Printer Friendly - THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by LimelightMike 2012-12-02 13:18:15
Today is Sunday, December 2, marking the official opening night performance for two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone and three-time Academy Award nominee Debra Winger's debate on faith, politics, persecution and redemption in the world premiere of David Mamet's new two-woman drama The Anarchis at the John Golden Theatre.
LuPone is cast as an inmate serving a life sentence and Debra Winger as the woman who must determine whether she is fit for parole in the tautly-penned, 70-minute play that began previews November 13 for a 14-week run through February 17, 2013, at the newly renovated Golden. Tony Award-nominated and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Mamet directs.
According to producers, "LuPone plays the title character and Winger plays a prison official. These actresses will make theatrical fireworks as one character, put away for life, wants out while the other wants to make sure she stays inside. This explosive new work by Mamet is about passion, redemption, deception, and revolution."
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-02 15:18:36
This is going to be interesting.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by PianoMann 2012-12-02 15:51:24
Has our general consensus been to this point that LuPone is excellent in a weak role, Winger is weak, and the play weaker?
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mr Roxy 2012-12-02 16:01:04
Any good review would be a shock
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by April Saul 2012-12-02 17:56:15
I'd say two fine actresses who deserve better material kind of sums it up. I thought they both tried their best.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by wecrazy 2012-12-02 18:00:42
Backstage is in and it is negative.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by AC126748 2012-12-02 18:06:48
I'm usually not a member of the spoiler alert squad, but seriously Backstage, spoiler alert!
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 18:13:33
Backstage seems to be an uber-blunt version of what most posters offered on the preview thread. If the critics showed no mercy for Reback's new play, I seriously doubt they'll give Mamet a break -- especially considering the issues in play and the brief duration...
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by AC126748 2012-12-02 18:14:52
How long before knowitall shows up to do spin control?
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-02 18:20:15
Knowitall is probably at the show right now. Unless he's just one of Jeff's lowly paid slaves than he's at home drinking to forget the past week at the office.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 18:35:19
They need to give serious consideration to incorporating Jordan's version of the play into the next edition of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by AC126748 2012-12-02 18:36:17
Matthew Murray is fairly positive with some very good words for Patti.
Even so, what is present finds full expression in Mamets quietly explosive staging, which contrasts the raging humanity of the story against the harshly institutional setting of Patrizia von Brandensteins stark office set beneath Jeff Croiters piercing lights, and particularly the actresses performances. LuPone does her finest, and most restrained, Broadway work in more than a decade, infusing Cathy with palpable angst and anger that seem destined to burst through her thickened skin. Yet these attributes are tempered by an oddly casual serenity that unquestionably imparts the impression that this is a woman who, for better or worse, is at peace with herself. You therefore believe both necessary halves of the equation, and are left guessing until the climactic revelations and perhaps beyond what her true motives are.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mystic Pasta 2012-12-02 18:51:36
It took 3 people to cast a 2 person play? That says something right there.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by iluvtheatertrash 2012-12-02 18:54:41
Murray is clearly on crack.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Bettyboy72 2012-12-02 19:00:59
I agree with Murray. I liked the play and the performances. Just because someone liked something you did not does not mean they are "on crack."
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by iluvtheatertrash 2012-12-02 19:09:57
I think calling Debra Winger's monotone snooze-fest of a performance "subtle" might...
Phew. This stunk. Either that or it just went RIGHT over my head.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by showchoirguy 2012-12-02 19:19:30
^ Don't worry. You weren't the only one.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Auggie27 2012-12-02 19:47:05
"...the printed script is so populated with periods that it could stop the earth from spinning..." Backstage
That explains why it's 70, instead of 45, minutes.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mr Roxy 2012-12-02 20:01:36
It would be 90 minutes but when you remove Mamets customary F bombs you are lleft with 60 minutes
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-02 20:11:58
That word is only used once so what you wrote makes absolutely no sense in this situation.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by givesmevoice 2012-12-02 20:12:36
Apparently the sole f-bomb has been cut.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by AndersonTours 2012-12-02 20:13:19
One of the worst nights in the theater I've ever had. Well, most boring, really. Even crazy Patti was boring. This was like my college productions or community theater productions.
Run away.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mr Roxy 2012-12-02 20:17:19
It does make sense. 60 minutes minus f words. 90 MINUTES if it had them. Really not that difficult to comprehend
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by everythingtaboo 2012-12-02 20:22:35
Matthew Murray loves to be contrary to the general consensus of most critics, when he doesn't flat out hate something, so if he liked it, it's definitely gonna get trashed.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by iluvtheatertrash 2012-12-02 20:25:28
When I saw it last week, there wasn't a single curse word.
