NYC Broadway shows
 

I am looking to take my wife to see a Broadway show for our wedding anniversary on May 10th.
The two new plays that interest me that I know she would enjoy are The Country Girl and Les Dangereuses. I need some input from those who frequent Broadway shows on which one they prefer. Here are the links to both plays...thank you!

http://www.dangerousonbroadway.com/

http://www.broadway.com/gen/show.asp...FQInlgodzC_-Gg

Since both are in previews and have not yet officially opened, I'm not sure how many have seen either or both. The Country Girl opens tonight, Les Liaisons Dangereuses opens May 1. I will see both in June but that doesn't help you.

My first choice would definitely be The Country Girl -- mainly for the cast! But if your wife is more into a classic "costume" show, perhaps the other. This one is really a tough call and more a matter of personal taste than anything else.

You do know that there are playbill.com discounts for Les Liaisons Dengereuses? There are also for Country Girl except sadly not for Saturday night. How about getting discounts for both by doing Country Girl as a matinee and Les. . . in the evening?

I have tickets for both, but haven't seen them yet (May 3rd and June 10th). First, which cast (both excellent) do you think she's more interested in? Also, has she seen the films? Is there a story that she would prefer more?

My wife would love the cast of Country Girl and she really enjoyed the movie Dangerous Liaisons.
Right now I am leaning towards Country Girl. Have either of you been to the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre? How is the legroom as I am 6-3 and have had problems with tight legroom in past Broadway shows? I am guessing I should get aisle seats.

Thank you for the link Patrick

I have tix for The Country Girl - chosen solely on the cast. With that line-up, it HAS to be good.

I'm still bummed that I missed Vanessa Redgrave last year :-(

Starrs, was she in the Year of Magical Thinking based on Joan Didion?

Yes. I sooo wanted to see it!

I never seem to remember each theater's interior, but most of them are quite tight. With your height, try to get aisle seats if possible.

I saw The Year of Magical Thinking. There was something odd about Redgrave's accent (she was playing an American) and we thought it detracted from her performance.

Uh oh....The Country Girl opened last night to a not so stellar review by Ben Brantley of the NY Times. Read it on line before making your purchase.

Starrs - saw Redgrave in "A Long Day's Journey into Night" several years back and she was wonderful in that production.

"I saw The Year of Magical Thinking. There was something odd about Redgrave's accent (she was playing an American) and we thought it detracted from her performance."

Have you ever listened to Joan Didion speak? I have -- and did before I saw the play on Broadway. I was overwhelmed with the way Redgrave copied her speech. Vanessa Redgrave didn't merely do an "American" accent. She perfectly copied Joan Didion's accent to the last syllable. It had that very same "upper class" slightly put-on sound. It was remarkable. Sorry you found the way Joan Didion speaks to be a distraction.

Please don't apologize. I didn't find Joan Didion's speech a distraction - only Vanessa Redgrave's rendition. I have heard Joan Didion speak and none of us noticed the similarity - I'll listen again when the opportunity arises.

Well, I must say that Vanessa Redgrave never gets beyond being a consummate actress with a precision in every word that does go beyond what Miss Didion does. That sort of precision could be off putting to some -- making her seem more an actress than just an every day person. It's not unlike how I felt seeing the great James Earl Jones in Fences -- sorry, I couldn't believe that amazingly rich and cultural voice was coming from THAT character. And what would I call that strange sort of psuedo "aloof" accent that Joan Didion has? "Berkley Episcopalian" maybe?

On another note, before dismissing The Country Girl due to Ben Brantley's review in the times (thank goodness, I have not skipped many of the productions in the past that he hasn't liked!), you might want to read this review in Variety -- quite the opposite reaction to many of the same points:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117...=1265&cs=1

Thanks for the Variety review - quite different - just emailed a copy to some friends who will also find it interesting. Brantley calling the production 'inert' was most troubling.

BTW, he loved the "Coast Of Utopia" trilogy last season - I felt tortured sitting through it - I think the theater experience is so personal and contextual.

Thanks for the Variety link Patrick

For an interesting article on The Country Girl, including bits from a number of reviews of last night's opening and some commentary on the commentary. . .

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6qssyn

All in all, it's sure enough to make me still want to see it!

My wife and I will be seeing The Country Girl as well. Those links helped a lot Patrick.

And now the review of last night's opening of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the NYTimes by Ben Brantley:

theater2.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/theater/reviews/02liai.html

Brantley is a brutal critic!!