lisa

I understand it's in previews -- has anyone out there seen it yet & if so, how was it? I am a fan of Alan Cumming & Jennifer Ehle and am thinking about getting tickets, but haven't heard anything about it yet.

Patrick

It's a great show, personally I think one of Sir Noel's most witty. Can't wait to see it in May hopefully, but haven't heard anything about it yet.

Doubter

Is this a subtle publicity note? What is it doing here rather than on a theater board?

howard

Sorry, Doubter, but you're off base. The two previous posters are regulars on the forum.
Lisa, there's be absolutely no "buzz" about the show.
Sorry to say this, Patrick, but I don't agree with you about the play. We saw itin in Williamstown a few years ago, with Frank Langella as the star, and found the play terribly, terribly dated!
Hey, we're allowed to disagree!

Patrick

That's OK, Howard, I think we disagreed about Contact too! Yes, I agree the play is very dated, but that's what I like about it -- it's such a witty and clever period piece. Of course, The Importance of Being Ernest is probably my favorite British play of all time and you can't get more dated than that. By the way, are you sure you aren't thinking of Frank Langella in Present Laughter, another Coward play which I think he did in Williamstown as well as on Broadway? You are probably right, but that is just a thought.
Incidentally I had just ordered tickets for Saturday night, May 12 to Design for Living. Because that is one of the extra nights beyond subscription dates, I was able to get third row on the aisle, better than the usual seats I can get to Roundabout shows due to the huge subscriber base.

lisa

Hmm. I think I'll wait and see how the reviews are.

Doubter: No, this isn't a publicity note. I'm going up to NY in early April to see "The Producers" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and was thinking about extending my stay and trying to get tickets to one or two other shows (Stoppard's "The Invention of Love" and/or the aforementioned "Design for Living"). Just trying to make an educated decision. I posted it here because there are several Fodorites on this board who are regular theatregoers (witness Patrick & Howard) & always seem to be up on the latest scoop in that regard. They've been helpful in making recommendations in the past (I loved "Proof").

kk

I am going to chime in too on how helpful this board has been in my visits to NYC from my home in Houston. On Howard's recommendation I am set to see Contact in late March and jumped on The Producers myself, only to have it confirmed again by Howard as having had outstanding reviews in Chicago. I can hardly wait.
I saw Proof and The Full Monty on a trip to NYC in December. Both were excellent, as Howard had said they were. He did warn me off Design for Living, and now I am wondering about Present Laughter ( a la Patrick's comment above) because I saw it and didn't like it much. Not as witty as it should have been, IMHO. Patrick, I love Wilde's play but the wit isn't dated, just the scene setting.

patg

Lisa, I saw a production of "Invention of Love" at the Court Theatre in Chicago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think any Stoppard fan would, or anyone in the writing/editing/translating fields. It is quite touching as well as witty. I hope you go and enjoy it.

Howard

I humbly and publicly apologize to Patrick. You are right. It was Present Laughter, not Design for Living. However, I do agree with you about The Importance of Being Earnest. It is indeed a classic (as is An Ideal Husband).
(Hey, kk, thanks for the kind words. I hope you won't take them back now that I've publicly confessed to my error! If Design for Living is big hit, I guess I'll be in trouble with you!)

kk

Nope, Howard, I have one more Sunday afternoon in NYC into which I can still squeeze Design for Living. Like Lisa, I was interested in the cast, but that darned play, Present Laughter, kinda turned me off Coward. Maybe it's worth it to just go see Alan Cumming and Jennifer Ehle, live, in whatever the vehicle is. Trouble is, I have to choose between doing that and yet one more visit to the Metropolitan Museum, what to do, what to do. I have two more weeks to dither.

lisa

patg -- Glad to hear "Invention of Love" is a worthwhile play. I'm not a huge fan of Tom Stoppard, but the story & subject matter sounded so interesting...

kk -- A friend of mine who lives in Chicago went to see "The Producers" and said it was great, plus another friend told me the reviews were excellent. And I love Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, so it's a no-brainer.

Also, I'm a big fan of Gary Sinise, so I had to get tickets for "Cuckoo's Nest" even though I haven't heard any buzz on it at all.

Can't decide on Stoppard vs. Coward for now, so I think I'll just wait...unless I decide to do both?

Also was considering "The Syringa Tree" off-Broadway which I've heard such fantastic things about, but at least for now it doesn't seem like they're selling tickets for performances into April, which makes me wonder if it's ending -- it's been there for quite some time already.

Howard

Lisa, you also might consider these three:
*Proof, an excellent Broadway play starting Mary-Louise Parker, one of the best plays we've seen in a while.
*Fully Comitted, a very funny off-Broadway one-man show.
*Dinner with Friends, another excellent off-Broadway entry that won last year's Pulitzer Prize.

lisa

Howard -- Already saw "Proof" & "Dinner with Friends" and enjoyed both very much.

Have heard "Fully Committed" is funny (seems like it may have played here in DC recently too), but it sounded a little thin...was looking for something with a bit more to it.

Howard

Lisa, Fully Committed is definitely worth your time. Don't be thrown off by the fact that it's a solo show. It's not thin!

kk

Lisa, I'd suggest The Full Monty, described by the NY Times as "a crowd pleaser that you're not embarrassed to love." It was wonderful, fully as great as the movie.

Howard

One other potential for you is August Wilson's latest, King Hedley II, which opens April 11 (not sure when you're coming). We're great fans of Wilson's and have most of his plays. Anyway, it stars Brian Stokes Mitchell.
You can get discount tickets (about 40% off) thru the Playbill website.

Patrick

By the way since we're discussing new shows, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the upcoming and much awaited revival of Follies. Also any advance word on the production of Bells are Ringing with Faith Prince? I already have my tickets for both, but just curious what others think.
And Howard, you are certainly forgiven for that minor mistake. You are entitled to at least one a month in exchange for all the great advice you give. The only reason I suspected that you had the wrong show is that I really follow productions of Noel Coward's plays particularly in New York and London and see every one I can. I've performed a fair amount of his stuff, and border on a Coward addiction.

howard

YOu're on the mark again, Patrick about Follies (previews start Thursday) and Bells Are Ringing (previews start next Tuesday), especially Follies, one of our all-time favorites.