Lost Girls previews. MCC @ Lortel

[Chefcorvette]

Posted: 10/22/15 at 11:08pm

Anyone see Lost Girls?

Updated On: 10/23/15 at 11:08 PM

[little_sally]

Posted: 10/23/15 at 11:11am

I was there last night. As a big fan of Small Engine Repair, I was really looking forward to it. It's not as good as Pollono's previous work but I still liked Lost Girls a lot, and highly recommend it. However, I say give it a few previews for some of the performances to come together (especially Perabo's) because it seemed like a few cast members were stumbling over lines last night.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/25/15 at 9:52am

Anyone else see this?

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/29/15 at 10:34am

I saw it and thought it was fine. Sadly I missed SMALL ENGINE REPAIR so I can't compare the two but hopefully that one was better. I was hoping for a little more of a thrilling plot with twists since that word was used in the synopsis. I figured out the "twist" maybe 15 mins in and just waited to see how it would be revealed. 

 

I've never been a big Piper Perabo fan but I thought she was alright here. The main problem across the board is the accent. The play is set in NH and I get why hardly any plays utilize such a specific accent. It's hard for most actors to do the entire time and if not done well it makes some of the lines difficult to understand. I enjoyed Tasha Lawrence a lot and found her un-PC grandmother character to be hilarious. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is quickly making his way to my must-see list because I've really enjoyed his stage work. He seemed to fair the best with the accent and he's not bad to look at (especially with some nudity).

 

The set is your standard LCC set, one interior house that changes to another location. There really wasn't much in terms of visual interest. There was one attempt towards the end when the aforementioned twist was revealed but it seemed a little heavy-handed.

 

It's an enjoyable enough evening of theatre but if you don't catch it then your life won't be ruined. Also the running time was 90 mins without intermission.

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 10:47am

Can the denizens of the Granite State really not have evolved since the Stone Age? Can they really be as crass, coarse and sewer-mouthed as portrayed here and in the playwright's previous opus, Small Engine Repair? Let's hope not, because these characters make Tobacco Road seem as genteel as Park Avenue. 

The only thing that can be said for this putrid little item is that  it's less violent and cretinous than its loathsome predecessor. Otherwise, it's just as foul, rank, and clunky.

In both works, the author seems to be aspiring to make the greatest use of the f-word in the history of the theatre. Someone from Guinness, please inform him that he's the undisputed champion in that regard, and that his record will likely never be broken. Perhaps he can then rest on his laurels and leave us poor theatregoers alone.

******* Spoiler alert. *****

This is yet another play that offers a "surprise," one the author takes great pains to pull off. Unfortunately for him, the Playbill flummoxes him. Frankly, the payoff wasn't worth the effort---  nor was the play.

Truth be told, I've had just about  enough of these "surprises." Instead of contorting themselves into a pretzel to effect them, playwrights should just focus on writing a decent play. That would be accomplishment enough.

Expect raves from the critics.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 11:17am

Another nothing review from After Eight. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 11:56am

Oh my, I was in the room where After Eight happened last night!

[bekk99]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 3:42pm

@haterobics Same! My mind is now trying to pair the vitriol with a face.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 3:43pm

I'm curious to see what you normal people thought.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 4:08pm

I was in the front row, and showed up last minute, so I really didn't see much of the audience, except to wonder why everyone after the show decided to step into the aisle and use that space to put on their coats and get ready to leave the theater, heh.

 

I had a fun time, really. I enjoyed all the performances, and unlike After Eight, I didn't do anything in advance to extrapolate any potential spoilers (I typically only read the bit where it is set and the year, and that's it beforehand). It was certainly engaging and had enough twists where you didn't know where it was going, and wondering how it would resolve, so that was pleasant. I don't know that it is answering some deep questions about life, or leaving you with some poignant takeaway that will live with you for a while, but it was an efficient 90 minute show with good performances. I took a friend who never went to an MCC show before, and he said if they're all that quality, he wants to go more often.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/4/15 at 11:32pm

As I think I'll pas on this, can anyone reveal the twist to me? And the set change? 

[bekk99]

Posted: 11/5/15 at 3:54pm

I thought it was fine. Some great moments performance-wise, but could still use tightening. The spotty accents stood out to me as well. The show grew on me as it went along and in the scenes following the "twist." Based on the Playbill and some narrative clues, I knew something was going on, but I hadn't 100% figured it out. Would be interesting to go back and watch from the beginning with this in mind, but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to do it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/5/15 at 3:57pm

Does anyone even read After Eight's "reviews" anymore?  I see them and literally just skip to the next post. 

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 11/5/15 at 4:13pm

RippedMan said: "As I think I'll pas on this, can anyone reveal the twist to me? And the set change? "

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Well Piper Perabo's daughter goes missing and the main set piece is her apartment. There is a turntable that spins to reveal a motel room with a bed and nightstand. A girl and boy enter and you initially think it is her daughter and a boy she ran away with. It turns out to actually be Perabo as a teenager and her now ex-husband. The Playbill starts to make you wonder because these characters are listed as "Girl" and "Boy" instead of Perabo's daughter's name. It wasn't a very interesting plot twist.

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/5/15 at 4:14pm

I didn't even know we had spoiler content on here?! Anyway, I just PM'd you the spoiler, too, heh.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 11/17/15 at 1:03am

This was recently extended. Has anyone else seen it/care to share their thoughts? 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 11/29/15 at 10:54pm

to anyone who hasn't seen this yet but saw Small Engine Repair their is a nice little connector at the end that places both plays in the same universe. 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:37am

I saw both, but missed that little piece. Can anyone elaborate on the connection between the two plays?