You're just grumpy because you didn't get your autographed Miley Cyrus Barbie for your birthday, right? I've been there.
"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
I just got back from this and have to say that this does have a lot of promise. It was almost Mamet-esque at moments, but with a lot more humor and less of a rapid-fire approach. The show itself gets off to quite a slow start with all the characters polite and reserved. Within the play's short intermissionless interval, all those involved have more or less lost it and really let go. Not an epic drama like August or even something nearly as memorable, but I still found it quite enjoyable. I do think that the play itself would suffer had these not been the leads. Although I myself really did find some things in the script and plot itself to like, it seems the audience was there (not too surprisingly) for the actors alone. And not one of them disappointed, with eah being more or less on equal footing. The two standouts in my opinion were Hope David and Marcia Gay Harden, just because they both start out as so reserved with perfect word-choice, cadence, movement, everything, and yet by the show's end have some moments of real glory. All in all, I am quite glad I went to see it but it wouldn't really be the type of show I'd recommend if none of the cast excites you or for a multiple viewing.
Oh and two other things: one thing making the play somewhat unbearable was the heat. I don't know what it was, but for that particular night the Jacobs Theatre was roasting. There were actual moments where dialogue became hard to hear because all those around me were fanning themselves with their playbills. So dress lightly. Also for those interested in stagedooring, Gandolfini went out another exit, but those who caught him said he quickly signed. Jeff Daniels sped away rather quickly, but still signed and posed for pictures. The two nicest by far, again, were Harden and Davis, the first of which signed everything and even posed for a picture with me (I also told her she's currently kicking ass in Damages and she yelled, "Blog about it! They still haven't signed me for next season yet! Tell everyone that! PLEASE!" So yay.) And Davis was just a class act all around.
All in all a rather enjoyable night at the theatre, but hardly my best thus far. Updated On: 2/28/09 at 11:17 PM