| THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run | |
| Posted by: | AC126748 02:28 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Produced by Scott Rudin, with cast intact. This could be a Tony season game-changer. | |
| Link | http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/humans-will-migrate-broadway-834857 |
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| what is the booth being held for | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 04:03 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run - AC126748 02:28 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Surprised that Helen Hayes is mentioned as theater although dames grosses look like it will be available in Jan. But is booth being held for a Lincoln center theater spring production--booth and belasco usually house lct shows. | |
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| re: what is the booth being held for | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 04:16 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | what is the booth being held for - dramedy 04:03 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| The Booth "usually house[s] LCT shows"? In the past ten years, it's had three LCT productions out of a total of 17. | |
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| you know what I meant | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 05:41 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: what is the booth being held for - MikeR 04:16 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| If lct uses a Broadway house because the Beaumont has a long engagement show, the two theaters usually booked are belasco or booth. Bridge is at Lyceum, but that is a commercial production that lct joined similar to clybourne park at Kerr. | |
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| Actually, I didn't, so thanks for the clarification (nm) | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 05:44 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | you know what I meant - dramedy 05:41 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| . | |
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| The Booth has HUGHIE... | |
| Posted by: | WayTooBroadway 04:21 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: what is the booth being held for - MikeR 04:16 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| ...starring Forest Whitaker. Or so I heard. I suppose official announcement will be coming soon. | |
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| re: THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run | |
| Posted by: | mamaleh 03:01 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run - AC126748 02:28 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Glad this play--especially with the wonderful Houdyshell et. al.--will have a life after its Roundabout run. I truly enjoyed it. | |
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| Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run - AC126748 02:28 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| ... considering the early feedback here was that it was awful... | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | Jackson 05:54 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I thought it was awful, too! Maybe a lot of re-writing took place during previews. J | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | Chuck 01:57 pm EDT 10/28/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - Jackson 05:54 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| as we say in England "that's what makes vanilla and chocolate" I thought this was a terrible play, caught it in final previews, was a big fan of his previous work. | |
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| Not ME! TOOT! TOOT! TOOT! I LOVED it!!!nm | |
| Posted by: | MichaelAS 05:27 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| nm | |
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| Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 05:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| This fascinates me as well. I may be wrong, but I've seldom seen a consensus among the august members of this board get a show wrong. By "getting wrong" I mean misrepresent an anticipated critical response, not necessarily deliver a definitive verdict on quality, because that isn't possible. Yes, we have outliers (and out liars) with every production. But the preview period for "The Humans" inspired some of the most disappointed posts -- in some cases outright negative -- I've read here in a decade. I was such a fan of "Sons of the Prophet," I was dismayed. So Isherwood's rave -- with a mid-October announcement that a better play was unlikely to come along all season, or words to that effect (how odd, six weeks into the season) -- was startling. Yes, we all offer highly subjective opinions here. ("Gigi" anyone?) But we do get a sense of the way the wind is blowing. We have rare pieces that divide -- "The Flicks," even "Hands on a Hardbody." But I have rather consistently read posts over days and weeks of previews here as a solid indicator. Others may disagree. I'll see "The Humans" when it moves, and no doubt ends up on TDF. That's not a value judgment, just a comment on filling a B'way theater with a straight play audience 8 times a week. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | Ann 06:29 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Same reaction exactly. - Delvino 05:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I'm surprised you see it as something at a level not seen in years. There haven't even been all that many posts about it (not enough for any kind of consensus, in my opinion). And some have been very positive. I do think the love for the previous play probably hurts this one. but there have been "follow-up" plays that have done much worse here, although I can't think of a title. And I do think "the wind" changes here from early previews on - much more than happened in the past. As far as the reviews, it wasn't just Isherwood - according to Show-Score, the reviews were predominantly positive and encouraging, a number of them in the NY Times range. Now, the "real people" reviews there are considerably lower, but I don't know how to value that. