tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3403470657178105109..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The play that went wrong from the startBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62228282386116625942020-03-16T03:55:46.289-07:002020-03-16T03:55:46.289-07:00Kudos to you dear Ken, for giving us readers an in...Kudos to you dear Ken, for giving us readers an in-depth review of the play “The Perplexed”. I am astounded at your feedback with regards to the play as I have always seen Margaret Colin’s performance to be one-of-its-kind. She is not only intelligent in her acting skills but also knows very well to turn a negative role into a positive one. Andrea Charleshttps://www.bloghasting.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67538802036834428592020-03-11T11:36:05.356-07:002020-03-11T11:36:05.356-07:00Variety liked it a lot:
https://variety.com/2020/...Variety liked it a lot:<br /><br />https://variety.com/2020/legit/reviews/the-perplexed-review-richard-greenberg-1203522349/Dixon Steelenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60268076365624488292020-03-11T11:08:14.474-07:002020-03-11T11:08:14.474-07:00Lynne Meadow obviously liked the play more than yo...Lynne Meadow obviously liked the play more than you did. MTC has produced a bunch of his plays and there's something to be said for loyalty. I can hear you saying, "But what about audience loyalty?". <br /><br />Greenberg's erratic, having written the excellent TAKE ME OUT (about to be revived on Broadway) and I rather liked THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, also produced by MTC. His adaptation of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S was a fizzle.<br /><br />No need to question how long the run will be. It was always scheduled to end March 29.<br /><br />New plays just about always have readings. Did this one I wonder?<br /><br />Dixon Steelenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7953487498068249662020-03-11T04:08:53.901-07:002020-03-11T04:08:53.901-07:00As a curious bystander, with no dog in the fight, ...As a curious bystander, with no dog in the fight, I ask if "Woke politics" gave his game away, did not your reaction give yours away? Again, just curious.Pastorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06528061427710569396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78009527582094931112020-03-10T22:46:48.155-07:002020-03-10T22:46:48.155-07:00Since the play is called, "The Perplexed"...Since the play is called, "The Perplexed" maybe Greenberg intended it to be PERPLEXING.(?) <br /><br />But seriously, it doesn't help my confidence when someone with that much experience cranks out a turkey. Not that everything one writes is going to be gold, but you do have higher expectations from someone like that. <br /><br />I understand your reluctance to criticise people you know. You would think that people at that level would have had more than their fair share of negative reviews in their day. Yet, some are very thin skinned. They don't want to accept it no matter how true and/or accurate the criticism is. Although, it may all come down to credentials. If I said the play is bad he could ignore it. If someone of Ken's stature says it, that's hard to dismiss.<br />M.B. <br /> <br /><br /> Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71451674558951692022020-03-10T20:39:13.173-07:002020-03-10T20:39:13.173-07:00Why do I keep going to the theatre?
Why do I keep ...Why do I keep going to the theatre?<br />Why do I keep going back for more?<br />The question soon arises<br />Just as the curtain rises<br />But by then they've dimmed the lights and closed the doors!Rick Whelanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08219189631582800383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19470617478900336702020-03-10T19:32:51.007-07:002020-03-10T19:32:51.007-07:00Ha! Pat Reeder for the win!Ha! Pat Reeder for the win!Y. Knottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57204150715365951362020-03-10T18:47:18.404-07:002020-03-10T18:47:18.404-07:00Was the play good on paper?Was the play good on paper?Tony.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09568222786360226613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86529174185771926112020-03-10T15:25:14.435-07:002020-03-10T15:25:14.435-07:00Margaret Colin is a wonderful performer. She shoul...Margaret Colin is a wonderful performer. She should be a big TV star, but has never quite been in the right place and at the right time to be a household name. Still, she’s had a career most actors would envy.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56083905764507939692020-03-10T15:21:09.326-07:002020-03-10T15:21:09.326-07:00When I first read that this was a “straight play” ...When I first read that this was a “straight play” I thought in was referencing their sexual orientation. 😱Than I realized he was talking about a non musical. 🤪Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11777496001166356949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68438725962582839102020-03-10T14:17:07.078-07:002020-03-10T14:17:07.078-07:00To Lemuel:
