Great news! Saw this at Williamstown this summer & thought it was delightful! I smiled & laughed the whole time. Renee Fleming was wonderful but it was clear the role was very tailored to her talents. It was a fun change from Fool for Love and The Visit which played around it.
Stew123 I agree very light & fluffy but found that its charm. I can't tell if that was a pro or con for you.
I didn't get the sense that this show was meant for Broadway. Not that everything has to be serious but there are only so many It's Only a Plays. But I look forward to being proven wrong.
Renee Fleming is one of maybe five opera singers in the world who can sell out productions on her name alone. I wouldn't be surprised if her large legion of fans followed her to Broadway and made this a hit. She's had her eye on Broadway for a while, and come close in the past, so it's not a surprise to see her commit to a fairly lengthy run.
Got to agree with Stew. It was light and fun at the WTF, but it hardly makes an impact. And Fleming plays a Diva, so you do get to hear her sing in this play.
It wasn't a play that required heavy lifting by any means, but it was a nice contrast to The Visit. It was fluffy and enjoyable. The thought I had after seeing it was that it was incredibly accessible...it talks about a Diva, but it isn't an opera.
I can see it getting very average, acceptable reviews but having a short successful run. Like Kad said, this is absolutely the type of show that will be great for regional theaters, mini tours, etc.
See sometimes light and fun is all I want. This show is just a fun night out with the thrill of seeing a huge star have a lark. The real fun of the show was watching Renee Fleming have a blast in a new medium. She just had a twinkle in her eye.
Theatre doesn't always have to "make an impact"... most of the time when I got to the theatre, I want to be entertained and have a good time. Occasionally I'm like to be shaken up and moved by something with "impact" like last year with THE GLASS MENAGERIE revival or this year with CURIOUS INCIDENT- - But this year I loved IT'S ONLY A PLAY. A few seasons back I LOVED ONE MAN TWO GOVS. Neither was a moving searing night of theatre, but both gave me a laugh filled night of fun and were something I recommended to all my friends and visiting relatives.
I love Renee Fleming, so this is awesome! I've never understood why fellow opera fans, a good chunk of them anyhow, seem to delight in hating her, but that's another story. She's the closest thing this generation has to Beverly Sills in terms of being a mainstream soprano in the public's eye.
Anyhow, good for her and I hope she has fun on Broadway.
Um, Montserrat Caballe, Edda Moser, and Joan Sutherland are all 1000x better than either singer. Callas has pitch issues and sings in an ungainly manner. Fleming has no idea how to focus on a note and instead makes her entire performance about her breath.