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Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-02 20:30:57
I guess he realized that they weren't appropriate given the subject matter.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by wecrazy 2012-12-02 20:31:59
Chicago Tribune
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Tom-497 2012-12-02 20:32:41
The Chicago Tribune is leaning positive (I'm guessing "never not dull for a second" is some sort of typo).
There are two quite different performances here. LuPone cut her teeth on Mamet during the St. Nicholas Players days in is Chicago, and she is a consummate interpreter of his works: sShe understands how to foreground his language without giving up the rest of what an actor does. She consumes this Cathy with a palpable hunger, forging a very shrewd and well-crafted performance. Winger, though, tends to lean back from the debate even as LuPone leans into its demands. Winger is no slouch when it comes to the nuances of character, and you could argue that her wardens apparent passivity (although beware the sting in her tail) is a useful metaphor for collective apathy at what these revolutionary sinners with their advanced degrees actually wrought. But there is still a laconic quality to Winger, a repetitive vocal inflection, that diminishes the fire of the argument.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 20:38:17
Chris Jones' review seems more compelling than the actual play for it provides the back story for the play that should have been...
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by PianoMann 2012-12-02 21:09:08
The Chicago Tribune seems to be somewhat positive, although it doesn't have favorable things to say about Mamet's directing, or the freedom his clout has given him lately. Still, it acknowledges LuPone's performance and gives better notices to Winger than I expected, based on the message board comments. I'm anxious to see more reviews; I purposely avoided the first one because I did not want to see the spoiler!
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Tom-497 2012-12-02 21:19:10
Hollywood Reporter is Negative.
But this is a logorrheic, resolutely untheatrical play thats almost stubbornly perverse in its refusal to provide any emotional payoff. Its also a sad waste of the talents of two gifted actors who should have generated fireworks together.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by wecrazy 2012-12-02 21:32:44
Newsday is negative
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Posted by showchoirguy 2012-12-02 21:37:11
I was waiting for the Newsday review to mention something about the shoes.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Kad 2012-12-02 21:38:39
I haven't seen the play, but judging by the photos it looks like Mamet just has the ladies playing musical chairs with places to sit.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-02 21:54:59
There's no real direction. It's pretty much two people just walking around and sitting or standing wherever. The direction can be (and probably is each night) totally improvised.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by chanel 2012-12-02 22:02:29
Villagevoice.com likes Patti and Debra and admires some of the play's ideas, but says it's pretty bad.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/2012/12/patti_lupone_an_2.php
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 22:05:34
It sounds like a far more "level" two-hander would be to pit LuPone's Cathy against Julie White's agent from A LITTLE DOG LAUGHED.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by showchoirguy 2012-12-02 22:12:42
Ben Brantley, The New York Times: Women Behind Bars it aint. And Ms. LuPone and Ms. Winger must sink or swim in the thick sea of verbiage into which Mr. Mamet has thrown them. Ms. LuPone, a Mamet veteran, navigates these clotted waters like the freestyle champion she is. Ms. Winger, in her Broadway debut, mostly dog paddles. ... That leaves Ms. LuPone to carry the emotional content of the play all by herself. She does so valiantly and compellingly, and reminds us that this Tony-winning star of musicals is a terrific dramatic actress. In her Cathy you sense the strain of a naturally arrogant woman trying to be humble and, whats more, trying to convince herself that she believes in her humility.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by frogs_fan85 2012-12-02 22:14:25
http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/theater/reviews/david-mamets-anarchist-at-the-golden-theater.html?ref=theater&_r=0
I can't discern an opinion.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by dtzumbrunnen 2012-12-02 22:19:41
It sounds mixed. Or actually, it just sounds: meh.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 22:21:44
R E A L L Y ???
I find nothing in Brantley's that offers a whiff of approval. In addition to aforementioned quotes, I'm particularly amused by:
"As for its language, why aside from one unfortunate outburst toward the end it is as crisp and unsoiled as the sheets in a five-star hotel. While Anarchist portrays a notorious convict and the authority figure who controls her destiny, the relationship here feels less like one of jailbird and turnkey than that of a graduate student defending her thesis and a humorless visiting examiner."
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Patti LuPone FANatic 2012-12-02 22:25:09
I had to look up this word: logorrhea
1. an excessive or abnormal, sometimes incoherent talkativeness. logorrheic, adj.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 22:39:10
or more simply put: verbal diarrhea
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Posted by Mr Roxy 2012-12-02 22:42:59
Finally someone describes it perfectly.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 22:47:40
While this play/production certainly did not become the camp fest some people thought it might, the critics were clearly having a glorious time when writing their reviews. Scott Brown's in New York Magazine is highly entertaining.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mr Roxy 2012-12-02 22:50:32
Making a musical of it might help.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-02 22:53:11
I bet the opening night party ends after 70 minutes as well. "KISS! KISS! Gotta run..."
