THE COLLABORATION Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/29/22 at 12:00am

Our final Broadway opening of 2022 is The Collaboration, written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah. Previews begin tomorrow night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre before a December 20 official opening. Paul Bettany, Jeremy Pope, Krysta Rodriguez, and Erik Jensen make up the cast of this new play, which will play a limited run through January 22.

As previously announced, Tuesday nights and Sunday matinees through December 30 will serve as mask-required performances.

“In the summer of 1984, longtime international superstar Andy Warhol and the art scene’s newest wunderkind, Jean-Michel Basquiat, agree to work together on what may be the most talked about exhibition in the history of modern art. But can these two creative giants co-exist, or even thrive? The stage is their canvas in this sizzling tour-de-force by Anthony McCarten, directed by the acclaimed Kwame Kwei-Armah.”

Who’s going?

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/29/22 at 8:10am

Very much looking forward to this!

"As previously announced, Tuesday nights and Sunday matinees through December 30 will serve as mask-required performances."

I also saw this on Telecharge and was left scratching my head. Is there an alternate? Or are they seeing it as giving cautious audience members some times they can see it without much worry?

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/29/22 at 8:37am

I think the latter.  Offering a couple of mask-required performances a week seems like a nice compromise that might bring in patrons who otherwise would be less likely to attend a show. 

I just bought tickets for Into the Woods at Signature Theatre in DC and they require masks for several performances each week.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 11/29/22 at 10:35am

Definitely. I know people, especially people in the "non-profit demographic," who still would really like to wear masks or won't go to shows without them. It's not a lot, but it's enough of the non-profit demographic to do some performances with masks. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 9:59pm

GiantsInTheSky2, can you please paste your first preview review onto this thread?

And did anyone else go tonight?

Updated On: 11/30/22 at 09:59 PM

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 10:26pm

Absolutely! Not sure how I forgot about this thread (that I’ve already posted in) or why it didn’t come up in my Search…nevertheless!

Just got out of the (pushed back) first preview. Absolutely incredible, and I cannot wait for the film adaptation next year. 

Jeremy Pope is earning a Tony with this. Krysta Rodriguez was a nice surprise (I knew she had left ITW but didn’t realize she was in this)! Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this (in the best way).

Very moving, incredibly thought provoking. Really cool design and they use live camera feed like they did for the WSS revival - except this time it actually adds something. Go see it. Asap. 

PS the staff at the theater are lovely, just had to give them a shout out. Especially the man (meant to get his name) working at the stage door, he really was great especially with the over-excited crowd. 

Edit to add: The ONLY note I have is that I wish the actors could be amplified to some extent. The first act was on the quieter side and act two was actually a lot better, but with some of the blocking you have actors turning upstage that muffled lines for a second.

I can’t wait to go back and bring friends. I think even the non-Broadway goer would really enjoy it.

Updated On: 11/30/22 at 10:26 PM

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 11:26pm

This is awesome news, thanks so much for sharing. Had some friends there who posted playbill pics/vids and it looked like the pre-show was sooo cool.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

One of them mentioned that the on-stage DJ is live. Can you confirm??

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 11:47pm

That was utilized in the London production so yes

[Voter]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:40am

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Absolutely! Not sure how I forgot about this thread (that I’ve already posted in) or why it didn’t come up in my Search…nevertheless!

Just got out of the (pushed back) first preview. Absolutely incredible, and I cannot wait for the film adaptation next year.

Jeremy Pope is earning a Tony with this. Krysta Rodriguez was a nice surprise (I knew she had left ITW but didn’t realize she was in this)! Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this (in the best way).

Very moving, incredibly thought provoking. Really cool design and they use live camera feed like they did for the WSS revival - except this time it actually adds something. Go see it. Asap.

PS the staff at the theater are lovely, just had to give them a shout out. Especially the man (meant to get his name) working at the stage door, he really was great especially with the over-excited crowd.

Edit to add: The ONLY note I have is that I wish the actors could be amplified to some extent. The first act was on the quieter side and act two was actually a lot better, but with some of the blocking you have actors turning upstage that muffled lines for a second.

I can’t wait to go back and bring friends. I think even the non-Broadway goer would really enjoy it."


Really glad you enjoyed it. This one is on my list. I really want to see it. On the Telecharge website, it states there are gunshots in this production. I don’t like gunshots that come out of nowhere. Is the gunshot a sound effect? Or does the actual actor pull the trigger and blank comes out?

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 7:55am

Re: Gunshot - this is a sound effect made offstage from behind the set, and from where I was sitting (directly under the first row mezz) it was quiet enough that I wondered if it was a gunshot or just general loud noise. The second one sounded more like a prop gun. Just like the dialogue, it’s not amplified out into the house. It comes from an offstage altercation. 

The DJ was really fun! People throughout the orchestra were dancing before the show and during intermission.

[BMcGregor]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 9:28am

Any idea how long the runtime was? 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 9:35am

BMcGregor said: "Any idea how long the runtime was?"

Approximately two hours, including a 15-minute intermission (according to the MTC website). 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 10:37am

DiscoCrows said: "This is awesome news, thanks so much for sharing. Had some friends there who posted playbill pics/vids and it looked like the pre-show was sooo cool.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

One of them mentioned that the on-stage DJ is live. Can you confirm??

