Nine Arianda Starring in MTC's Red Vienna- Page 2

[vegas2]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 8:52pm

I appreciate these thoughtful commentaries. I have very few slots remaining in my upcoming trip, and have to make some tough choices. I am a fan of Nina Arianda, but don't need to see her in something sub-par.

Updated On: 3/2/14 at 08:52 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/2/14 at 10:06pm

This play was so bad, I left the theater shaking my head and thinking, How does something like this get produced? Go see Red Vienna only if you can honestly say, "I would pay to see Nina Arianda read the phone book." And you'll still be disappointed. Alas.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 12:50am

Yeah, I mean, she's great, sure, but she's not great in this. I just feel like she does NOTHING in this. Even the little "fight" at the end is over and done with in a second. Just the play adds up to NOTHING. Skip it.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 10:05am

I also didn't like the play. It's just not very well written and is very much trying to be Ibsen. It's a shame.

Though Arianda, Chalfant, and Esper are excellent, as always.

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 11:01am

I didn't understand a plot point. It concerns the very end of the play. Could someone who's seen the play please explain it to me?



*******************SPOILER QUESTION****************************

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE PLAY, stop reading now.

At the climax, Nina's character acts as if she has a stab wound. She inspects an area of her abdomen, under her dress, as if she's injured. Yet I don't recall her being hurt! What's going on?


************************END OF SPOILER QUESTION*******************************

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 11:16am

I was really excited to see this...but now I think I'll give it a pass.

[MKunkel]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 12:24pm

SPOILERS -----------------------

macnyc, I was just about to ask that same question...I didn't understand it at all. And then her attempt to open the window? I assume she is just so overwhelmed by everything that just has happened? It seems kind of random to me.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 1:05pm

mac and MKunkel re: SPOILERS:


I took it as she was clutching her chest and running to the window because she felt like she couldn't breathe. She was just overwhelmed and needed the air. But agreed that it was confusing.

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 4:47pm

************SPOILERS*********************

It didn't seem to be her inability to breathe because she was poking herself lower down (not in the lungs) kind of in the abdomen. Very odd. I think they could have salvaged the play (at least in part) with a wonderful conclusion, but it was just a mess.

Thanks for your replies!
Updated On: 3/3/14 at 04:47 PM

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 6:05pm

Spoiler*********************response/speculation macnyc







I also saw she poked at her abdomen, and was wondering why too. A thought came to mind, her husband called her barren.... I thought maybe it had something to do with that and that maybe she was not barren. Probably just my over imagination or wishful thinking there was more to the story. To me, this was another lost opportunity, there should have been more to the story, explained more. To me it just never really developed to must of anything. Shame, great talent on stage.

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/3/14 at 6:37pm

******SPOILERS***********DO NOT READ***********

^^^ That's a possibility, certainly. Maybe she was trying to rouse an ovary into action!

Her husband was vile, just vile. Just as the other guy was. I wanted to rush out of the theater and go home to take a shower.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 12:11am

Wow, I really LOVED this play and gave it a standing ovation along with a good portion of the audience. It's a drama set in the 1920s and told in three short acts (runs 2 hours 35 minutes total). It starts off with a woman who learned her husband died in the war, and now she doesn't have any money left, so she turns to prostitution to pay the bills. Needless to say , this is quite scandalous especially in 1920s "high society." Other characters enter her life throughout the play, and the character who appears at the end of Act II simply stuns the audience (I overheard a fellow audience member say "I love it - this is so much like Days of Our Lives.") Act III has some heated confrontations and just when you think the play is almost over, a final surprise comes. I was glued to the edge of my seat throughout the play. Nina Arianda and Kathleen Chalfant are simply marvelous as always. And the set design during Act II (which takes place during a cemetary) is simply the most beautiful off-Broadway set I have ever seen. This play is a real winner all around and I'd highly recommend it.

[No Leg Room]

Posted: 3/17/14 at 6:04pm

I agree with you on this play. It reminded me of a 1940's melodrama. It held my interest and the two sets were top notch. Vienna in 1920 must have been a hard place to survive in after the falll of an empire. The cast were all wonderful. It is easy to criticise but put yourself in their circumstances and see how you would manage it

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 3/18/14 at 2:50pm

I LUVED this one but not sure one should go looking for a scenery chewing performance from it's leading lady. Nina is doing a passionate but subtle/realistic job here & she does not look like the heavily made-up promotional pics. She has a much more natural looking appearance in the play.

[AndrewAndrew]

Posted: 3/19/14 at 1:04pm

Nina Arianda seduced us in 2011's sexy Venus In Fur. In Tales From Red Vienna she's been widowed by World War One and has hit rock bottom. Parallel's to our time abound in David Grimm's script which is heavy with social commentary and critic. Can Arianda make this serious role her own? Find out in our full review!




Click for full video review of Tales From Red Vienna Updated On: 3/19/14 at 01:04 PM

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 3/19/14 at 1:16pm

If you're going to critique, review or even discuss a show… please try and at least get the TITLE right.


You got it right in the video, though :) Updated On: 3/19/14 at 01:16 PM

[AndrewAndrew]

Posted: 3/19/14 at 1:22pm

@GreasedLightning thanks. all corrected!

[Melissa25]

Posted: 3/22/14 at 11:33pm

I had a thoroughly enjoyable time today attending the matinee and the talk-back. I was so worried because so many BWWers that I typically agree with here didn't like this play. As previously stated, the sets, costumes and lighting are terrific. I especially loved the scene in the graveyard when it rained. I thought that was well done and never expected to see anything like that in an Off Bway play.

The performances by all the actors were excellent. The opening scene was highly dramatic and I was absorbed immediately. I love that ticking clock. Maybe cliched but it worked for me.

What I was happiest about was the fact that Grimm gives us characters with personalities. I usually don't have a good time at the theater when I can't relate or simply don't care about the characters. This was definitely not the case for me today. I liked Helena (Arianda) & Edda (Chalfant) and their relationship. I was soon won over by Bela (Esper) and was rooting for him by Act II. Mutzi (Benko) was the "Alexis Carrington" of the piece and boy could she chew up the scenery. Loved every minute she was on stage. Rudy (Goldsmith) was the young underdog. His scene with Mutzi was witty and amusing.

Yes it was a little disappointing to not be able to see Arianda do the "oh so much more" you know she's capable of but she really is riveting nonetheless. This is not "Venus in Fur" but I am so glad she's back and I got to see her and the rest of the fine actors in this play.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 12:18am

I actually thought the opening scene was the most exciting sequence in the entire show. Everything that followed, though, wasn't so exciting.