I saw this at the Atlantic Theatre last year. So glad it’s been able to finally get to Broadway. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and won’t talk too much about the plot but, no spoiler since it is Martin McDonagh, you know it’s going to be a little dark and twisted. I am a fan of McDonagh and even though some of his plays are not quite my cup of tea (I’m talking to you Behanding in Spokane and Lieutenant if Inishmore), I really enjoyed this.
I see there are some new cast members and a handful of holdovers from the Atlantic production, this will be a good night of theater and I hope this does well on Broadway. I’m here for my winter theater trip and will just miss this in previews but can’t wait to hear reaction to it on here.
I think "meh" is the perfect descriptor for this play. The book just doesn't have much zip to it, so you get a mildly interesting story that is well-acted on a great set.
Saw the second preview performance tonight and loved it. Funny, scary, twisted, and surprising at every turn. I think a lot of the cast are holdovers from the West End, which explains why they're so polished so early in the run, but Dan Stevens is new, and he is fantastic, as is Mark Eddy. Both should be in Tony contention (both seem like leads, but they would probably try to put Stevens up as featured if they had to).
And just to second what somebody else mentioned above, the set design is stunning. I've seen the last four shows at the Golden, and they all managed to work well with what seems like a pretty confined stage space. But "Hangmen" works absolute magic. The very first scene change is incredible.
CopleyScott17 said: "And just to second what somebody else mentioned above, the set design is stunning. I've seen the last four shows at the Golden, and they all managed to work well with what seems like a pretty confined stage space. But "Hangmen" works absolute magic. The very first scene change is incredible."
!!!!
Stunning! Best set design I've seen this season tbh.
I saw the second preview, too. Freezing night, late opening of the house, and a performance that felt like weeks into a run. The holdovers - especially Mark Addy, are superb. Of the new, Tracie Bennett, a bit old for Alice (though it decidedly adds to the poignancy of the emotional ride of act two) is wonderful. Her accent is hard to understand at first but she finds the perfect blend of pathos and black comedy.
The news is Dan Stevens, giving a star performance in arguably the play’s richest, if most ambiguous role. He already fully inhabits the Orton-esque Mooney with an insinuating gravitas, a charismatic predator with the style of a swinging sixties player. Startling for a second performance.
The production’s vertically shifting design - enhanced by naturalistic atmospherics - rain and sun through opaque windows - is immediate and gorgeous in the snug Golden. Get ready to a assaulted by two and a half hours of herbal smoke; yet the pub environment dictates its omnipresence.
Row H on the aisle - house seats! - TDF. Gotta love TDF.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
I saw this tonight via rush ($39 and I was second row. Stage isn’t high so was a perfect view)
I loved it! I love his style of writing, so I was on board. Audience ate it up. Steven is fantastic! The whole team is fantastic! Great ensemble show. Def recommend!
Fantastic design!
For those of you who saw it at the Atlantic how’d they fit such a massive design in that tiny space?
SouthernCakes said: "I saw this tonight via rush ($39 and I was second row. Stage isn’t high so was a perfect view)
I loved it! I love his style of writing, so I was on board. Audience ate it up. Steven is fantastic! The whole team is fantastic! Great ensemble show. Def recommend!
Fantastic design!
For those of you who saw it at the Atlantic how’d they fit such a massive design in that tiny space? "
It actually fit quite nicely at the Atlantic. I think the fact that it clearly pushed the limits of the stage made it that much more atmospheric and real in some ways as it could almost overwhelm the audience. The only downside was the transition from scene one to scene two which given the lack of fly space at Atlantic took a very long time and somewhat killed the momentum from the beginning.
My first question was going to be how was stage at Atlantic Thanks for answering Saw this tonite and really liked it. But I can see how it can be divisive. I heard some snoring from audience The scenic design was outstanding . Had no idea that Golden stage was so big. Also, can we just give the Tony to Dan Stevens now. He was amazing I have seen him on London stage and broadway and this is first time that he blew me away. The cast is generally good. I would assume that they would push Mark addy as the lead also curious in what they drink as beer, since dan basically chugs it nonstop in a scene
I saw it last night. Curious how those who saw this and earlier productions including at Atlantic felt about this one. I was moderately entertained but was disappointed. I have liked his earlier work (especially the pillow man). But this just seemed...half baked.
SouthernCakes said: "Oh they actually flew that large set piece out at the Atlantic? Interesting! Loved the design and loved the show! Love dark comedy!"
Sorry, no, it didn't fly out at Atlantic--I meant that since they didn't have the technology to be able to fly it or automate the move of it better, it resulted in about a 2-3 minute scene change with the crew having to come out and physically move all of the walls and other scenery off the stage. So it sort of killed the momentum that had built in that first scene (which they of course recovered from, but still, almost felt like a brief hiccup early on).
Was at the show last night. I went in pretty blind (did not see it at ATC or London) - I'll be honest, I went for Dan Stevens.
As someone posted earlier, overall, it's "meh". I'm glad I saw it, but am not going to put it at the top of my recommendations list. A few people around me left at intermission - a mistake, because Act II was much better. The wordiness of it without going anywhere is what bored me. A bunch of men in a small-town pub drinking and talking? Yeah, not the most attention grabbing. I also want to know what they are drinking LOL - I hope they have bathrooms in the wings for everyone.
Now, the good parts for me... that set design - WOW! Easy Tony nod, I'd be happy with a win. Very cool! Dan Stevens steals the show with that off-kilter did-he/didn't-he fun.