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 07:17 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - Ann 06:29 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I read with interest your post below that mentioned a generally positive response, and understand that you see all of the posts, not merely those on a given day. I don't cherry pick, to be fair, so my reading isn't a thorough appraisal. Thus I'm now convinced my take-away from the threads was not an ultimate consensus. Still, a couple of us clearly had the impression the show wasn't gaining much traction. I'm pleased for the author, but as you note, maybe (some of) his audience expected something similar to "Prophet." I now feel glad I get to see a play that's had such a powerful reception. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | Ann 07:47 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - Delvino 07:17 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| OK, I went back and checked and counted 9 negative and 7 positive posts; 3 I disregarded because I couldn't tell if they liked it or not. (Also, it seems a couple of the negatives posted more than once.) So, not more positive than negative, but not resoundingly negative. That said, I heard more positive outside of this board, so I guess I had that in my mind. Either way, I don't think there are enough posts to make any kind of point. And I wonder if anything was changed during previews. I do think things look more dire if you're reading about a show you're looking forward to, and the posts are not glowing. At least, that happens to me. Sometimes I am ultimately pleasantly surprised. | |
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| Minor spoilers (perhaps) below | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 08:10 am EST 11/01/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - Ann 07:47 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| At the talkback yesterday, it did sound like a few changes were made during previews with what goes on during the final sequence. It did sound like it might have seemed more surreal or otherworldly or supernatural during early previews than it does now. It still seems a bit like what goes on could be otherworldly, but nothing happens during it that would necessarily demand a supernatural explanation, even if one thing that happens does seem a tiny bit unlikely. If I understood correctly what was said at the talkback, it seems that in earlier drafts of the play, and perhaps even in the draft with which they started rehearsals, there was talk of an actual gargoyle figure on the building that was visible through the upstairs window, and at the end it was going to appear in the window. It sounded like it did appear in the window during early previews, but that was cut. And it sounded like it may have been especially confusing to audiences as by that time earlier discussion of there really being a gargoyle figure there had been cut. At least that's the impression I got from what Reed Birney said at the talkback. At the risk of being repetitive, since I already said this in response to mikem, I'll say again that much of the audience seemed to like it a great deal yesterday. The audience certainly seemed held by it. There was much laughter and there were few coughs or other obvious signs of boredom or indifference, at least that I was aware of. The comments during the talkback were very positive. I'm quite sure that some people in the audience did not like it. As I mentioned in response to mikem, a woman in the row behind me was a bit annoying during the play in seeming to want us to know that she wasn't much liking it. But hers seemed to me a minority reaction. I may be misremembering, but I thought that during previews at least one person wrote here that the subscribers seemed most unhappy with it. Whether it was because the reviews have predisposed people to like it, or because the playing has gotten stronger, or simply because yesterday afternoon's audience was ready to go with it, my impression was that most of the audience liked it and that many of them liked it a great deal. And I will add that this is one of the best acted productions of anything I've seen in years. I will rarely say of any production that I did not think there was a single false note in the acting, but I would say of this production that if there were any false notes, there were fleeting and insignificant. A beautiful ensemble. | |
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| re: spoilers below | |
| Posted by: | Ann 09:39 am EST 11/01/15 |
| In reply to: | Minor spoilers (perhaps) below - AlanScott 08:10 am EST 11/01/15 |
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| I don't remember a gargoyle at the window (or any audience unhappiness, if I could even tell that). It was the ending, with the somewhat surreal treatment of the Asian woman walking past the downstairs door, that seemed to me to be the intended conclusion of other effects seen/heard earlier. I didn't/don't understand the meaning of that. If it all just happened, without it being made to seem to mean something more, I wouldn't wonder about it (and that's the only way I ultimately can take it). And, yes, on the acting. Superb and so believable. I see it as a look at a family that holds together through more than their share of adversities - some of their own doing and some not. Real people on stage. | |
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| re: spoilers below | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 01:27 pm EST 11/01/15 |
| In reply to: | re: spoilers below - Ann 09:39 am EST 11/01/15 |
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| I wish I had taken down what Reed Birney said yesterday about the final sequence. I don't want to incorrectly convey what he said. He definitely has his own interpretation of it, which he said had developed over time and continues to develop. I am sure he said that for him it had something to do with Erik's willingness to move into the tunnel. I'm not sure that I entirely buy the ending, but I liked it so much overall that I'm mostly willing to go with it. | |
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| It IS interesting, sort of... | |
