I was there last night and really enjoyed myself. Yes, the show is the fluffiest of fluff. The plot is as conflict-free as they come, but who’s complaining when it’s all just an excuse for some catchy tunes and great dancing?
The orchestra was in extra tip-top shape; the overture absolutely soared! The performances were all quite good, and it was nice to see Lisa O’Hare again. You wouldn’t know it from Gentleman’s Guide, but she’s a fantastic d
There is bare ass shown (but not the cowboy’s) and of course the language will always send it into R rated territory.
Re: cuts, A friend thought this was going to be 90 minutes and with cuts, but it was 2 hours (no intermission) and if there were cuts I didn’t notice them.
I think the nominees were overall pretty good with very few surprises. Sad about Lee Pace and James McArdle; thrilled for Diana Rigg and all the My Fair Lady love. I also think Pill should have been nominated for Three Tall Women too.
The show is not dated AT ALL. In fact, it feels even more natural since the last revival. We all see something akin to Harold’s birthday party each week with the girls in the workroom/on Untucked. The slang is all very “in” right now. Ru and her girls have had a profound effect on how gay men speak; the library is open and even when it’s closed, each sentence can begin with “no tea, no shade, but...”
I can’t believe another season has already started when the last one just ended. The 2017-18 season may have begun with a thud, but 2018-19 season has decided not to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps.
Thank god for Joe Mantello; he has done it again! The man is truly on a roll and without spoiling anything, the way he builds up to the final tableau is fantastic. Stage pictures, constantly fluid movement, stellar performances- Mantello’s guiding hand is
For me The Matchmaker is unwatchable without Jerry’s score. So much of Dolly’s book is lifted from The Matchmaker and it’s hard to hear the song cues and then not get the songs.
SAINT JOAN (2018) Previews Apr 4
2018, 09:21:19 AM
And to clarify, it’s not like Joan is some minor character, it’s just that the play is not told from her perspective, but rather from the men who viewed her as a threat and orchestrated her demise.
For example, Scene 4, a very loooooong scene in which Joan does not even appear (except to set out of the wings at the end to give the end of act one a button), could easily have been written with Joan in the room instead.
It’s not like I think Shaw is some hack (he’s not), nor is
SAINT JOAN (2018) Previews Apr 4
2018, 08:43:29 AM
I thought the set was interesting, if a bit overwhelming. Definitely memorable though- 20 years from now if someone asks me about this revival, the thing I’ll remember is the set.
Much fault also needs to lie with the play itself, which is often too talky for its own good. Shaw seems much less interested in telling Joan’s story than wanting to expose hypocrisy and corruption in the church and politics, which is all well and good, but Joan often doesn’t even feel like the main character. Sure, she’s talked about an awful lot, but the play is rarely told from her perspective, but rathe
I was at the first preview tonight and did not care for this at all. I thought Daniel Sullivan’s of the Little Foxes last season was so wonderful, but I don’t think he connected nearly as well with the material here. It felt like each of the six scenes (plus epilogue; no prologue) was directed by a different person. Scene 2 at the Royal Court was so awkward and buffoonish. Parts of it almost verged on slapstick; it was like an SNL skit of an American theater group trying to put on
Travesties: The Vaudeville and Kafka edition. I like it! And that’s exactly what this is, which is still pretty cool since they’re executing those aspects so well.
Arcadia does reduce me to tears, so I know what you mean. When Septimus and Thomasina are dancing and then Hannah sees Plautus, well, if you aren’t misty-eyed then it’s the production and not you!
Isn’t the Menier Chocolate Factory tiny? The set is really huge in the American
Pacificnorthwest, I’m so glad you loved Three Tall Women! Travesties the play is certainly a brilliantly written work...this production is chaotic and definitely doesn’t do any hand holding with the audience. They really do need to do something about the first half of act one, but act two does play much better.
There were a bunch of walkouts around me too, but for what its worth the people in the audience who seemed to be enjoying it, really seemed
I am SO happy for these raves reviews. This was one of my favorite productions of the season. Beyond the three women getting raves, I’m thrilled that Mantello is getting the praise he deserves for pulling this all together.
I can’t think of a single playwright whose works act more as proof of evidence for all the massive amounts of research that went into them than Tom Stoppard. Travesties is essentially layer upon layer of brilliant (and brilliantly esoteric) ornamentation. In fact, there’s so much rococo trim that it actually becomes the walls that must support the play.
I thought act two was stronger than act one; those long monologues for Henry and Bennett at the begin take
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (2018) Previews Mar 23
2018, 10:08:32 AM
Her signing (and facial expressions) were so expressive that you really didn’t need him to be translating for her. Her signing reminded me of dancing; her arm movements and fingers all created such beautiful lines.
His signing may have been all correct, but had no style or crispness. Given that it is his profession I expected more a tautness to his signing. Also it’s in the script- he loves Bach and subdividing every word into neat little phonetic symbols. His signing should be flawles
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (2018) Previews Mar 23
2018, 09:33:01 AM
Has there ever been a play on Broadway that has been told 100% through sign language and supertitles? I feel like that would be such a bolder statement than what Children of a Lesser God is giving us.
The dialogue, or rather James’ monologue, is so often clunky because he has to repeat every Sarah signs in an unnatural way. As a made up example, imagine this conversation:
James: Hi Honey, I bought the strawberry ice cream for the party tonight. (Sarah signs) You told
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (2018) Previews Mar 22
2018, 11:34:49 PM
I originally had tickets for Iceman Cometh tonight, but after that first preview cancelation I was able to go to Children or a Lesser God instead.
We have had a spate of revivals of award winning plays from the ‘80s/early 90s. After seeing the most recent incarnations of these shows it’s hard to believe how long the originals actually ran: The Real Thing (566), M. Butterfly (777), The Heidi Chronicles (622), Six Degrees of Separation (485) and lastly Children of a Lesser God (887).
NYCC Grand Hotel Mar 22
2018, 12:10:05 PM
Jordan, I’m with you. I thought her acting was wonderful and even the singing enchanted me.
