| 'Poor Behavior' indeed | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 08:30 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| Horrid people behaving badly, for 2 hours. Well acted and well directed. There is no lesson here, despite the SPOILER 'Lady or the Tiger' ending. My basic impulse was to yell at the characters to shut up, or call them rude names. Do we need another story about the amoral 'bad boy' babe magnet? Really? Or a play when any of 4 characters - well 3 - could stop the downward spiral by calling a spade a spade on maybe page 8. Or 12. Or 15. Or 23. Or 45. Or 60. Ms. Rebeck likes to provoke - maybe that was the purpose of SMASH after all, to piss us all off and lose a lot of money for NBC - but this sometimes funny, always unsavory unhappy play is not something that I found entertaining or worth a 'new play' slot in a major off Broadway theatre company. Oh well. Onward. (OK RYHOG - attack!) | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 12:17 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | 'Poor Behavior' indeed - NewtonUK 08:30 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| >> My basic impulse was to yell at the characters to shut up, or call them rude names. oddly, this is the most interesting thing anyone has ever said about her. i don't think she's an awful playwright (there's something to be said for genuinely awful) just vastly overrated. if she wrote something that could elicit that kind of response in me i'd do a complete re-evaluation of her work. i don't expect that to happen. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed | |
| Posted by: | RDavidS 10:36 am EDT 08/16/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed - enoch10 12:17 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| Each time I decide to take another chance on a Rebeck play, I end up regretting it. How does she command the attention she gets? She seems to get worse with each play. This one is a new low. | |
| Link | Poor Behavior |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | MichaelAS 09:44 am EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | 'Poor Behavior' indeed - NewtonUK 08:30 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| People behaving ridiculously can be VERY entertaining!. Is it a GREAT play? absolutely NOT! Is it a funny, crazy, silly, ugly and off-pitting 2 hours of entertainment? YES! And I enjoyed EVERY minute. These folks are REAL & if you have none in your life (or never have met anyone like them) then you are fortunate and also a little deprived of the knowing the pure joy of having the LEAVE! Exhausting folks yet exhilarating at the same time. These actors were (ALL FOUR) amazing and got the tone EXACTLY right. Great design as well. Pure silly obnoxious FUN! And we do live in NYC, don't we? There's a reason for all life force going off at all times and in all kinds of crazy directions. Excatly the kind of plays Primary Stages (as well as other adventurous theatre companies) SHOULD be producing! Who needs another "This is our Youth,""You Can't Take it," "Delicate,""Elephant,""Real Thing," OR a "LOVE LETTERS,""FORUM" or "WHOREHOUSE?" Sorry. I had a good time! | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Singapore/Fling 01:16 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - MichaelAS 09:44 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| So... you're saying who needs another great classic play or musical when you can have something second rate instead? Which is like saying who needs another "Chinatown" or "Casablanca" when you can have "Guardians of the Galaxy". I'm glad you enjoyed it, but let's not ask insane questions like who needs another "A Delicate Balance". | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:04 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - Singapore/Fling 01:16 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| It was clear to me that MichaelAS meant who needs another REVIVAL of shows like "You Can't Take it With You," "The Real Thing," "The Elephant Man," etc., as opposed to new plays. Did you misinterpret that? | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | MichaelAS 04:57 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - Michael_Portantiere 02:04 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| EXCATLY. Who need (insert) "TO SEE Another revival of ________________(fill in the blank). The ONLY way to have another great play or musical is to prodcue as many NEW plays & musicals as possible. Give them a chance! Anything new. Bring them on; I'm game! | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 05:05 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - MichaelAS 04:57 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| "The ONLY way to have another great play or musical is to produce as many NEW plays & musicals as possible. Give them a chance! Anything new." Well, I don't fully agree. I actually think it's not a good thing for the theater when truly bad plays receive major productions -- although, of course, what's "truly bad" is in the eye of the beholder! | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Singapore/Fling 03:52 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - Michael_Portantiere 02:04 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| I read it both ways. And in both directions, I don't think he is making the best argument he can, nor do I understand the sentiment. Frankly, I would say you can never have enough revivals of the great plays, particularly when many of them have not been seen in 10+ years. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 04:57 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - Singapore/Fling 03:52 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| "Frankly, I would say you can never have enough revivals of the great plays, particularly when many of them have not been seen in 10+ years." I tend to agree with you. And I would also say that, while of course new works are vital to the health of the theater, I'd much rather see a good revival of a great play than a major production of a new play that's very poorly written, as happens far too often. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | twocents 01:05 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - MichaelAS 09:44 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| Absolutely. And hey, you can't beat the lway low ticket price. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | gad90210 12:45 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - MichaelAS 09:44 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| I'm seeing this tomorrow. So I should feel free to laugh if it strikes me as funny? | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | Gregv212 12:51 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - gad90210 12:45 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
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| Yes, and do so with a lot of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 09:51 am EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed FUNNY! - MichaelAS 09:44 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| Actually I'm looking forward to almost all the revivals you mentioned. But wouldn't run to a revival of Seminar. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 09:42 am EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | 'Poor Behavior' indeed - NewtonUK 08:30 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| The only play I've liked by Rybeck was The Understudy. | |
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| re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed | |
| Posted by: | twocents 01:04 pm EDT 08/15/14 |
| In reply to: | re: 'Poor Behavior' indeed - lowwriter 09:42 am EDT 08/15/14 |
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| She's doing something 99% of playwrights still dream about: getting PAID. My two cents worth: Funny! My jaw hit the floor quite often, but it was a blast to see it all unravel. About ten people left at intermission. Hey, comedy is subjective. | |
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