"

Love to see pics / vids 

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:18pm

Seeing this next week and very excited! Any pics/videos to share? Otherwise, would love to hear about how the first previews are going...

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:19pm

Also, I thought the first preview was cancelled due to COVID but now I see that it went on anyway?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:26pm

MimiJudith said: "Also, I thought the first preview was cancelled due to COVID but now I see that it went on anyway?"

The 11/29 preview was cancelled. First preview was on 11/30 instead. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:36pm

I honestly wish I had taken a photo or video of the house. Two screen on the sides of the proscenium and just all around a really neat set design. 

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/1/22 at 1:43pm

I'd love to hear more about the set design!

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 12:18am

What a boring night out.  It's not good nor bad -just boring. 

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 9:15am

Oh boy, not what I wanted to hear! Seeing this on Wednesday... can you elaborate?

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 9:43am

Saw this last night and thought it was good not great. The play itself is fine and interesting enough I guess but really serves as a showcase for two incredible performances. And boy, these performances are incredible and it’s really great watching two great actors who are visibly having fun working with each other. One of the two will almost be certainly walking away with that Tony. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 1:03pm

I saw this over the weekend too. I didn't enjoy it or think it was good at all. Pope's performance was the only thing that made it worthwhile.

The first act is a relentlessly talky slog that goes nowhere. (Afterward I read some reviews of the London production and was gratified to see it described as such by several critics.) After the opening scenes where their mutual agent contrives to make them work together, it really is just the two of them in Warhol's studio sniping at each other. The conversation circles around and around without going anywhere or revealing anything about interesting about either character. Not knowing much about either artist, I was surprised to learn that Warhol and Basquiat had nothing but contempt for each other and their work. I was even more surprised to read up a bit on their relationship afterward and find that wasn't the case, so I'm not sure why the play portrays it that way, or why it was so damn boring. I honestly was fighting to keep my eyes open in the first act.

The second act is at least livelier. Things...actually happen. We also get histrionics and soul-baring confessions, so the conversations actually seem to go somewhere (even if it is into melodrama). Did I buy into most of it? Not really. But I had no trouble staying awake, so that was an improvement.

I guess it's nice that Rodriguez got another Broadway credit, even though it's a nothing role that could have been played by just about any actress (and she's not that great in it...). I also don't think the "live feed" we're viewing supposedly from what Warhol is shooting is really live; what was being projected didn't always match what was really happening.

If you're dying to see these actors live, it may be worthwhile. Otherwise, it's really not.

[kurtal]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 1:14pm

I was *also* there last night and will add my voice to the chorus of mixed reviews.

Jeremy Pope is stellar as Basquiat.  Paul Bettany is very good (if not mind-blowing) as Andy Warhol.  Erik Jensen gives a solid performance in a thankless role as Bruno.  Krysta Rodriguez was.... acting in a different play than everyone else.  

My biggest issues were with the writing. It was just so clunky and predictable. There were some lines that I audibly laughed at because they were just so cliche.  There were some moving moments, but I definitely felt that 3/4 of the cast was performing well above what the mediocre text required.  

It was just... HERE IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THESE TWO PEOPLE rather than letting the two main characters breathe and exist organically and allowing audience members to develop their own perspectives.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 10:11pm

Count me as one who really enjoyed this. Pope is stellar in everything I’ve seen him do. I hope he gets another nomination for this. Bettany was not quite as stellar, but he was still very good. Krysta Rodriguez is almost non-existent, so it’s fascinating to me that she went from Cinderella to this. I mean, she has a natural 80s vibe and perhaps that’s fun for her, but the character is not necessary. I did enjoy the few moments with the manager.

The story itself isn’t filled with action or adventure. It’s two lost souls who find themselves in art and form a connection because of that. It’s at the heart of what those actors are doing onstage, so it felt real and raw.

Someone asked about the set design, so it’s really just two city apartments where they work and one gallery at the beginning. There are a few screens around the stage with images of other NYC apartments or billboards. Before the show starts, there is a DJ onstage playing hits from the 80s. There’s a Mondrian-type glass ceiling and a graffiti wall where the DJ stands. Images of the city are projected center stage.

Seems like this board is split, but I thoroughly enjoyed my two hours with these creatives.

 

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 12/10/22 at 9:28pm

I’m not sure how to post photos here but I did post one on Reddit now. I saw the matinee today. I enjoyed it a lot. Act 1 is a lot of rambling but it moved very quickly. Act 2 was more intense. Re: the gun shot, it’s very quick and plays well in the scene (no gun is visible, it’s a background noise). Act 2 has the real time camera work which was really neat as well. 
 

The mezz was basically empty today. Which is odd because when I tried to move my seat, the show was showing as sold out on Telecharge. Perhaps a tour group had the bulk of mezz and couldn’t attend? Or did other shows have an empty mezz too? I’m actually surprised names alone ( Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany ) aren’t selling out this show. 
 

reddit photo : https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/zi82sk/the_collaboration_very_empty_mezz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

 

edit: Apparently the empty mezz is because of it being bought out for a school group but not many people at the school group attended. Makes sense now!! Idk how you don’t go to a free Broadway show when it’s offered but anyway.. 

Updated On: 12/11/22 at 09:28 PM