Clybourne Park Audience Feedback
Steve Pacek and Julia Gibson in Arden Theatre Company's Production of "Clybourne Park"
Everday we receive extremely interesting audience feedback from our current production of Clybourne Park! Here is what some of our audiences have to say about this thought-provoking show:
My theater group LOVED Clybourne Park!-Mimi, > Wallingford, PA
My wife and I really enjoyed Clybourne Park. We laughed very hard, loved the quick and intense dialog, thought the acting was terrific (this cast should open it on Broadway!), and gave it a standing ovation. Ian Merrill Peakes is fast becoming one of our favorite Philly actors, we think he almost stole the show.-Thomas, Wayne, PA
Clybourne Park is a terrific play. However, the 4 of us who saw it together felt that the ending was awkward and not necessary. Just something to consider…-Ilene, Philadelphia, PA
My wife and I attended Clybourne Park and were very disappointed. We have never done this before but we left at internission. Hopefully, the second act was better. –Dennis, Haverton, PA
Once again the Arden proves what a superior theater company it is. Clybourne Park was provocative, superbly acted and produced. We took the “leap of faith“, and have renewed our subscription for next year. We thank YOU!!!!-Herbert, Philadelphia, PA
The play was wonderful. There were some very funny moments, yes. But there were also many sad and touching moments. Given the way the play ends I would not refer to this play as “hilarious”. It was well written, well acted, thought provoking, touching and probably one of the best plays I have ever seen. But to call the play “hilarious” is misleading. –Cindy, Philadelphia, PA
I saw Clybourne Park on Sat. It was beyond WONDERFUL….even the changing of the set in between acts was amazing…I loved loved the show and have already passed the word along…it’s a don’t miss show, for sure.- Judy, Camden, NJ
We saw the play a year ago in London; if anything, your performance was even better than that one.- Gabriel, Lawrenceville, NJ
So after seeing the play this past Saturday afternoon, we both left the theatre shocked, speachless, and not sure of what he had seen. Yes this play does start conversations; and we are still talking about it not sure if we liked it but we are still talking about it. Great Cast! Again all we are still saying is WOW. –Venita, Waldorf, MD
Thank you to our supportive audiences for your fantastic feedback and conversation starters. Please add any comments below!
Very enjoyable touching production. So glad I got to see it with my friends for a great discussion.
The “N” word is unacceptable. Why is the “C” word just fine?
Saw “Clybourne Park” Saturday and thought it was wonderful. What a great job your theater has done this year. I have told so many people about the play and your theater. Keep up the GREAT work.
Just saw Clybourne Park and loved it. Not surprised because all Arden Productions are great, thought provoking and masterfully acted and directed. Kudos to all the actors and also to the stage crew who beautifully changed the sets during intermission. What fun having that done for the audience instead of behind a curtain. I enjoyed some other comments and can’t imagine anyone leaving at intermission. What a mistake.
As for the C word……perfect and hilarious.
This was not hilarious, from a humor or from a subject matter perspective. There were maybe a couple of chuckles, but the first act especially was too broad, and also unbelievable. The only characters who rang true were the father, the maid and her husband.
I could see that the overarching theme is a lack of understanding and empathy between any individuals as well as any group, whether it is ethnic, racial, male, female, straight, gay, etc. But the point was not made well.
I was ready to leave before intermission, but wanted to see how this might be rehabilitated in the second act.
I agree that the ending was gratuitous. We already knew the tragedy that started the situation.
Once again the Arden has proved itself to be an outstanding theater company. This show was excellent–well directed, extremely well acted by an outstanding cast, and very thought provoking. However, I agree with the comments about describing it as “hilarious” and questioning its ending. It was, in fact, outrageously funny at many times, but the serious nature of the underlying themes makes it much more than a comedy. Also, I thought the final moments were out of context and unnecessary. Jumping from the present back to the fifties to show what we already know happened to the son of the former owners seemed unnecessary and somehow contrived. Even so, this was one of the most outstanding productions I’ve seen in a long while and I attend a lot of theater.
Playwriting is a form of story telling. An Army uniform also tells a story for those who have served.
Had the wardrobe designer of Clybourne Park been more cognizant of the symbolism inherent in a US soldier’s uniform, he or she could have added to the poignancy of the cahracter.
Unfortunately the soldier’s “costume” had rank insignia for both a major and a private, as well as other issues, which trivialized the character and made the concluding scene silly and gratuitous.
We thoroughly enjoyed your supberb production of Clybourne Park this past Sunday afternoon. The direction given to the actors, their precision as an ensmble, and the overall attention to every detail was nothing short of extraordinbary. Intermittently quite funny and, at the same time, always thought-provoking, you, once again, prove that The Arden is on the cutting-edge of theatre in Philadelphia. THANK YOU, and bravi!!!!!
Thank you for presenting such a wonderful play! We attended with 5 friends and everyone loved it! It was funny and thought provoking and the acting was great! Nice work by the stage design/production group too! We’ll be renewing our subscription again!
The staging and acting were excellent. Unfortunately, the crew and cast didn’t have much to work with. The characters were poorly developed and stereotypic. A few good lines and jokes but no real tension or resolution. Didn’t come close to “Superior Donuts’ or the performance a few years ago of ‘All My Sons’. We have been Arden subscribers for years and have seen many fine plays performed superbly. Clyborn Park was thin fare and dissapointing
I thought the play was well done, loved the cast, the diaglogue, the set. Having not read about the play before hand, and considering the intensity of the issue about the son’s suicide, I expected some sort of connection and/or resolution in the second act.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Claybourne Park. All the actors embraced their roles and gave very strong performances. The story of these families was at times happy or sad but was very real to us. The play really addressed how we as a community can brush aside matters of importance when they make us uncomfortable. It showcased how ead we choose to sugarcoat things and make a new reality which removes our unease and discomfort. We love the Arden and look forward to your next production. Marie, Philadelphia
My partner and I were very disappointed by this play. Racism (including liberal hypocrisy) is a huge issue in this country, but Clybourne Park doesn’t offer anything new on the subject — just
shallow stereotypes, characters who are easy to despise, and predictable lines (“half of my friends are black”). In the Arden’s production, unimaginative writing was compounded by heavy-handed directing. Hansberry’s characters in Raisin struggled and grew; Norris’s characters here just sink into ugliness.