Yeah, it was SUCH a disappointment. The set was pretty cool, and as the show dragged its lifeless self along, I spent half of my time trying to determine just WHY things weren't working, and the other half staring at all the props throughout the set-dressing (they even carried up to the sides of the balcony...a lovely touch). Shame that the show just couldn't come together, somehow. I'll see anything with Altwies in it, but the whole thing felt anemic. No bite, no real power or threat. When the greatest tension is worrying whether Leggett will drop some of the prop vases he's carrying, or that time Altwies almost accidentally knocked over a folding chair...not a good sign.

(Also, we spent the ENTIRE time assaulted by cigarette smoke. I've never been much bothered by smoke before, but this was surprisingly strong in the balcony. Way more noticeable and persistent than I would've thought possible. 5 people (in two different groups) seated near us left at intermission, complaining of the smoke.)

@1:

The great irony is that it probably wasn't even real cigarette smoke - the WA state smoking ban having been ruled to apply to theatrical performances in enclosed buildings - so just about everybody these days uses those fake cigs with the powder you blow out to simulate smoke. Occasionally (if people think they can get away with it), they'll use clove cigarettes, but the aroma is so clearly not-tobacco that most productions where smoking is required don't bother.

And yes, I've seen people complain about the "smell" of non-existent cigarette smoke before, so it does happen.

Wow, so I literally just went online to get tickets and I happened to see this. So gonna skip it. Anyone recommend something else for next week? Any idea what "The Seagull" over at the act is about?

@4 the show at OtB (She She Pop) looks like a promising adventure

I used to manage a coffee shop where 90% of the employees were masters students at the local university . They talked a landlord into letting them open a shuttered bar and hold a performance of American Buffalo. It was incredible, with a budget of $250. Hard to see how you could fuck this up,

IIRC Milam Wilson also directed that Seattle Rep scenery buffet God of Carnage (which incidentally also featured Altweis + his wife Amy Thone).

@3 See, that makes sense, and I've never noticed tobacco smelling cigarettes in shows for the last decade, but I SWEAR this was the real stuff. We even talked about why the heck they weren't using the fake powder ones.

I don't know, maybe my brain was being tricked, and I'm not sure how Rep would get away with it, but they do clearly list "onstage smoking" on their website.

It's "Wilson Milam."

The cigarette smoke thing is weird to hear...I went last night and they spend the whole play pretending to be unable to light their cigarettes. I'd never seen the play before but it sounds like that's not part of the script? If people complained about smoke to the degree that they needed to change the production, making the characters unable to light cigarettes throughout the play is a pretty distracting way to address that. It felt like schtick running through the whole play.

I agree about the production lacking something. And I also didn't think much of the decision (I'm assuming) to play the kid as having some sort of autism-spectrum thing going on. Was that the intention, do you think? It felt like an unsuccessful choice by actor or director or both.

I saw it this afternoon. The house manager was telling one audience member that they cut the cigarette smoking because so many people complained.

I thought the bits where they couldn't light their cigarettes were brilliant, both as physical comedy and as metaphor.

I thought that making Bobby have Asperger's was the main thing that screwed the production up. Artistically speaking, that choice takes a lot of power out of the play.

I thought having the moment of sudden violence capped by dumping pillows onto his head was a little...odd. Also felt a little schticky to me. The lighters not working was kinda funny but dragged on way too long to me...how could smokers really not have any matches or lighters that worked? And it wasn't part of what Mamet wrote. Just felt like a distraction to me, amusing or not.

Curious, Louisep...did the audience laugh at tons of stuff that wasn't especially comedy-oriented when you saw the play? It was oddly incessant at Saturday night's performance. Constant belly laughs when nothing funny was going on in the play.

I enjoyed the production a great deal, at least as far as Donnie and Teach went. I think Altweis and Leggett totally nailed it - they're both at the top of their games and it was a joy to see them interact as those two iconic characters. I thought the lighters/matches not working was a great work around about the smoking idea (there has never been smoking in any of the productions I've seen, btw), cause it was both comic and also added a little to the tension because you know what it's like when smokers can't get their 'hit'. I think having Bobby be as out of it was a very bad choice though. It makes Donnie's idea of sending him in to do a robbery totally ridiculous, and took away some tension that comes with considering Bobby might be competently running his own game or using again. While the set looked great, the multi-story effect didn't work- I would've preferred to see Leggett and Altweis have to continue to confront each other face to face vs. Teach running away up the stairs. I disagree with Kiley about the Schmee production- yes, great set, but otherwise not memorable.

I thought - except for the choices surrounding Bobby- the production kicked ass. Altweis and Leggett nailed it- and it was a joy to see two guys at top of their game knock it out of the park. I think the choice of making Bobby such a burnout was a bad idea- makes Donnie considering sending him in on a theft totally ridiculous and takes away some of the element of wondering what kind of game he was running himself. While the set in some ways looked great, I wasn't crazy about the multi-story effect: would rather have seen Teach and Donnie have to face off more than have Teach be able to run away. (It was like something out of a production of Oliver!) Had read about the smoking (which was never in the script anyway and hasn't been in the 3 other productions I've seen)- I think the work around with the matches/lighters was a great idea, plus you realize you're watching smokers who can't get their 'hit'- which added to the feeling of things going out of control and not working. I saw the Schmee production- while it had a good set, it wasn't memorable for any other reason. I'm going to be remembering Altweis and Leggett in these roles for a long time to come.