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| THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Last Edit: student_rush 07:53 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
| Posted by: student_rush 07:51 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| What an odd and complete misfire onstage at the Hayes. An excellent cast on paper, nearly every actor miscast. Inert staging, massively uncalibrated performances … the cast works HARD to wring anything more from what they’ve been given, and all we are left with is flop sweat. The play is immediately repetitive, as every joke is built from the same “woke white liberals, amirite!” premise that may have been provocative in 2010 (and was skewered with extreme finesse and precision in SLAVE PLAY), but is tired, predictable, and false in 2023. The play slogs on, and we clap at the end because we recognize these actors from tv! And we are so relieved to leave. BUT there are almost certainly better productions of this to come (or that have came before), as Chavkin simply has no ear for farce or satire. Her eye and vision (casting is a major liability here) tank any chance this play rises above tired social commentary. |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: sestina 07:49 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - student_rush 07:51 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| Alas, I agree with this and most of the other comments here. I barely laughed once, despite all the frantic activity onstage. The play doesn't feel timely at all. As another described it, it's a tired SNL skit from pre-pandemic America. |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: stevemr 08:05 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
| In reply to: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - student_rush 07:51 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| Too bad. During the pandemic, there was a Zoom reading with a cast that included Keanu Reeves. Even within the limitations of Zoom, and NO physical action, it was very funny. | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: Ann 08:14 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - stevemr 08:05 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| I saw that as well and it was good, but I was surprised it was going to Broadway | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: reverb 10:24 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - Ann 08:14 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| I just got back from seeing it. Ugh. I really wanted to like it but didn’t laugh once (nor did the people around me). I know the show is still in previews, but I don’t think any amount of previews is going to save this show. The ending we got didn’t deserve to be there, nor did it seem to register with the audience. I give the cast credit for what they put into it, but it comes down to the writing. What I saw tonight seemed like a first or second draft. The tropes of tropes didn’t serve the story well. Although portions of the Alicia character seemed to be fresh. When considering a show like this going to Broadway, don’t they see the lack of magic before they make the decision to mount it? Or do they hope the magic will develop as they begin rehearsals. Or were the producers depending on the casting to carry them over the goal line? A head scratcher for sure… |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: Theatergoer1978 11:35 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - reverb 10:24 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| Re your last paragraph, about "considering a show like this going to Broadway...": I think you are giving them credit for considering that much. It seems the MO for Broadway producers this season was: "Let's look through the past 20 years off-Broadway and just pull out every BIPOC play..." Chicken and Biscuits was not a sophisticated enough comedy for Broadway. Ain't No Mo' would have been more appropriate in an off-Broadway or late-night venue. Here Lies Love got plenty of attention when it ran at the Public and no doubt was considered for a transfer then. But sure, now, when the audience includes another generation with no memory of the Imelda Marcos scandal/story, we really need it now! (Maybe more effort could have been made to find a NEW play by an Asian artist, rather than this show with an Asian cast created by "old" white men!) I recommend the Broadway community hold a symposium after the season to consider more productive tactics going forward. The goal of improving diversity and representation is admirable, but there needs to be more thought behind selecting shows to mount on Broadway and marketing them. Despite all the effort, it seems most of the biggest hits – Sweeney Todd, Leopoldstadt, A Beautiful Noise (at least early on) – have been white-led/dominated. Meanwhile, the biggest flops of the season: Ohio State Murders, Room, K-Pop, Ain't No Mo'. |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 11:45 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - reverb 10:24 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| I don’t know what the Broadway version is like but I saw the play off-Broadway and it totally worked. | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night | |
| Posted by: tealady 09:20 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud - lowwriter 11:45 pm EDT 04/01/23 | |
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| speaking with the house manager he told me a new ending went in last night my cup of T |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY ENDING (SPOILER ALERT) | |
| Last Edit: reverb 02:38 am EDT 04/03/23 | |
| Posted by: reverb 02:35 am EDT 04/03/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night - tealady 09:20 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
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| I’ll do my best to concisely describe and remember the new ending put in Saturday night. If anyone can add or better describe, please go ahead. NOTE: I didn’t see the other ending so I have nothing to compare the new ending to. SPOILER At the very end of the play while the four characters are silently contemplating what to do, the stage lights dim and the black false proscenium rises to reveal the lighting rig. A small yellow spotlight hits downstage center and the director blurts out that their play is about ‘nothing’ - so they’re off the hook for creating a play - I believe this idea is brought about by their earlier script improv with the Native Americans figuratively “absent” from the proverbial Thanksgiving table/dinner. The other characters slowly and awkwardly agree with her but they don’t seem to really understand what’s happening. That’s pretty much the ending. For me this ending came out of nowhere and while I understood what the playwright was trying to make happen, I thought it was a really weak choice with no solid buildup to make the idea land. It’s like the ending hit a brick wall. Also I forgot to mention the filmed sections with the kids were really bad. Again, I get what the production was trying to do but I feel they went to the lowest denominator to separate the scenes. I would have rather seen short little excerpts of children being interviewed about what their ideas behind Thanksgiving were. I think that had some comic potential. The video seemed really staged - maybe that’s what they wanted…I hope not. Again, I was REALLY looking forward to this show. And I was REALLY disappointed. I wish I would have seen it off-Broadway a five years ago. |
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| Link | Off-Broadway NYT REVIEW (2018) |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY ENDING (SPOILER ALERT) | |
| Posted by: sestina 05:35 pm EDT 04/05/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY ENDING (SPOILER ALERT) - reverb 02:35 am EDT 04/03/23 | |
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| I agree with Reverb's point about the filmed sections with kids. I didn't find them terribly funny (even if others in the audience found them uproariously so). I actually found them exploitative and felt bad for the kids participating (even if they weren't especially good). Just lazy work on the director's part. | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY ENDING (SPOILER ALERT) | |
| Posted by: thatotter 04:30 pm EDT 04/03/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY ENDING (SPOILER ALERT) - reverb 02:35 am EDT 04/03/23 | |
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| I saw the show on Wednesday, 3/29 (so before the new ending was put in place according to the above comment) and the "new" ending does not sound different to what I saw on 3/29. So either the new ending didn't happen or it was so similar that I can't tell the difference. | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 01:46 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night - tealady 09:20 am EDT 04/02/23 | |
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| New ending in terms of staging/tech, or is Larissa making rewrites? | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night | |
| Posted by: student_rush 02:11 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night - Singapore/Fling 01:46 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
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| The ending that I saw was completely lackluster, so ... good? Not sure what could possibly change, but a new ending isn't going to magically rewrite every single joke in the preceding 85 minutes -- nor will it recast or restage this production, so I wouldn't hold my breath for a magically renewed theatrical experience. | |
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| re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 03:12 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
| In reply to: re: THANKSGIVING PLAY is a Tofurky Dud new ending went in last night - student_rush 02:11 pm EDT 04/02/23 | |
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| I'm curious to know, mainly because it tells us what level of work is being done on the play at this point. I haven't liked the play for years, so it's not on my viewing list. |
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