The Baltimore Waltz

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/2/21 at 9:31am

I watched the live-stream of this last night and was both engrossed and confused by it. Eric McCormack and Mary-Louise Parker were very good but the play itself struck me as weird.

Any other thoughts on this?

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 5/3/21 at 6:41am

I missed the broadcast but I've seen two stage productions of this. It starts off a quirky fantasy with a lot of dream logic. There are multiple references to the film The Third Man, which I still haven't seen. Those went over my head till I read a synopsis. It's only in the final scenes that you learn what's really going on. Then it becomes bittersweet.

The first time I saw it, the sibling relationship was so layered that the finale devastated. The second production kept things surface level and didn't have the same impact. I imagine a Zoom reading would have trouble landing the visual gags.

Updated On: 5/3/21 at 06:41 AM

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 5/3/21 at 11:25am

Thanks to this thread I spent a good couple hours today reading the play and reading the synopsis of The Third Man as well as other little tid bits about the author of this play (didn't realize who it was, my mistake!). I think I enjoyed it; I found it very moving at times, and decently funny most of the time. But I can't say I totally get it yet. Of course, only reading won't fill in every gap, but the implications of most of the play -- the fantasy -- versus the twist-ish ending are mostly lost on me. I may just need more time with it, but I have so many long-winded questions.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/3/21 at 10:58pm

¿Macavity? said: "Thanks to this thread I spent a good couple hours today reading the play and reading the synopsis of The Third Man as well as other little tid bits about the author of this play (didn't realize who it was, my mistake!). I think I enjoyed it; I found it very moving at times, and decently funny most of the time. But I can't say I totally get it yet. Of course, only reading won't fill in every gap, but the implications of most of the play -- the fantasy -- versus the twist-ish ending are mostly lost on me. I may just need more time with it, butI have so many long-winded questions."

 

Your feelings about the play are pretty much shared by me.