| Posted by: | garyd 12:23 am EDT 10/28/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - Ann 07:47 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I decided to see this since I was not sure it would transfer. I like it. I also liked "Sons of the Prophet", "Disgraced", and "The Lyons'. I would not have invested in a Broadway transfer of the latter three though two of them transferred. "The Humans" is a very good play, nicely directed, well acted. It does not have the emotional pull or fun staging of "Curious Dog" or the comic melodrama of "August: Osage County'. I have no idea whether or not it will survive on Broadway. I just have a gut feeling it will not appeal to or draw a large mainstream audience. Hope I am wrong. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 06:02 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Same reaction exactly. - Delvino 05:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I disagree. The most negative responses often come in early previews, and it is possible the eeriness has been tweaked. I didn't love The Humans myself in an early preview, but the attacks here (and I don't believe there were a lot of posts) were ridiculous. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | mikem 05:38 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Same reaction exactly. - Delvino 05:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I felt this same way. I was a big fan of Sons of the Prophet, and the reaction both here and at BWW has been relatively muted to this play. A lot of "good but not great" responses. The strong critical acclaim was a surprise to me. Was this a world premiere? I wonder if this show, like MotherF----- with the Hat, simply wasn't fully shaped at the beginning of the preview period and needed that time to get to a good place. | |
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| I just saw it and I absolutely loved it | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 06:05 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - mikem 05:38 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| And it seemed like a lot the audience loved it, although a woman in the row unfortunately kept doing things to make it clear that she didn't. | |
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| re: Same reaction exactly. | |
| Posted by: | FrenchDip 05:46 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Same reaction exactly. - mikem 05:38 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| This is not the world premiere. There was a production in Chicago last year. | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | seeseveryshow 03:26 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| jesse21 gave it only two stars and called it a disappointment! | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | RDavidS 09:39 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - seeseveryshow 03:26 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| He also got the location wrong and, in my opinion, missed the point of the play. | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 03:39 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - seeseveryshow 03:26 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Well, if he's your barometer.... Charles Isherwood called it "blisteringly funny, bruisingly sad and altogether wonderful." Jeremy Gerard says the play "inarguably establishes Karam as one of the most incisive and, sure, human playwrights at work today." Jesse Green puts it in the category of "great plays" and calls it a "superb slice-of-life story" and "absolutely, relentlessly gripping." David Rooney calls it a "beautiful, funny-sad and ultimately wrenching portrait of a troubled lower-middle-class Pennsylvania family." And Matthew Murray says that it's "one of the can't-miss plays of the year." | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | seeseveryshow 04:22 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - MikeR 03:39 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I was just sayin' You seem to have a lot of time on your hands. | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 04:37 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - seeseveryshow 04:22 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Well, you seemed to be "sayin'" that an anonymous post on a message board carries more weight in making these kind of decisions than the actual critics. Or should carry more weight... not sure which. Both interpretations seemed kind of silly to me. So I took ten minutes to scan the actual reviews. Is that a lot of time? Didn't seem like it. | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | SuzanneR 04:21 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Interesting... - MikeR 03:39 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| That's the best you can do? :) | |
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| re: Interesting... | |
| Posted by: | Ann 03:16 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| But if you consider all of the posts on this show, I think they've been much more positive than negative. I don't know that I see this as appealing to the mainstream (that can be considered a plus - I had my doubts about how Fun Home would do on Broadway). | |
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| I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm | |
| Posted by: | kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| nm | |
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| re: I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 06:14 pm EDT 10/31/15 |
| In reply to: | I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Much as I liked Sons of the Prophet, I think I liked The Humans even more. But they're so different that they're hardly comparable. So I guess I'll just say that I thought both were excellent. | |
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| And Ruined | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 09:52 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Why don't they ever transfer the plays that really deserved it? | |
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| re: Absolutely! | |
