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China Doll Previews Thread

PianoMann Profile Photo
PianoMann
#1China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 9:14am

David Mamet's new play China Doll begins previews tonight! Is anyone planning on attending?

 

I'm very excited to hear feedback on this one. I was underwhelmed by the latest revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, one of my favorite American plays, so I hope this will be a better pairing of Mamet's material and Al Pacino's talents.

 

If anyone is going in the next few weeks before it opens, can someone inquire at the box office about standing room?

 

 

bfreak
#2China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:40am

I'm really interested to hear how things turn out for this too! It sounds exciting but we still don't really fully understand what this is about.

Dave13 Profile Photo
Dave13
#3China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 1:23pm

I have tickets for it in December. So hopefully it turns out great. Plenty of time to resell if not. 


Not to be confused with Dave19.

Sam2
#4China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 3:34pm

Has a rush policy been announced? 

LightsOut90
#5China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 4:00pm

No rush but Standing Room will be offered after opening. 

cjmclaughlin10
#6China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 5:51pm

Where did you hear/read that????

Luv2goToShows
#7China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 10:31pm

I stopped at the Box Office, no rush policy. Also, for those who were wondering I was told the run time is 2 hours 10 minutes including one intermission. 

supersam1026 Profile Photo
supersam1026
#8China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 10:41pm

If you want to live in a world where a brand new play by David Mamet starring Al Pacino is amazing, then please stop reading here and certainly do not see China Doll!

I was so looking forward to this and it just fell flat on it's face. You could literally feel the energy of the audience fading as each minute dragged on.

This is essentially a one man play that includes spending 2 hours watching Al Pacino talk on the phone about airline taxes. Its about as thrilling as it sounds.

I was in the last row of the mezz where I struggled greatly to hear half of Pacino's lines. At intermission I moved up to the front row of the orchestra after spotting someone leave a half hour into the first act. Didn't help, still tough to hear.

The last 15-20 minutes start to maybe become a little bit interesting before taking a turn towards the ridiculous.

The only word that comes to my head is disappointing. I so wish I was writing a more positive post right now!

Play is 2 hours 10 minutes with an intermission. Many did leave at the intermission after a tedious 55 minute first act... They were the lucky ones.

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#9China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 10:49pm

If true, this is his second stinker in a row. Who can forget that gobbler"The Anarchist".


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Jabere
#10China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:01pm

thanks not seeing this

cjmclaughlin10
#11China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:04pm

Glad I waited to buy tickets...

WhizzerMarvin Profile Photo
WhizzerMarvin
#12China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:21pm

supersam, you were far too kind! :) This play was, in a word, atrocious. I wasn't sure what to expect going into the theater tonight, but my friends and I kept telling ourselves, "If we know one thing it must be better than The Anarchist, right???" Well, to compare the two is like comparing two 1-15 football teams. They both stink, possibly for slightly different reasons, but the records are still the same. 

 

I don't know if it was a character choice or if Pacino just wasn't comfortable with the script, but there was a lot of mumbling and fumbling going on. I realize that he had about 95% of the dialogue and much of the first act consisted of him repeating the same story over and over again on the phone to different people, but the under-preparedness certainly didn't do the material any favors. 

 

A good 75% of the play is Pacino sitting on a couch or pacing his apartment and talking on the phone. He talks to his lawyer, his girlfriend, hotel staff, people in the political sphere, airplane company employees and he just drones on and on and on with each of them. No one really becomes a character as we listen to these one-sided phone conversations and the topics discussed get repeated and rehashed till you can't stand it anymore. 

 

Pacino's character is in the process of purchasing a $60 million private jet from a Swiss company. The tail number was supposed to be a Swiss code, but the company placed a US code on plane instead. The plane was supposed to fly directly from Europe to Toronto, but it had to make an emergency landing in the US and because it was registered with a US code he is being charged with a $5 million sales tax. I could go on with the "plot," but really why bother. 

 

The last 10 minutes did show some minor signs of life. Like there could be a play buried deep in the tangled mess, but the final moments were so absurd that I almost burst out laughing. 

 

I often think it a fool's errand to guess what others in the audience are thinking, but supersam is right- you could feel how excited the audience was welcome Pacino to the stage, and then like the air being slowly let out of a balloon you feel the excitement deflate and turn to befuddlement and/or hostility. 

 

I feel for Pam MacKinnon. How are you supposed to direct a play where a man talks on a phone for two hours? There is another character on the stage and they barely interact! 

 

After this production is over I assume this play, much like The Anarchist, will never be seen again. 


Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco. Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!

evic
#13China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:39pm

Mamet to me is the American Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter- over rated junk.

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#14China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:43pm

Was their at least cursing in it to somewhat save it?

 

Has Mamet lost his touch?  It should be interesting to see what the critics will do with it.


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WithoutATrace Profile Photo
WithoutATrace
#15China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:47pm

Unfortunately, I was in attendance tonight as well and felt compelled to chime in to this thread to warn people.  My advice to current ticket holders is to try and sell them now before the negative word of mouth starts to spread.  There is no saving this disaster.

bfreak
#16China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:50pm

Oh my God, I can not believe how bad you guys are saying this is! I do not know what to do. I was just about to buy tickets for this this weekend and I honestly am so baffled by this negative response. I really wanted to see Al Pacino live but I just don't know if it's worth it. (I never saw him before, and I thought it would be a "sure thing" in a Mamet play. I guess I thought wrong.)

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#17China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:51pm

Without Pacino, would it ever have been produced?

 

Didn't Pacino see how bad it was and if so why do it?


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After Eight
#18China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:51pm

The play broaches some interesting ideas that the format fails to dramatize successfully. Al Pacino has some effective moments in a shtick-laden performance. His voice projection proved a problem this evening.

bfreak
#19China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:53pm

Because he wanted his million dollar paycheck and for some reason opted to do a show where he has to deliver 95% of the dialogue. He must be going through a mental breakdown (the movie Birdman is coming to life!!!!)

supersam1026 Profile Photo
supersam1026
#20China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:54pm

Mr. Roxy, yes there was some cursing, but not enough to make any sort of impact. The only f word I would associate this with is failure. 

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#21China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/21/15 at 11:55pm

Maybe one is better off not hearing his lines.

 

Lately , we have noticed many of the shows we have seen have been undermiked


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Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#22China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/22/15 at 12:01am

Does it play out the entire scheduled run or does it do a quick folderoo? 

 


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WhizzerMarvin Profile Photo
WhizzerMarvin
#23China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/22/15 at 12:09am

I thought Pacino was excellent in The Merchant of Venice. He was alright in the Glengarry Glen Ross revival, but that production on the whole was limp and sluggish. China Doll ain't Shakespeare and is a faded photocopy a thousand times over of Mamet's greater works. 


Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco. Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!

supersam1026 Profile Photo
supersam1026
#24China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/22/15 at 12:11am

My guess is that it will play similar to The River with Hugh Jackman from last year.

It will sell out in the beginning based on star power alone, but will start to dip a bit after the holidays and people realize the reviews. I could definitely see this have discounts and maybe even listed on TKTS come January.

The fact of the matter is that it is Al Pacino, it will play out it's run and make it's money back without too much of an issue.

BroadMagTech
#25China Doll Previews Thread
Posted: 10/22/15 at 12:12am

Deleted

Updated On: 10/22/15 at 12:12 AM


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