COST OF LIVING Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/12/22 at 12:00am

The winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Cost of Living begins previews at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre tomorrow night; opening night is set for October 3. Written by Martina Majok and directed by Jo Bonney, the play stars Gregg Mozgala, Katy Sullivan, Kara Young, and David Zayas. Cost of Living plays a limited engagement through October 30.

“Cost of Living is the story of four different people, in four very different circumstances, each trying to get by. Eddie, an unemployed truck driver, reunites with his ex-wife Ani after she suffers a devastating accident. John, a brilliant and witty doctoral student, hires over-worked Jess, a caregiver. As their lives intersect, Majok’s play delves into the chasm between abundance and need and explores the space where bodies — abled and disabled — meet each other.”

Who’s going?

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/12/22 at 12:15am

I'm seeing the first preview 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/13/22 at 9:55pm

Any first preview thoughts, folks? Tonight’s show was at 7, and MTC lists a 100-minute runtime, no intermission. 

Updated On: 9/13/22 at 09:55 PM

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 9/13/22 at 10:32pm

Very curious about this one. Someone just posted about it on the subreddit a minute ago who was there and gave it an absolute knockout review.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/14/22 at 7:51am

Saw the first preview yesterday and absolutely loved every minute of it. Intimate scenes between characters were simply stunning, I can't stop replaying them in my head. The whole cast just blew me away, perfect chemistry between all of them. And as usual,  MTC has a way of using minimalist stage sets very effectively and tastefully. This play is not to be missed!

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 9/14/22 at 9:19pm

gibsons2 said: "Saw the first preview yesterday and absolutely loved every minute of it. Intimate scenes between characters were simply stunning, I can't stop replaying them in my head. The whole cast just blew me away, perfect chemistry between all of them. And as usual, MTC has a way of using minimalist stage sets very effectively and tastefully. This play is not to be missed!"

Can you give a running time? Thanks. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/14/22 at 9:21pm

Matt Rogers said: "gibsons2 said: "Saw the first preview yesterday and absolutely loved every minute of it. Intimate scenes between characters were simply stunning, I can't stop replaying them in my head. The whole cast just blew me away, perfect chemistry between all of them. And as usual, MTC has a way of using minimalist stage sets very effectively and tastefully. This play is not to be missed!"

Can you give a running time? Thanks."

See above — MTC lists a 100-minute runtime, no intermission. 

This being said, last night was first preview, so the show may have gone slightly overlong.

Updated On: 9/14/22 at 09:21 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 9/14/22 at 9:28pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Matt Rogers said: "gibsons2 said: "Saw the first preview yesterday and absolutely loved every minute of it. Intimate scenes between characters were simply stunning, I can't stop replaying them in my head. The whole cast just blew me away, perfect chemistry between all of them. And as usual, MTC has a way of using minimalist stage sets very effectively and tastefully. This play is not to be missed!"

Can you give a running time? Thanks."

See above — MTC lists a 100-minute runtime, no intermission.

This being said, last night was first preview, so the show may have gone slightly overlong."

Sorry missed the other post. Thanks.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 9/14/22 at 10:23pm

Finished at 9pm this evening, so two hours all in.

I liked the show, but didn’t love it. I didn’t like the bookend of the opening monologue and final scene (which went on too long), but the scenes in between were all great focusing on the relationships between the two couples. Very much enjoyed the play.

 

[kurtal]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:49pm

Saw this tonight, and it came in at 1h55 exactly (started at 805, out at 10).  I loved so much of this.  Some beautiful performances, some strong staging, some thought provoking writing.  I agree that the opening and closing scenes were the weakest overall (and felt the most contrived), but they're still very good.  Katy Sullivan was FANTASTIC, easily the single biggest surprise of the show.  Ani and Eddie's relationship felt so lived in.  On the other hand, there were a couple of moments in the relationship between John and Jess that felt a bit inauthentic, but I'm hoping they settle into those scenes as the run progresses.

Honestly, this is a beautiful piece of theatre.  Highly recommended.

[phan24]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 11:15pm

I saw the first preview and agree that it was a very special play, with great performances but most importantly great writing. Highly recommend it!

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 1:25am

Definitely glad I caught this today. Plenty to nitpick but overall a pretty original, engaging work, and what more can I really ask for?

I thought all the performances were great, though the women outshone the men. This originally featured Wendell Pierce and Rebecca Naomi Jones and while both are masters of their craft, what Zayas and Young are doing is very much their own, and after only a few previews, very moving. 

If the playwright has some overarching point/message, it was lost on me somewhat. And Kara Young's character, while perhaps the most layered, is also the most underwritten/mysterious, which is frustrating. The last scene drags on in a way that feels unfair given how crisp/pointed the previous scenes and monologues were. 

But the stark, literally naked rawness here is bracing in the best way. There is one scene that actually made me and 1000 other people GASP, and isnt that what theater should be? 

Updated On: 9/18/22 at 01:25 AM

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 9/18/22 at 9:33am

I absolutely love this play—it’s probably one of my favorites ever. So while I might nitpick I absolutely think people should not miss this.
 

I do feel like right now it’s dragging a lot. Like others have said it came in at close to two hours and I feel like it can be massively paced up.

 

For me, Katy Sullivan and Gregg Mozgala are completely outshining David Zayas and Kara Young, but that could also be because they’ve been with the material for so long and Zayas and Young were only on their…second preview when I saw it, I think whereas the other two have been with these characters for years and you can feel it (in the best way). 

I definitely felt myself wanting more from Young. I feel like she’s very well cast but the character could use more of the fire we saw from her in Halfway Bitches and Clyde’s. Given the circumstances her character is in (which I won’t spoil), it felt very low stakes to me and some of the nuance was lost. However when she lets those moment happens it is moving and often very funny. Hopefully she’ll find it more!

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/24/22 at 5:48pm

I caught the matinee today and I found it to be a good, but not great play. The bookends of the story drag out a little too long and I don’t feel they added to the proceedings in any meaningful way, specifically the ending where we find out how Ani actually dies versus what we saw happen during her final scene

To me, Kara Young was the MVP of the show and I found a lot of the hard-bitten scrappiness she had in Clyde’s though it was more (appropriately) measured here. In terms of physical performance, the way she executed the caregiver duties, specifically the shower scene, was to-the-letter perfect (saying this as a nurse who has done many a bed bath) and like that the show went out of their way to make sure the actor and character were using proper body mechanics since one false move can really mess you up. I also loved her interplay with Gregg Mozala during the whole show.

David Zayas left quite a bit to be desired for me. He has quite a meaty character, but I found myself a bit bored by him and only once or twice did I truly feel chemistry between him and Katy Sullivan (who is excellent in her own right).

Overall, it’s definitely worth a watch since it’s certainly an audacious play and the use of actual disabled actors in the disabled roles made the show feel all the more organic