Actually, by zeroing in like an obsess...To Lemuel:<br /><br />Actually, by zeroing in like an obsessed fanatic on two words in a long detailed post and ignoring the rest, you gave your game away with yours. Pat Reederhttp://www.facebook.com/hollywoodhifibooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85507942555889034782020-03-10T12:56:05.155-07:002020-03-10T12:56:05.155-07:00Just like in TV. How many of those "Friends&q...Just like in TV. How many of those "Friends" writers from the first couple of seasons, who went on to land giant development deals simply for being associated with a breakout hit, ever produce anything close to a hit? Track records skip, too. KBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3189915809348621912020-03-10T12:05:47.236-07:002020-03-10T12:05:47.236-07:00Out of curiosity I went to the MTC web site. The r...Out of curiosity I went to the MTC web site. The reviews they posted were indicative of how poorly the play was received. The set was praised as were the costumes and the lighting.By coincidence, THE GERMAN PLAY was staged about two blocks from this play. Sounds like those of us who saw your play laughed more in 15 minutes than those who spent 150 minutes watching The Perplexed.scottmcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8494063223038514142020-03-10T11:28:43.927-07:002020-03-10T11:28:43.927-07:00OT: Mart Crowley, who wrote THE BOYS IN THE BAND,...OT: Mart Crowley, who wrote THE BOYS IN THE BAND, has died at age 84. The obituary in the Guardian notes, "Crowley wrote the play while working as an assistant to Natalie Wood, who became a close friend. The title was taken from a line in the Judy Garland iteration of A STAR IS BORN."<br /><br />A Netflix version is in production starring Zachary Quinto and Jim Parsons from the recent Broadway revival.Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70993119584502076422020-03-10T11:09:42.611-07:002020-03-10T11:09:42.611-07:00I confess that I feel the same every fall when I w...I confess that I feel the same every fall when I watch pilot season. I treat it almost like fantasy baseball season.<br /><br />First, I read the descriptions / loglines for the new shows. Even without the remakes, there are some that are absolutely ridiculous, have already been done in other forms, and the premise never worked. Based on the premise, knowing nothing of the actors or actresses involved, I try to predict renewal or cancellation. <br /><br />Second, I watch the premieres. Rarely do I change my prediction, and I don't go into it remembering my prediction, I just watch it cold. Often I don't even remember the premise from my first initial review back in September before the premiere in October sometime. Just that it is a new show.<br /><br />I'm surprised by how many are "mess" from the description and "bigger mess" in the pilot, and yet the dang thing got made and there are another 8-10 episodes coming before someone reviews it and says, "WTF did we greenlight?".<br /><br />Each year I also do the same with local plays. We have our national Cdn arts centre, and most of the time I pass on their English Theatre series. A little too much social relevance in the screening criteria, but I have hopes occasionally for something more commercially friendly. They have Broadway tours, but over done usually. Once in awhile they'll do something a bit different in style -- one was "jazz noir / gangster" and it was amazing, but hard to describe. Jazz themes, series of scenes intercutting the music?<br /><br />Then I go through 5 different semi-professional and amateur playhouses. With 6 orchestral shows, a comedy outing, and two music outings, I still came up with 8 other plays to see. Most are decent, if amateur.<br /><br />The only time I was like "WTF" was a bad casting of an Agatha Christie where the premise was the beach hotel/inn, regular family gathering, invited son, new wife and the ex-wife. In the play, the premise is new wife is femme fatale that "stole" the son from the dowdy ex-wife. 1 year later, son is having buyer's remorse for the superficial new wife. You meet the ex-wife, and she is gorgeous. Very clear why he might want her; then you meet the new wife, and she's frumpy. No way to see him taking her over his bombshell first wife. Then they introduced the protagonist -- a retired military man, quite sharp, Hercule Poirot without the mannerisms. And he's played like a doddering old fool. Badly too. I left at intermission, something I have never done before. <br /><br />Yet a recent play had four actresses on the stage, and a series of 19 scenes (a Norm Foster golf play)...and the constant exits are painful. Third week of the show, and only one of the four actresses knew her lines. The others flubbed at least twice each -- but to their defence, I suppose, they are amateurs AND there is no continuity between scenes to know which snippet comes next (unlike a normal play). Some scenes don't connect to the others linearly. <br /><br />I like to think even for the bad ones, the people IN THEM knew they were bad. But I suspect some are just happy to be there...?<br /><br />PaulPolyWogghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239033481272527855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11324617514449909352020-03-10T10:34:19.085-07:002020-03-10T10:34:19.085-07:00is a drawing room like a sketch room?is a drawing room like a sketch room?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880646894752760905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6890023014172231982020-03-10T09:46:06.058-07:002020-03-10T09:46:06.058-07:00A COMEDY that runs over TWO AND A HALF HOURS?!??
