Making a last-minute trip to New York in a week. I already have tickets for My Fair Lady, and I plan to rush What The Constitution Means to Me, leaving me with three more slots available. I've followed these boards long enough to know that these threads often just become fans shilling out their favorite shows, so I'm going to provide a little context for the shows I'm considering:
ALL MY SONS - I love the play and these actors, but from what I've read, it seems like just your typical solid production of this show, and if that's the case, I'm less enthusiastic to see a play I've seen before and will surely see again. I was more excited when Gregory Mosher was set to direct this production.
BURN THIS - Again, I love the play and the cast. I've heard that Keri Russell is a weak link--is she prohibitively so? I've never seen the play staged, and I imagine Adam Driver is wonderful.
CRADLE WILL ROCK - Another show I really love but have never seen staged. I know reviews were mixed, but most of the reviews seemed lukewarm toward the material itself. Do you think someone who already likes the material will like this production, or are the flaws in the production itself?
GARY - I was not a big fan of the playwright's HIR, but I love dark humor and this cast, so I would be willing to give this a chance.
INK - I know this show was well-reviewed, but I don't know much else about it. I live in a major theatre city where I imagine this play will be produced soon enough... is this production great enough that I should see it now?
OKLAHOMA - I'm very interested in this production--my only concern is the lack of low-priced tickets. Surely the lottery isn't something that can be counted on, but have they been regularly offering standing room lately?
Before people jump in with other suggestions, these are really the only shows I'm considering right now, unless there's some great must-see off-Broadway drama I overlooked (I wish I could see OCTET but it's already sold out for the dates I'll be in town, and sadly FAIRVIEW won't start previews until after I'm gone). There are many shows I have already seen either on previous trips (MOCKINGBIRD, FERRYMAN) or in out-of-town tryouts (TOOTSIE, CHER, PRETTY WOMAN), and there are shows I really have little interest in (HADESTOWN, THE PROM, NETWORK...).
All this is to say, if the likelihood of me seeing other productions of these plays in the future is very high, which of these shows do you feel won't be the same in another production?
Thanks for your help. I'm sorry if some of this comes off as a little passive-aggressive as that's not my intention, I just want to provide information about what it is that I'm looking for because I've noticed that the threads that provide the most context are usually the ones with the most helpful suggestions.
I really enjoyed Burn This largely because of Driver and Uranowitz. Kerri Russell doesn’t take away from the show and in terms of seeing this somewhere else, you won’t get to see a cast like this again.
Oklahoma is great in my opinion. I saw it largely because it’s in the round. If it tours there is no way they’ll be able to stage it the same way. The other benefit with that theatre is that there really isn’t a bad seat in the house so to find a cheap seat won’t detract from the experience. When I saw it last week there were SRO seats. It’s selling very well so I would think the chances of there being SRO tickets is good.
Just a side note, I didn’t think Hadestown would be in my wheelhouse but it was brilliant.
The only one I've seen from your list is Ink, which I'll say is a fantastic production of a decent play. The play itself is interesting, but doesn't say much that you wouldn't learn from a quick Google search about the events that happened. But the production values are incredible and the cast is brilliant, so if it sounds like something that interests you, I would definitely recommend seeing this production.
Also, having not seen it, I'd recommend Cradle Will Rock if the show interests you, simply because it's very rare to see a production of it (especially an off-Broadway caliber production).
As someone who will see five plays before I see one musical (which, you might be as well based on your options?) it really is a shame that you're not interested in Hadestown. Easily my favorite original musical since Hamilton. But, ANYWAY.
All My Sons: You're dead on. Poorly directed, un-inventive production, but the words still come through. I LOVE this script and had a great experience watching it despite the production. I'm also a huge fan of Letts and Benning. I'd put this in your back pocket in case whatever you decide on doesn't work out.
Gary: I really enjoyed it, but this is a big risk. I don't begrudge anyone who didn't enjoy it so I have difficulty recommending it. Very absurdist: monotony & repetition mixed with excessive potty humor and the occasional glimmer of political-societal intrigue.
Burn This: Driver is extraordinary. His performance is spectacle in and of itself and makes this a very interesting revival of a dated script. I'd recommend this before All My Sons, simply because Driver is doing something so inventive that can't be replicated. I wouldn't call Russell a deterrent, more so that she's very neutral; not really bringing anything to the table.
Ink: The production value here is fantastic, but I found the play itself to be unbearably dull. Again, I don't begrudge anyone who feels differently. I can certainly see the value in Ink, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Oklahoma: Again, I'll see a play before I see a musical 6 days out of 7, but this was dynamite. I would especially recommend this production to those who have studied performance theory. Could not be more inventive and could not do more to give purists the middle finger. I was able to snag SRO 30 minutes prior to curtain on a Tuesday and there seemed to be plenty more SRO spots available in the house. That was prior to Tony nominations though.
If you were to ask me which of these shows I enjoyed the most, I would have to say Oklahoma. It's also, by far, the most unique production out of these that won't be replicated in touring/regional venues.
Thank you for all the helpful input coming so quickly, everyone! Especially your details 52889j!
I will add that the reason I'm not interested in Hadestown is that I listened to the off-Broadway album and did not like the writing. I'm not just making some assumptions based on what I understand the show to be, I gave the material a chance, and it didn't do much for me. I've listened to other songs since then and watched their Today Show performance, along with the show clips, and I had the same underwhelmed response.
At this point, I'm leaning toward Oklahoma and Burn This for 2/3 slots, and it's the last show that's really up in the air.
joined:9/16/17
joined:
9/16/17
Posted: 5/7/19 at 3:49pm