Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-02 02:29:22
I love me some David Cromer. Curious to hear people's thoughts. Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by After Eight 2013-02-02 08:08:50
The play deals with an accusation of rape at a college dorm party, and examines not only the truth of the accusation, but the moral convictions of the two students' circle of friends.
It's chilling, sobering, and something of a downer. It's not at all flattering to its characters, but it doesn't compromise towards them either, which is admirable. Dramatically, the first act is taut, the second less so. Non-stop swearing. I hope that's not how college students actually speak nowadays. I'm pretty sure they don't speak in some of the more convoluted, highfalutin phrases that the actors have to say.
There were some audibility problems, but I would say the play was directed ably and straightforwardly. A talented cast does a fine job.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Wynbish 2013-02-02 08:52:18
I'm a fan of Zosia on Girls, so glad to hear it
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by jeffmiele 2013-02-02 08:56:31
I'm excited. My girlfriend and I both have professional live-in jobs on college campuses, we're going on valentine's day. Based on some things I have heard I feel it may be accurate to some degree. The stuff you see on a daily basis is interesting. Her and I both have to be part of an on call rotation, I'm on call this week actually, and trust me I was up hetting calls until about 6 this morning of absolutely crazy stuff that has gone on at the campus.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-02 12:56:29
Something tells me this isn't actually how college age kids act, anyway.
How were the tech elements? I feel like David Cromer does "poor theater" type stuff really well.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by After Eight 2013-02-02 23:27:42
^
I found them to be functional, nothing spectacular.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Bettyboy72 2013-02-03 00:16:43
Hated this show. No idea how stuff like this gets produced more than once. Horrendous dialogue-no one talks like this. I work at a University. It was trying hard to be like LaBute (whose work I also hate). This is the kind of crap where nothing makes sense and no characters actions make sense. It makes intellectuals and drama students feel deep to try to make sense of it. If you don't get it you're made to feel stupid. The first act is a Lifetime movie, the second act is a LaBute knockoff. Save your money. It's poorly written but tries to save itself by being provocative at the end.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by misto625 2013-02-03 00:35:03
I was at the first preview. Bernard Telsey and Robert LuPone were actually sitting in the row behind me.
I'm still somewhat confused about what actually happened in the course of events in the play, and what Leigh only invented. I'm also a little confused about her motivation. I thought that the casting was excellent and the dialogue seemed very realistic for how entitled college athletes would talk.
I was curious about the play, and now my curiosity has been satisfied. The play is very relevant, given the events in Steubenville, OH and other places.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by winston89 2013-02-03 00:41:47
I just came back from seeing this play and I really liked it. I found it to be pretty good overall and the best way to describe it was realistic fiction. As someone who is college aged, I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit of a mixed bag. Some of it was realistic some not. However, without going into too much detail to avoid giving away spoilers, there were some moments and character choices that I liked and could see happening, but at the same time (and I think that this is a result of the acting choices) there was one moment that should have come off with more dramatic tension than it did. But, like I said, this moment was due to the acting choices, and since it is early on in previews I think that the actors overall need a chance to grow into their roles more.
I think that this is an overall good show. The ending does leave room for conversation however because it can be a little bit confusing. However, even though I went on my own I had a nice conversation with a group of college aged girls sitting next to me and between the lot of us we were able to not only figure out the ending but figure out and make sense of the well done twists and turns that lead to the dramatic finale. I do suggest this play to others and will go back after it opens to see if some of the acting struggles worked themselves out in the preview period. Overall, I was shocked (in a good way) with some stuff I was seeing and it was very entertaining and enjoyable as well.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-03 12:55:56
Eh, now I'm curious to hear the dialogue. I feel like it can always go two ways. Like the way the characters spoke in Stick Fly. My guess though is that behind closed doors, athletes don't talk like this, no one does. We don't talk in correction english all the time, etc. etc.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Kad 2013-02-03 14:13:22
The way most people truly speak would make for a very abrasive piece of theatre.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by winston89 2013-02-03 15:10:03
I think that the way that the characters speak in this play isn't 100 per cent realistic. However, I think that Kad is right, that if the characters were to speak the way that college age kids actually speak it would make for a very abrasive experience.
