Bug

[HBBrock]

http://risingsunnyc.com/

Anyone going to see this?

How was the play when it was at Barrow Theatre in 2004?

[ClydeBarrow]

Interesting concept doing in a hotel room. I actually only saw the movie but I really hated it. Anyone seen both and think the play is better?

[Owen22]

The actress was fantastic, never saw her again. Of course, Michael Shannon was great too.

[TalkinLoud]

If you hated the movie, I think you'll hate the play.

[aaronb]

Both of these look interesting--but I'm super busy this week.

[aaronb]

I'd be interested to hear how they are, though, if anyone goes.

[sinister teashop]

I also hated the movie but really love the play. Think it's Tracy Letts' best play.

[someone.else's.story2]

I actually enjoyed the movie a lot more than the play. Perhaps, I saw a bad production but the entire second act was almost constant screaming. It got to the point where I began to tune them out.

[wexy]

My friend is the director but I haven't been able to see it so far.

[mallardo]

For me the play is much better than the movie. It's a VERY powerful piece.

[Plum]

I haven't seen the movie, but the play I saw at the Barrow Street Theatre was...well, it was theatrical. The space mattered, the physicality mattered. Maybe the movie could have done a good job, too, but it wouldn't be the same.

[sinister teashop]

I don't understand why Letts likes Friedkin so much. "Bug" was shot like a TV drama, monotonously in shaky cam close shots to signal to the audience that they were watching a raw emotional experience. I felt Ashley Judd was miscast and wasn't able to get to a convincing portrayal of obsessive maternal longing.

[ClydeBarrow]

Speaking of Friedkin and Letts, I just watched Killer Joe and really enjoyed the film. I can definitely see how it differs from the play. I would assume it all took place in the trailer.

Has anyone seen both and have an opinion on it?

[jnb9872]

I witnessed a production of "Bug" performed in a similar space in Boston a few years back... I never got to see it at Barrow Street but if this (similar concept) is anything like what I saw this could be a special evening. "Bug" really lends itself to site-specific, audience-surrounding productions in a deeply unsettling way.

[Bettyboy72]

Lett's plays are tough in the sense that you need primal, committed actors and skilled directors. Anything less and his shows become tedious and the characters are awful.

"Bug" would work great in a hotel room-but the actors will have to be on top of their game to work that space effectively.

[strummergirl]

Shaky cam and TV drama do not really mix as much as you think. Movies, even big budget films, have incorporated a lot of shaky cam over the years, almost to excess (looking at you, Hunger Games), but I felt like it was fine with how it was used in the film.

I have mixed feelings over Killer Joe, the film (I am trying to imagine witnessing that fried chicken scene on stage), often because it is clear in some scenes that this was a play. I don't mind Friedkin trying to get some style points with how Bug was shot.