A STEADY RAIN thoughts, anyone??

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 9:02am

I'm surprised no one posted to say they attended the first preview from last night!!

Firstly and most importantly, how is the play? Any good?

Secondly, how are Jackman & Craig?

Lastly, how is the show?

Inquiring minds outside of the City want to know!!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 9:05am

I'm surprised and not surprised.

Everyone wanted to shoot their darts at BIRDIE.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 9:15am

And yet Jackman's presence on Broadway during THE BOY FROM OZ basically made WICKED, AVENUE Q, CAROLINE OR CHANGE, and TABOO -- all amazing shows (what a season!) -- forgettable.

I don't get the BYE BYE BIRDIE hype. I hope the show is good, but yeesh!

[bschneid76]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 10:35am

Let's not forget that the 1st Preview for Bye Bye Birdie cost only 10 dollars, whereas Steady Rain wasn't. I think most are going tonight. So you will have to wait until tonight. I for one am not very interested in this play. There are other shows I am more excited about. Superior Donuts is higher on my list.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 11:33am

Yeah, I'm def. curious to know how the play is and the design elements.

[wolfpit228]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 12:02pm

I will definitely post my thoughts on the play after Ive seen it tomorrow afternoon, if no-one has done it by then.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 1:01pm

I'm going tonight, will report back later.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 1:32pm

I'm going tonight too and will share my thoughts.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 1:35pm

i'll be there tonight as well...

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 1:56pm

I'm sure I'll see you guys at the stage door then.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:07pm

the stage door will likely be packed before we even get out of the theater...so i imagine we will have to stage door another night.

[April Saul]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:11pm

I'd be cautious on that one...they may try not to let people stage door if they don't have stubs from that actual performance, which is what they did at All My Sons (to scare paparazzi off of Katie Holmes, perhaps). I also saw it invoked more recently at Blithe Spirit when they were handing out playbills signed by Angela.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:30pm

Yeah I see this being a Three Days of Rain/All My Sons set up where you need a ticket stub to get on one side of the barricade.

[boydowncenter]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 7:48pm

can't wait to hear what you guys think. It's definitely on my list of things to see. Not at all excited about Superior Donuts for some reason.

[kec]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 9:51pm

Equus was the same -- a ticket was required to be behind the barricade.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 9:59pm

Just got back from the second preview. All in all, I thought it was ok. Nothing great, but not bad either. The writing itself was somewhat trite, and the plot seemed like a long CSI/Law and Order episode delivered via monologues. But the acting was very good, though Hugh had some trouble with his accent. Daniel Craig was the better of the two in my opinion. The star of the show, however, was the use of the set. Very subtle, but genius. I don't want to give it away though because I feel like it will take away from the effect when people see it. Overall, I give the whole thing a B.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 10:31pm

Staging wise, how is the show? Is everything mostly in the center? is the rear/extreme sides of the stage crucial to any set pieces, projections, or any of the show's "action"?

I ask because it seems that the only tickets available are rows very close to the stage (Row B, C, D etc) but the far end seats. I recall seeing A Chorus Line from these seats and couldnt see the mirrors when Cassie danced "Music & the Mirror"

Also, are they releasing premium seats prior to the show? I scored great seats for a few shows this way earlier in the summer, albeit full price, but it seemed for last night's first preview the great center orch seats were still being held as premium even 3 hours before curtain.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 10:35pm

Everything happens essentially downstage center. You shouldn't miss anything from anywhere in the house. The set pieces (only in effect at various points) are all the way upstage, but span the entire back wall. You should be fine in the front rows on the end. I have no idea about the premium seats.

[tking001]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:01am

I was playing around on Telecharge on Thursday night around 3PM and regular price was sold out and I checked Premium and found 2 seats Front row center for $376.50 each

Then I looked at like 6:45 and they came up regular price.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:15am

The intermittent sets were great.

The rest, meh.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:24am

Well, this was rather a boring night at the theater. Within the first five minutes I was extremely nervous I would nod off, but managed to stay awake.

The whole thing reminded me of listening to a book on tape live. The case they're talking about is somewhat interesting, but listening to them describe it can at times be deadly. It would have been much more interesting to watch it unfold rather than be told the information.

bjh2114- You absolutely hit the nail on the head when you said it's like hearing about a Law & Order episode. It was honestly as if you asked your co-worker to tell you what happened on L&O the night before, and he or she recounted the program in exact detail. Wouldn't it have been easier to just DVR the episode and watch it later?

The background set was well done, and the lighting was fine.

All in all, it was nothing to hate, but nothing to rave about either.

Updated On: 9/12/09 at 12:24 AM

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:29am

I also wanted to start a drinking game for every time that Denny said "logic".

[saveusmike]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:34am

So how was the stage door? Did both actors (if either) come out?

[After Eight]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 12:37am

I've seen many worse plays than this, but, in a sense, this was a greater disappointment than those because of the expectations generated by the names involved. Basically, it is just as bjh2114 described; a narrated "Law and Order" episode. The story is not all that compelling, to be honest, and narration is a particularly deadly format. The result is a show which is neither very dramatic nor interesting. The two actors perform their parts professionally, but there is nothing here that is very challenging, or lets their individuality come to the fore. It's hard to understand what stars of this magnitude saw either in the script or these roles to be worthy of their time and talents. The public has rushed to buy tickets based on these stars' presence; I'm afraid that many are going to feel let down by this show, much as with Julia Roberts in "Three Days of Rain."

[jimpuws]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 9:48am

I went with my wife who is from Chicago. Her father-in-law is a just-retired cop from the South Side of Chicago. Jackman sounded just like him. Rough, flat, kind of nasal - he got it exactly right (I think I heard him say 'been' wrong once). Craig sounded a little NY at times.

All in all it was compelling and well acted if far-fetched. Enough incidents to fill two seasons of NYPD Blue, but those two guys were almost worth the price of tickets.