Really Really: Anyone Seen It?

[Matt Rogers]

It was a bit longer when u saw it, but I caught an early preview, so maybe they made some cuts, or started late.

[Matt Rogers]

It was a bit longer when u saw it, but I caught an early preview, so maybe they made some cuts, or started late.

[Taryn]

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.

[orangeskittles]

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.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

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.

[aaronb]

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 characters—no love, no irony—only a juvenile, unattractive cynicism."
My review of REALLY REALLY

[Bettyboy72]

[jeffmiele]

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.
My review of REALLY REALLY

[newintown]

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.

[EricMontreal22]

"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.

[ILuv2shop531]

does anyone think with the buzz & how sold out the run is that the show could transfer?

[Kad]

No.

[somethingwicked]

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."

[center]

Has anyone gotten a rush ticket to this, or does anyone have a sense of how often they're available?

[jbm2]

What nudity was in the Signature production?

[DEClarke]

This sounds interesting. Maybe Stages or some other group will do it in Houston next season.