a BDSM play would make the BDSM elements so hard to actually see. I did like how they kinda framed the audience around the building itself, and they use it in clever ways, but that’s about it for the set.

Also, theater3232, don’t know if they changed this detail during previews, but when I saw it the gay couple had different apartments altogether, they are just adjacent apartments.

[Theater3232]

Posted: 4/28/19 at 9:51am

They sleep in separate bedrooms (in separate apartments on the upper level).  You're right, the acting really is top notch.