I have always felt that with plays, the dialogue that is being used is realistic but not how the characters would really talk if the events were actually going on. For example, with Really Really, as someone who is in college and is the age of the characters in the play, I can tell you that that's not how people that age actually speak. However, I felt that the language used worked with in the context of it being a play but would seem odd if it were real life events. I am not sure if this makes sense and I can try to elaborate if need be.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by kevinr 2013-02-03 16:07:48
Did anyone meet the cast at the Stage Door? I am seeing this on Saturday and wondered where the cast exits and if they are "fan friendly"?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-03 22:17:39
I think it would be interesting if you they had a scene among friends and they talked truly like we all talk, and then a scene with an administrator and the dialogue was a little more safe. That's really how it is. With friends we're all completely different.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Kad 2013-02-03 22:45:19
There's really no need for an administrator/authority figure character in this play. It'd be superfluous and take the focus elsewhere.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Bettyboy72 2013-02-03 23:17:52
I'm fine with coarse dialogue and the acting was top notch-I just didn't like the play. I often think poorly written plays are the most talked about. If you have a lot of holes and the characters act erratically and don't have an identity, then people love to talk and fill in the rest.
I'm also ok with unknowns and ambiguous endings. However, this play made no sense to me. I had no idea of anyone's motivation and no idea what any of the characters wanted. I think those are important for a solid play.
The final scene was ridiculous. I noticed the younger people staying in their seats and talking and the 30+ people were audibly saying "what the hell was that", "no idea what that was about", "that was ridiculous" and "are you kidding me?"
So maybe this speaks to a different demographic. Also, I didnt see this as a show about rape, I saw it as a statement on the entitlement of the Millennials.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Kad 2013-02-04 12:06:49
Well, that's what the playwright has indicated was his focus.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Matt Rogers 2013-02-04 19:44:59
"....no idea how stuff like this gets produced more than once...."
Hmmm, I dunno, but maybe by getting rave reviews at Signature Thetre in Arlington and selling out every single performance, for a start.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by musicman_bwayfan 2013-02-04 20:13:27
Did they keep the nudity from the Signature Theater production? What's the running time?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Matt Rogers 2013-02-04 20:19:04
When I saw it, ran a bit less than 2:30 with intermission. But I think it started late. I did not notice nudity, but there is definitely some eye candy on display.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-04 22:06:13
Eye candy you say?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Bettyboy72 2013-02-04 22:38:32
Two male cast members are shirtless for much of the show. No nudity, but Matt's pants came down during the final scene baring his butt, but he pulled them up and seemed rather uneasy acting that scene. I dont think nudity was planned. Zosia had trouble staying in her bra during the final scene and there was some nip slips, but again she was adjusting and it seemed like an accident. I dont think both actors have really gotten comfortable with that final scene yet.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Kad 2013-02-05 00:18:36
David C. Hull is shirtless a lot. It's very nice.
Matt Lauria's shirtless/bare chested for the last scene. Though it's not exactly a scene that would make you want him.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by WiCkEDrOcKS 2013-02-06 20:12:55
What's the running time?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by stevenycguy 2013-02-06 21:22:54
2 hours 15 minutes, according to www.mcctheater.org/shows/12-13_season/reallyreally/index.html
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Matt Rogers 2013-02-06 21:48:43
It was a bit longer when u saw it, but I caught an early preview, so maybe they made some cuts, or started late.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Matt Rogers 2013-02-06 21:48:43
It was a bit longer when u saw it, but I caught an early preview, so maybe they made some cuts, or started late.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Taryn 2013-02-08 23:01:25
I came out of the play feeling sick to my stomach. Of all the rape narratives one could tell, that one was the last one I feel like the world needs to hear.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by orangeskittles 2013-02-12 04:09:12
I saw this at Signature in VA last year. Maybe some of the problems I had have been addressed, but as it was- I didn't like how wishy-washy it was about assigning blame. I didn't like how the victim was made out to be a conniving, lying bitch. I didn't like how they made the rapist sympathetic. I really hated the conclusion.
As a woman, it made me feel really uncomfortable. I saw it right around the time the NYC police commissioner's son got off on rape charges because of a drunken he said/she said situation, so this play showing everyone rallying around the woman to hold the man responsible rang especially false with me. The real life social issues surrounding rape accusations are complicated enough without this play highlighting moral grey areas ("I was blacked out drunk!" / "I have a crush on you and wanted to make out in bed with you but not have sex!") and the playwright clearly picking sides.
