Excellent review. I too thought of Gypsy and noticed all the parallels you mentioned, and I would be very surprised to learn that Jez Butterworth was not aware of them. Your description of the way the set was used in the third act to represent the psychological state of Joan, the daughter returning from the States, was truly evocative. It was the most haunting thing I saw on my latest trip to Broadway, and I liked all five of the shows I saw, including Gypsy with Audra. New subscriber.
This was a stellar production. Jez's The Ferryman was one of the best directed plays I've ever seen. I 'm still waiting for a film version of that piece.
The beginning of this review totally missed the boat and it’s too bad. For anyone who watched this all the way through. this tepid, uninspired and rather bi-polar critique of the show was underwhelming at times and merely one person’s opinion. At least I am happy that I didn’t watch this BEFORE I went to see this production. This “critic” definitely isn’t someone that I would have benefited from listening to. First of all, the only similarity between Gypsy and The Hills of California is that they both have characters that are also sisters with an ambitious stage mother. However, the reasons behind the mothers’ respective desires to make their children stars spring from very different places. Mama Rose wants fame for herself and that’s why she pushes her children into the limelight. Veronica in The Hills of California mostly wants her children to have better lives than they can possibly have otherwise. Fame is their ticket out of Blackpool. After all, the girls are growing up during the 1950s, and there weren’t as many options for women then. Veronica’s motivating forces are not the same as Rose’s, and this IS NOT a facsimile of Gypsy. It’s unfortunate that this was how this got interpreted it, because it’s a very one dimensional take on a far more complex issue. As for the length of the play, it didn’t seem overly long to me. If 2.5 hours of live theater seems tedious in this day and age, then I assume that this “critic” isn’t a big fan of O’Neill, Lillian Hellman, Shakespeare etc. Jez Butterworth is known for his brilliant work, yet his plays are usually longer than many other contemporary pieces and this shouldn’t be a problem if people favor the quality of the content over brevity. The Hills makes the one act production of “Job” currently at the Helen Hayes theater playing right now, seem like a quick little snack! On the contrary, The Hills never seemed like it dragged on at all. When a show is this good, it is a treat. To say that it should be shortened would be kind of like complaining that your filet mignon was too big and too meaty to consume! Everyone is fabulous. The acting is superb. Laura Donnelly is definitely going to be nominated for a Tony and she very well might win it. However, all of the actors deserve to be commended for their brilliant performances. The show is worth seeing based on the merit of the ensemble’s performances alone. In fact, The Hills of California was so amazing that I never wanted it to end. It’s a beautiful tour de force and you DEFINITELY should see it.
Excellent review. I too thought of Gypsy and noticed all the parallels you mentioned, and I would be very surprised to learn that Jez Butterworth was not aware of them. Your description of the way the set was used in the third act to represent the psychological state of Joan, the daughter returning from the States, was truly evocative. It was the most haunting thing I saw on my latest trip to Broadway, and I liked all five of the shows I saw, including Gypsy with Audra. New subscriber.
Thank you for subscribing! I'm glad you enjoyed my review. I'm still thinking of that incredible Act 3 entrance!
This was a stellar production. Jez's The Ferryman was one of the best directed plays I've ever seen. I 'm still waiting for a film version of that piece.
I regret not seeing The Ferryman! Would love for it to be made into a movie.
Saw it last night
Superb writing and performances
I will follow whatever other show Jez Butterworth brings to NYC
Such a swallow review! Talk about the bathrooms of the theater and stop right there!😂
The beginning of this review totally missed the boat and it’s too bad. For anyone who watched this all the way through. this tepid, uninspired and rather bi-polar critique of the show was underwhelming at times and merely one person’s opinion. At least I am happy that I didn’t watch this BEFORE I went to see this production. This “critic” definitely isn’t someone that I would have benefited from listening to.
First of all, the only similarity between Gypsy and The Hills of California is that they both have characters that are also sisters with an ambitious stage mother. However, the reasons behind the mothers’ respective desires to make their children stars spring from very different places.
Mama Rose wants fame for herself and that’s why she pushes her children into the limelight. Veronica in The Hills of California mostly wants her children to have better lives than they can possibly have otherwise. Fame is their ticket out of Blackpool. After all, the girls are growing up during the 1950s, and there weren’t as many options for women then.
Veronica’s motivating forces are not the same as Rose’s, and this IS NOT a facsimile of Gypsy. It’s unfortunate that this was how this got interpreted it, because it’s a very one dimensional take on a far more complex issue.
As for the length of the play, it didn’t seem overly long to me. If 2.5 hours of live theater seems tedious in this day and age, then I assume that this “critic” isn’t a big fan of O’Neill, Lillian Hellman, Shakespeare etc. Jez Butterworth is known for his brilliant work, yet his plays are usually longer than many other contemporary pieces and this shouldn’t be a problem if people favor the quality of the content over brevity. The Hills makes the one act production of “Job” currently at the Helen Hayes theater playing right now, seem like a quick little snack! On the contrary, The Hills never seemed like it dragged on at all. When a show is this good, it is a treat. To say that it should be shortened would be kind of like complaining that your filet mignon was too big and too meaty to consume!
Everyone is fabulous. The acting is superb. Laura Donnelly is definitely going to be nominated for a Tony and she very well might win it. However, all of the actors deserve to be commended for their brilliant performances. The show is worth seeing based on the merit of the ensemble’s performances alone.
In fact, The Hills of California was so amazing that I never wanted it to end. It’s a beautiful tour de force and you DEFINITELY should see it.
Thank you for watching and for sharing your opinion. Glad you enjoyed the show! ☺