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by little_sally 2012-12-02 23:01:21
This play is like something written for a playwriting class.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by perfectlymarvelous 2012-12-02 23:03:56
I've seen the work of undergrad student playwrights that is more coherent and has more facility with language than this play does. Honestly.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by CurtainPullDowner 2012-12-03 00:29:14
I had to look up "opacity".
Do you think it's appropriate to flash photos during the run?
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-03 00:39:14
David Merrick, infamous for his Broadway publicity stunts hired a woman pretending to be an audience member to run up on stage during he original run of LOOK BACK IN ANGER and slap the leading male actor.
CPD, your suggestion creates the perfect opposite: have LuPone get so upset at a male person for taking a flash photo that she comes down off the stage to slap the offending audience member.
That would kick up ticket sales!
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by SondheimFan5 2012-12-03 01:39:53
Not every play can be as good as Glengarry.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-03 02:01:15
Too bad this production doesn't have regular casting rotation like LOVE, LOSS & WHAT WORE...
Two weeks from now we might see:
Florence Henderson as Cathy and Phyllis Newman as Ann
next:
Mary Testa as Cathy with Jackie Hoffman as Ann
followed by:
Jane Fonda as Cathy and Wanda Sykes as Ann
eventually:
Angela Lansbury as Cathy and Marian Seldes as Ann
Other casting suggestions?
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by CalebMeyer 2012-12-03 02:12:26
I heard rumors of Toni Collette and Mandy Patinkin.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Kad 2012-12-03 02:19:17
Miss Piggy and RuPaul.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Mildred Plotka 2012-12-03 02:47:02
I know 70 minutes is a lot at your age Roxy, but you should probably just get over it. 
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by egghumor 2012-12-03 03:04:22
Reba McIntyre as Cathy with Bernadette Peters as Ann
Linda Lavin as Cathy with Tovah Feldshuh as Ann
Ann Reinking as Cathy with Bebe Neuwirth as Ann
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Cathy with John C. Reilly as Ann
Ally Sheedy as Cathy with Molly Ringwald as Ann
Leslie Jordan as Cathy with Lily Tomlin as Ann
Donna Murphy as Cathy with Brooke Shields asAnn
Nora Dunn as Cathy with Jan Hooks as Ann
Liza Minnelli as Cathy with Richard Simmons as Ann
Mia Farrow as Cathy with Diane Keaton as Ann
Faye Dunaway as Cathy with Ali McGraw as Ann
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by CurtainPullDowner 2012-12-03 08:13:23
I was dismayed to learn that Mamet is a tea-party supporter.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Auggie27 2012-12-03 08:36:53
Politics here are creaky and almost quaint. This piece's focus -- on subversive 60s radicals and their track record of violence -- is in 2012 an aging conservative retro-view of the "dangerous" left. The epater les bourgeoisie angle -- shoving something politically "provocative" in the face of the Manhattan theatergoers -- is giggle-inducing. The idea that thwarting the release of someone who killed two cops would offend most progressives in the age of Obama is Glen Beck-fueled paranoia. Mamet seems to be milking post-9/11 hysteria and tying it to an era with very different mindset and concerns (Viet Nam). But liberals of all flavors would hardly take up the cause of someone like the obnoxious Lupone character, and Mamet's decision to dilute her Jewishness with a "shocking" Catholic conversion not only gilds the wilted lily, it's patently tidy and rings false. And to take all of this on in 60ish minutes only allows for deep as a teaspoon exploration. If this were written by anyone else, it would languish in second stage development, be given a few readings, but probably not produced.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by oasisjeff 2012-12-03 15:11:48
"When I saw it last week, there wasn't a single curse word."
Just listen to the audience when the lights go up...
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by aaronb 2012-12-06 15:00:58
It's a good play, damnit!
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by After Eight 2012-12-06 23:08:20
Well, damnit yourself!
I say it's not a good play, and many people share that opinion.
Moreover, if you're trying to convince people otherwise, you had better provide a compelling reason why, and not just a link. Not so long ago, having read some of your reviews, and having found them worthwhile, I advised you to provide a summary of your opinion, or a quoted passage from your review. It would save people unnecessary effort, as well as enabling them to respond to something that one could see right here.
You ignored my suggestion.
Well, now I won't be reading your review of The Anarchist, or anything else.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by Dollypop 2012-12-06 23:15:36
Why couldn't LuPone play both roles simultaneously. One only has to look at her rendition of "A Boy Like That/I have a Love" from WSS to realize she could certainly pull it off.
THE ANARCHIST Reviews
Posted by aaronb 2012-12-07 17:27:10
Sorry After Eight, I didn't mean to offend you. It's a good idea, must have just slipped my mind.
