I'M REVOLTING at Atlantic Theater Company

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/25/22 at 3:16pm

Haven't seen any talk about it on here, but this Knud Adams-directed world premiere by Gracie Gardner stars Gabby Beans and Patrick Vaill, among others. Performances begin on September 8, and Access25 seats are on sale now.

https://playbill.com/article/gabby-beans-alicia-pilgrim-patrick-vaill-more-to-star-in-im-revolting-off-broadway-at-atlantic-theater-company

[gibsons2]

Posted: 8/26/22 at 12:14am

I'm seeing the first preview on September 8. Looking forward to see Patrick Vaill again, for the first time since Oklahoma.

Updated On: 8/26/22 at 12:14 AM

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 8/29/22 at 8:59pm

I've read this play. It's very strong but I imagine will be quite difficult to stage. Mostly I'm glad Gracie Gardner is getting her major off-Broadway debut. She's definitely a writer to watch.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/30/22 at 10:47pm

Definitely getting tickets to this!  Curious to hear about the first preview next week

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/8/22 at 8:56pm

gibsons2 said: "I'm seeing the first preview on September 8. Looking forward to see Patrick Vaill again, for the first time since Oklahoma."

Bumping for a reaction, if you still went tonight.

 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/9/22 at 1:44pm

TaffyDavenport said: "gibsons2 said: "I'm seeing the first preview on September 8. Looking forward to see Patrick Vaill again, for the first time since Oklahoma."

Bumping for a reaction, if you still went tonight.

"

I went. Although, I do understand that it was a first preview, I thought the some actors struggled to fully define and live their characters and some situations felt really forced and almost not believable. In such an intimate theater space, this disconnect becomes even more visible... Overall, I do not recommend this play and thankful that it was only 1.5 hours long.

Updated On: 9/9/22 at 01:44 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:03am

I was very disappointed by what I felt was a lack of solid thematic focus and also I thought there was way too much unearned banality. It tried to be funny but came up short and at the same time some people will squirm at the subject matter. I am not recommending it either.

[WindyWendy]

Posted: 9/10/22 at 12:51pm

I have to disagree with the other two posters - I saw it last night and really enjoyed it. It was a little tentative (I think only the 2nd preview?) but I found it interesting and engaging and laughed out loud throughout. I do recommend it, maybe wait a little later in the run til they get their sea legs? I had read the first negative post before seeing it last night and was worried it would be terrible, and left so relieved because I truly thought it was terrific! 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 2:05pm

I was supposed to see this tomorrow night but received an email that the performance is canceled.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 2:31pm

It was cancelled all weekend, as well. I'm assuming it's COVID related.

[mattmarkowski99]

Posted: 9/20/22 at 2:56pm

If anyone is interested in a timeline of the closed performances, I had first for last Wednesday, but the performance was cancelled and my friend was able to see it last Tuesday. So they’ve been cancelling performances since last Wednesday.

[jenn328]

Posted: 9/23/22 at 1:19pm

so are you saying it is canceled for this upcoming weekend, 9/24-9/25?  No one there answers when I call.

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 3:42pm

Folks who saw the first preview of I’M REVOLTING: was Portia in the cast?
 

The role of Denise is now played by Patrice Johnson Chevannes - new title page insert in the Playbill and all - who was still on book during today’s matinee, so I’m curious when this switch happened. 

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 9/25/22 at 12:14am

Anakela said: "The role of Denise is now played by Patrice Johnson Chevannes - new title page insert in the Playbill and all - who was still on book during today’s matinee, so I’m curious when this switch happened."

I saw this Friday night. Before the show, Artistic Director Neil Pepe came out and announced that the new actress had just arrived last Tuesday. I thought she did fine even with script in hand. It took me a while to realize that’s what she was holding. I thought it was a prop. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 2:21am

Just caught this and while i don't explicitly disagree with the first couple of posters, I don't come down as negatively overall. i found it overall fairly middling, not necessarily a waste of time, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see it if you have limited show slots.  i thought the opening and closing scenes with Jonathan and Denise were the most interesting but the rest of the characters never really established themselves as people I was interested in, with the exception of Anna (played by Gabby Beans), and by virtue of proximity, her sister Reggie.  if anything, this really showed me how much of an engaging actress I found Gabby Beans to be, especially after Skin of Our Teeth. 

 

The thing with this play though, is that nothing happens, which can be okay in some plays, but the characters just aren't interesting enough for me to care about what happens to them, and though on paper the stakes seem high, it never actually feels that way.  There always seemed to be a bit of a disconnect between the amount of suspense the characters should be feeling and the suspense the audience actually felt, and the small moments of personal tragedy never felt that tragic to me.  it was strange too, because I felt that the rest of the audience kept laughing in places I didn't think were particularly funny while I would laugh at places very few others did so I don't know if the disconnect was just there for me.

i do think Patrice Johnson Chevannes did an excellent job as Denise--she seemed calm and self-assured and everything I would want in a doctor when dealing with something like skin cancer.  There was a moment when she was explaining a procedure and had to start again while looking at the script, but other than that I don't think she utilized the script at all (though she did carry it around with her every time she was on stage).

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 9:58am

I saw the first preview of I'm Revolting on Sept. 8, and I believe I did see Portia. She played the main doctor. I thought she was excellent.

I can't say I really enjoyed the play, since it is a depressing subject in a setting that everyone tries to avoid spending a lot of time in. But I don't agree with the poster who said that "nothing happens." I'll put the rest in spoiler mode:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

One of the patients has to have her eye removed because of cancer, and while she is having it done, her spouse exits the waiting room, abandoning her.

I think the performances were consistently good, although because of the play's construction, the characters as a group interact only minimally. So there are long stretches when the actors are just sitting there, waiting for treatment. I think the play seeks to explore what happens when people are faced with adversity: Some go low, some go high, and we see both here.

 

Updated On: 9/26/22 at 09:58 AM

[Valentina3]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 10:00am

Every time I see this thread, my gut instinct goes "GOOD FOR YOU!" followed by "Wait, revolting about what?"

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 6:51pm

I saw this and enjoyed it a lot. Posted my thoughts on TikTok here: 

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRujPvKA/

One thing I’ll add: I’ve seen several people criticize the show for not knowing what it’s trying to say, but I completely disagree. I thought it’s themes were pretty compelling, and woven together effectively. To me this was a show about gray areas of different kinds: the  moral grey areas in medicine, the grey areas of how trustworthy doctors are, the grey area between comedy and tragedy, between health and cosmetics, between being total strangers in a waiting room vs. having each others’ back, because they’re in the same boat, between the seriousness of skin cancer vs. it’s treat-ability. And the limbo of not knowing when it’ll come back. I can understand if people didn’t vibe with it, or found it to be tackling too much. But to me Gardner seemed to know exactly what she was doing. 

[kurtal]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 10:12pm

I really loved this show.  I think it had a clear point of view but also left enough room for its audience to draw its own conclusions.  Well written, well acted, well staged.  Highly recommended.

And Gabby Beans was FANTASTIC!

[kwoc91]

Posted: 10/7/22 at 7:35am

I really enjoyed this as well, aside from the stupid mirrored set. Can we please retire that gimmick?