W...A COMEDY that runs over TWO AND A HALF HOURS?!??<br />Well, I'd imagine you could stop right there.<br />Sitcoms? 30 minutes. Comedic films? Around 90 minutes.<br />Off the top of my head the only REALLY long comedy that works is "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" at an unheard of three hours, twenty five minutes and that only holds because of the gigantic cast of comedic legends.<br />"Leave 'em laughing" is a pretty good rule of comedy, not "I'm really tired of laughing and could use a bathroom break and maybe a nap".<br />Regardless, given the reviews I guess neither of those will even apply here...Dave Wrighteoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10029257345313166383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68798375946528680562020-03-10T09:13:40.057-07:002020-03-10T09:13:40.057-07:00Lemuel
What's wrong with someone pointing out...Lemuel<br /><br />What's wrong with someone pointing out their disdain for the current insanity that is woke politics/social justice warriors/snowflakes, call them what you will. <br /><br />People are sick of it. When you have a student conference in the UK banning clapping because it's "triggering" for some students and instead delegates are told to use jazz hands to show their approval, then satire is well and truly dead. <br /><br />I hope you also realize that if Cheers was made today, it would be savaged by the woke loons. The SJWs would go ballistic over Sam's womanizing for a start. She's a honeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84764067173269842892020-03-10T09:04:11.730-07:002020-03-10T09:04:11.730-07:00I've been a fan of Margaret Colin's since ...I've been a fan of Margaret Colin's since her days as Margo on "As the World Turns." She's an intelligent actor, who makes even the most ill-defined characters fascinating. (Same goes for her husband, Justin Deas, who played Tom on ATWT.) So, it kinda breaks my heart to "hear" she's in a dud of a play. Fortunately, I don't live in NYC anymore, so I can spare myself having to go see it.Rashad Khanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09759671819088688414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61960354872502537512020-03-10T09:00:32.744-07:002020-03-10T09:00:32.744-07:00@ Pat Reeder: "Woke politics". You prett...@ Pat Reeder: "Woke politics". You pretty much gave your game away with this entire post.Lemuelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56971044110079592262020-03-10T08:48:45.429-07:002020-03-10T08:48:45.429-07:00I'm jealous that you're friends with the a...I'm jealous that you're friends with the awesome Margaret Colin. She's a honeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36146431350378137282020-03-10T08:30:12.766-07:002020-03-10T08:30:12.766-07:00> When the lights went up for intermission some...> When the lights went up for intermission someone in my row called out “This is a mess!”<br /><br />Was it you?<br />Steely Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47661965692994101872020-03-10T07:12:14.480-07:002020-03-10T07:12:14.480-07:00A few years ago, Laura and I were judges for a Dal...A few years ago, Laura and I were judges for a Dallas theater awards organization, which required us to see all eligible non-musical plays produced by member companies. This review brought back so many bad memories of plays that were overlong, pointless, pretentious, frustrating and boring; that had the playwright's woke politics shoehorned inappropriately into the dialogue; that were deliberately oblique ('cause that's artsy!); that had anything interesting take place off-stage, etc. etc. The only way I was able to survive some of them was by rewriting them in my head while I was watching them. But at least most of these plays had the excuse of being by young writers or experimental theater festivals, not by the Manhattan Theater Club. <br /><br />On the other hand, they did try to warn you with the title. Pat Reederhttp://www.facebook.com/hollywoodhifibooknoreply@blogger.com