I also thought the B-plots with the roommates were pointless filler, but yeah, the overall message left me feeling really uneasy and frustrated.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by WiCkEDrOcKS 2013-02-13 22:53:10
Saw this tonight and hate to say I did not enjoy it very much. I love Zosia Mamet on GIRLS, I love David Cromer, and the play certainly aims to tackle very exciting issues (in terms of drama, etc). But sadly, it doesn't deliver. Instead, we are thrown a bunch of characters who don't even somewhat resemble real people, saying lines that are so beyond phony, and with motivations that really make no sense. I think a play about the entitlement and selfishness of the 20-something generation is interesting and ripe for the stage, but this is not it. I feel like I spent two hours and five minutes (which is the running time now) in a room with people I can't stand on almost any level. None of these characters are even anywhere near remotely likable, except for maybe the roommate. I get what the play was getting at, and I get what it was trying to do. But somewhere in the execution, it all got lost for me. Not only did I not like the characters, but I also didn't really care what happened to any of them. There is so much emotional intensity that comes with the themes that the show deals with but the entire thing just left me cold.
Not helping matters is the cast, all of whom are fine, but are pretty one-note. I was very disappointed with Ms. Mamet's performance, to be honest. *SPOILERS* When she was claiming to be raped, I didn't believe her for one millisecond. And then maybe I thought that was an acting choice. And then I realized, no. This is a girl who is so desperate to convince her boyfriend that she was raped. And who is clearly laying it all on the line for this elaborate lie. She should be convincing. *END SPOILERS* I love her on GIRLS, as I mentioned, but this is a far cry from Shosanna and she seems in way over her head here. David Cromer's direction is surprisingly bland and uninspired.
There were a bunch of walkouts at intermission, and there were large areas of the theater that were very blatantly comped, with the crowds "oohing" and "aahing" at each revelation, most of which rang false for me.
I really wanted to like it, but I was very disappointed.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by aaronb 2013-02-20 13:16:32
Good cast, weak play.
"This could be an interesting premise, but it plays more like second-rate LaBute, who himself is just a second-rate Mamet. In the final showdown, Davis will say, 'I see nothing but a loser. Now and forever. Trash,' while Leigh replies, 'I see possibility. Solutions. Power.' This is the kind of laughably transparent dialogue you would expect from an angst-ridden teenager. There is nothing to indicate that Mr. Colaizzo cares about his charactersno love, no ironyonly a juvenile, unattractive cynicism."
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Bettyboy72 2013-02-20 13:41:13
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by jeffmiele 2013-02-20 14:05:00
Very interesting aaronb, I enjoyed reading your take on it. I was able to find a lot of parallels with incidents I have dealt with quite often at work and other experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed my time seeing the play.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by newintown 2013-02-28 12:17:08
I find it interesting that some people reduce this to a "play about rape," when it's not "about" rape at all. It's about a generation of incredibly selfish people. The rape incident is merely a plot device to get something happening.
Although the play itself isn't to my taste (cynicism is far too much in vogue among people who haven't remotely earned it), I think the production is excellent.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by EricMontreal22 2013-02-28 22:22:02
"I find it interesting that some people reduce this to a "play about rape," when it's not "about" rape at all. It's about a generation of incredibly selfish people. The rape incident is merely a plot device to get something happening."
I think that's pretty unavoidable when you're dealing with an issue like a "he said/she said" rape.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by ILuv2shop531 2013-02-28 22:58:39
does anyone think with the buzz & how sold out the run is that the show could transfer?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by Kad 2013-02-28 23:54:08
No.
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by somethingwicked 2013-03-01 00:17:09
Count me in the camp of people who were very much turned off by the play. I thought Zosia Mamet and particularly Lauren Culpepper gave really intricate performances, but overall, I found the whole thing incredibly disingenuous and almost offensive in its characterization (all poor people are opportunistic predators, I guess.)
The plot and themes were so derivative of OLEANNA that I'm still shocked Zosia Mamet agreed to be part of it, particularly the fact that (SPOILER) the seemingly victimized central male character is driven to the point of lashing out against the woman accusing him of rape in a climactic act of violence to end the play, exactly like OLEANNA. (SPOILER)
The millennial "generation me" stuff is exactly what I'd love to see a play about, but it felt completely superfluous to the rest of the story in the context of this particular piece, and it was all really forced. Truthfully, I couldn't help but think it was only added in to try and differentiate the play from OLEANNA specifically, but maybe that's just me. I literally couldn't get past the correlations between the two. I kept waiting for Leigh to look up in the final moment and say, "That's right."
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by center 2013-03-08 10:31:07
Has anyone gotten a rush ticket to this, or does anyone have a sense of how often they're available?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by jbm2 2013-03-10 00:31:51
What nudity was in the Signature production?
Really Really: Anyone Seen It?
Posted by DEClarke 2013-03-11 17:28:29
This sounds interesting. Maybe Stages or some other group will do it in Houston next season.
