LaBute wrote a sequel to the play, Reasons to be Happy, which premiered in June 2013 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in an MCC Theater production. It features the same four characters several years later, and starred Jenna Fischer, Josh Hamilton, Leslie Bibb and Fred Weller. [8] Awards and nominations [ edit ] Original Broadway production [ edit ] Year

The Lyceum is a good choice for Neil LaBute's Broadway debut, big enough to accommodate a larger audience than the Lucille Lortel downtown but not too big for this four character play to look lost or the audience too distanced from the four actors.reasons to be pretty might have worked even better if brought in with the same 90 minute run time as Fat Pig. But at any length, it's a fitting finale for the physical appearance fixated trilogy, delivering the usual verbal punches (and in this case even a few physical ones) — especially in this expertly directed, authentically staged and convincingly acted production. This is a play by Neil LaBute, who I know mostly from films he’s directed but he was a well-established playwright first. Though this and the sequel are more contemporary.

The Australian premiere took place in May 2012 at the Darlinghurst Theatre in Sydney, directed by National Institute of Dramatic Arts graduate James Beach and starring Andrew Henry. Part sentimental romance and part pastiche, The Lion in Winter invites spoofs, even while spoofing itself; some years ago it spawned a satirical radio tribute called The Leopard in Autumn.Reasons to Be Pretty has also been put up in San Francisco at San Francisco Playhouse where it opened on March 26. [7] Bob Crowley's design makes a palace out of dereliction, a place in which the walls give distress a good name. Plaster curls decoratively down long walls; opal windows seem to let in a grey-green light; the effect is not so much tenement as verdigris ballroom. In the early scenes the echoing elegance of the space drains away the desperation which encircles the play and makes sense of its plunges from despondency to hilarity. Space also causes gigantism in the actors. Some of that settles down. Director Terry Kinney, repeating his chores from the play’s previous off-Broadway production, has again elicited superb performances from his ensemble. And the playwright has done some welcoming tightening of the running time, with the biggest improvement being the deletion of the extraneous monologues in which the characters unnecessarily explained their motivations. The Mill Theatre is in Building 3.3, the Screencraft and KeepCo building which is a short walk from Capital Brewing. There are two easy ways to approach the Theatre:

As odd as it seems, I came upon this play through a conversation with a Goodreads friend about Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund, which in part features a "beautiful" Goldmund for a time sleeping with a lot of "beautiful" women. Male predator? I don't think so, he's as much approached as approaching women, but you have to consider the source here (me: guy). Anyway, I was casting about for a play about beauty, and this one, that was nominated for and won Tony awards, is. In 2011 it was produced in London at the Almeida Theatre with a cast including UK actress Billie Piper, Kieran Bew, Siân Brooke and Tom Burke. [5] It opened to critical acclaim on the press night, November 17, 2011, with reviewers claiming it 'was one of the best theatre productions' they had seen in 2011. By keeping true to the language of the text, the performance brings an American-style laugh-out-loud humour. Concurrently, it challenges the cross-societal issue of superficiality shared within Australian popular culture. Playwright/provocateur Neil LaBute has explored our obsession with physical appearance and the way it wreaks havoc on relationships in such works as “Fat Pig” and “The Shape of Things.” But “reasons to be pretty,” the third entry in this unofficial trilogy, cuts even deeper than its predecessors. Marking the playwright’s belated Broadway debut, this lacerating and extremely funny work should appeal to younger theatergoers especially. For her, the brutalist style chair has taken on potent symbolism. It represents a sturdiness, exuding a striking and simple strength that Lexi needs from the production team and the cast.God this is SUUUCH a male apologist thesis, idc if it’s being ironic about it it just is. Men always do this, layer their true feelings, especially about women being psychotic, under layers of “irony”, “absurdity”, and “jokes” just say you hate women………

Tea, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages will be available for sale thanks to Unscripted Fermentation during intermission and post-show. Like i swear this play is literally about oh boo hoo you think it’s bad for a man to not think you’re the most beautiful thing on earth well guess what they can be WORSE than that, you’re dumb for being upset for not being pretty enough when PREGNANT WOMEN are getting CHEATED ON. Like ok chill Neil. What I like about this dialogue-rich play is that it’s littered with literary references about US authors,” Tim chimes in. “Keeping true to the text provides a glimpse into an American slice of life.” Reading this after watching the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial really makes you think differently about it. Like damn bitch why you gotta be throwing pans at someone’s head that’s straight up not okay. Not that i thought it was okay the first time I read it but it’s just so clearly abuse I’m trying to figure out what the playwright was doing with her. Meeting with Lexi and Director Tim Sekuless at this very space to find out more, I find Tim seated in the studio’s performance space.

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Starting with a volatile opening scene, the play transports the audience to an intimate setting in a small middle-American town. We get up-close and personal with two couples—Greg (Rhys Hekimian), Steph (Alana Denham-Preston), Kent (Ryan Erlandsen), and Carly (Lexi Sekuless)—as they navigate a toxic environment. LaBute’s gift for comically nasty dialogue — especially relating to the battle between the sexes — is very much on display here, never more so than in the hilariously painful scene in which the wounded Steph turns the tables on her ex by launching into a brutally detailed description of his many physical flaws during a meeting at a shopping mall food court.