The Unbearable Banishment: If Messieurs Wolverine and Bond were Chicago inner-city beat cops

Sunday, October 18, 2009

If Messieurs Wolverine and Bond were Chicago inner-city beat cops

I was lucky enough to score a ticket to A Steady Rain, the two-hander starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman on Broadway. It’s an impossible ticket to get (unless you want to pony up $376.50 for a “premium” seat. Rotten greedy bastards.)

Cynical old me was ready for an evening of eye rolling and tut-tutting. The reviews were okay, but not glowing. I thought it was going to be an evening of movie star crap-ola. Well, guess what? It was great. Fuck the critics (as usual). I had a fine time. The attempted Chicago accents were a bit grating at first but I was pulled in on the strength of the story and flashes of raw emotion.

Jackman had the better, more showy role but Craig was fine, as well. They both have legitimate stage credentials so it was far from being a vanity project. I remember Kelsey Grammer playing, believe it or not, Macbeth on Broadway several years ago. Now, THAT was a vanity project. It closed after just 10 days.

When I mentioned that I was going to see A Steady Rain, several people told me to make sure to turn my cell phone off. They were referring to an incident whereby Hugh Jackman stopped the show to chastise someone in the audience whose cell phone went off. The clip is below. Hugh Jackman is a polite Aussie. Click on the second clip and listen to New York native Patty Lupone school Hugh on how it’s done.



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13 Comments:

Blogger Leah said...

Neat. Hugh Jackman, rock and roll, and funny. Really.

Now, Patti LuPone? She's just plain ole scary as hell.

October 18, 2009 at 9:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

so, whoever recorded the patti lupone rant was doing so illegally... hmmm....

oh, and i'd probably pay that much to watch hugh jackman polish a pair of shoes for 3 hours...

October 18, 2009 at 10:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Man, how do you think Christian Bale would've handled that ringing cell phone?

I think theaters (both live and movie) should deploy cell phone zappers to blanket the entire building.

Do you think they could do something about that annoying couple sitting behind me, kicking my seat and talking through the entire show?

October 18, 2009 at 10:40 PM  
Blogger Barlinnie said...

All cell phones should be barred from life... period. Freedom? Not any longer pal.

October 18, 2009 at 11:24 PM  
Anonymous nursemyra said...

Anyone who leaves their cell phone on in the theatre should be hung, drawn and quartered

October 19, 2009 at 3:50 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Leah: Patty reminds me of an angry gym teacher.

Daisy: Hugh was looking for you after the show. He said he had something he wanted to give you. I wonder what he meant?

Rob: I swear to you it happens at every single play I see. It's an ass-wipe epidemic.

Jimmy: Cell phone abuse is more harmful to Western civilization than the Taliban.

Nurse: That and the gym. Can't people go 90 friggin' minutes without a text message?!

October 19, 2009 at 9:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i've had fantasies of doing that when interrupted on stage...too much of a chicken shit. okay, not enough of a star. in community theater, you need every damn patron you can get and don't want to piss a one off.

October 19, 2009 at 9:53 AM  
Blogger savannah said...

i like the cellph zapper idea, sugar. xoxo

October 19, 2009 at 10:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am so envious of the availability of good theatre and art that you have around you all the time. I miss that here.

That said, I can't forget that I am a good bit closer to the Louvre (about 4 hours away) where I'd go everyday if I could and I have seen some marvelous theatre and art in London...it's just a bit of a haul to get there.

I always enjoy reading about what you're seeing and I pay almost no attention to what the critics say too.

October 19, 2009 at 2:28 PM  
Blogger Jason Quinones said...

i too have heard mixed to rave reviews but i sure as hell ain't paying 3 bills to see two guys chew the fat for two hours! waaaaaay too much dough!! i could maybe (maybe!!!) understand if there were elborate set pieces and costumes but it's just two guys in the same plain clothes and no sets except for an police interogation room consisting of a table and two chairs???

people are paying for the name recoginition and that's it! you can see them for free outside after the show's over and rent their films for way less!

and that poster looks like a photoshop disaster.

i'll pass on this one...

October 19, 2009 at 3:37 PM  
Blogger tennysoneehemingway said...

I'm kind of glad this isn't as bad as it's been reviewed. Aussie pride I guess.

October 20, 2009 at 2:59 AM  
Blogger ~E said...

OOH. Knowing that I don't really do plays so much, I would have gladly gone with you to see this one. Just to stare at wolverine all night.

October 20, 2009 at 5:57 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Rob: I've often think of grabbing a phone out of someone's hand and smashing it against a seat back. Often.

Savannah: My cell phone zapper doesn't have the kind of range I'd need for a theater.

GOTJ: If you don't take advantage of all the stuff NYC has to offer, it's not worth the bother of living here. And it IS a bother at times.

Jason: Where you been? It's not just the name recognition in this case. Those guys have acting chops. The name recognition game comes into play with shows like GREASE and HAIRSPRAY that have B-list actors step in and and out of roles.

TH: It's NEVER as bad as they make it sound. I thought he handled it quite well.

E: I think a LOT of people in the audience weren't exactly big on theater.

October 20, 2009 at 7:00 AM  

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