| Posted by: | SuzanneR 03:47 pm EDT 10/28/15 |
| In reply to: | And Ruined - Chazwaza 09:52 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Ruined definitely deserved a transfer... | |
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| re: Absolutely! | |
| Posted by: | Chazwaza 05:59 pm EDT 10/28/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Absolutely! - SuzanneR 03:47 pm EDT 10/28/15 |
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| And if I recall, I thought at the time it would have been a shoo-in for a Best Play Tony win... a pulitzer prize winning play with huge off-broadway cred and acclaim, about race, gender and politics, but not in America (so something all can get on board with), AND the chance to give the Tony to not only a woman but a black woman... seems like they were stupid not to transfer it if even just for a "qualifying" run. | |
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| re: I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm | |
| Posted by: | Delvino 05:25 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Haven't seen this piece yet, but I dearly loved "Prophet," on stage and page. | |
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| re: I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm | |
| Posted by: | FrenchDip 03:42 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| The money was in place for a Sons of the Prophet transfer to be produced by Robyn Goodman. Unfortunately, the only theater available for the spring of 2012 was the Broadhurst which was way too big. | |
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| re:Yes...or "John" | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 03:52 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - FrenchDip 03:42 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| oddly similar to The Humans, but more compelling, for my money. | |
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| re: re:Yes...or "John" | |
| Posted by: | RDavidS 09:44 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re:Yes...or "John" - davei2000 03:52 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Several people have commented on the similarities between "The Humans" and "John" but I just don't see it. Aside from the fact that both plays flirt with the supernatural, they could hardly be more different. | |
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| re: re:Yes...or "John" | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 10:45 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: re:Yes...or "John" - RDavidS 09:44 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Largely naturalistic plays about everyday, even banal, human experience that threaten to tear the veil off and reveal the fear that lies beneath. Both have an oracular character who is more in touch with the hidden world. | |
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| Roundabout Broadway transfers | |
| Posted by: | charles1055 03:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | I would much rather have seen "Sons of the Prophet" move to Broadway. nm - kieran 03:09 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Why isn't Roundabout moving The Humans to one of their Broadway stages. I remember seeing Sons and then seeing People in the Picture and wondering why one earth they were filling their Broadway stage with such dreck when Sons was excellent. | |
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| i asume this is a commercial transfer | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 04:00 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Roundabout Broadway transfers - charles1055 03:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| Not that it cuts out roundabout theaters--act of God was commercial rental--but moving to a commercial house menace sense. | |
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| re: Roundabout Broadway transfers | |
| Posted by: | Esther 03:37 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Roundabout Broadway transfers - charles1055 03:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| AFAIK, their season is already set, minus one show TBA in the Pels for June 2016 or so, so they don't have an available Broadway stage to move it until sometime late next year. | |
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| re: Roundabout Broadway transfers | |
| Posted by: | FrenchDip 03:44 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Roundabout Broadway transfers - Esther 03:37 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| That, and a good number of their subscribers will have seen it at the Pels and probably won't want to see it again. | |
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| re: Roundabout Broadway transfers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 03:34 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Roundabout Broadway transfers - charles1055 03:23 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| They must have wanted to run it now, and their Broadway season is already set. | |
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| Just goes to show... | |
| Posted by: | AC126748 03:03 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | Interesting... - charles1055 02:56 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| That this one message board is not the be-all-end-all of theater. | |
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| re: THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run | |
| Posted by: | MockingbirdGirl 02:33 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run - AC126748 02:28 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| I haven't seen the play yet, but I'm glad Stephen Karam's getting his Broadway shot. | |
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| re: THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 02:40 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
| In reply to: | re: THE HUMANS will transfer to Broadway immediately following Roundabout run - MockingbirdGirl 02:33 pm EDT 10/27/15 |
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| And that he's not throwing it away. (Someone had to say it.) | |
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