Intermission....nice break or huge distraction- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 4:38pm

Intermission allows you to flee the theater, or in the case of drinkers, get numb for Act 2.

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 4:39pm

It's still not irony. If Rent was a show about a group of anti-intermissionists, then the there would be irony.

[way_to_spend_the_day]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 4:44pm

Intermission for me is the time to re-read all of the bios and compare the actors you saw to the various parts they have played. And a time to discuss what you liked and not...but it is not always welcomed on my part, b/c you are suddenly forced back to reality...and it means the show is that much closer to being finished...

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 4:51pm

Kringas --- Oh, how I long for a show about anti-intermissionists...

Not to keep harping on A Chorus Line, but that show was conceived in "real time" from the moment the lights go up. It makes no sense to pause this "real time," or break the tension of the audition at hand, to go have a cigarette and buy a key chain.

Updated On: 8/2/06 at 04:51 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:04pm

"Not to keep harping on A Chorus Line, but that show was conceived in "real time" from the moment the lights go up."

That's what they always said about it, but it's not in real time. When Paul gets hurt, they shove him off the stage in a New York minute.

[Yero]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:07pm

"no i said RENT did and ACL didnt.....i said i just found that ironic"
Don't lie to make yourself look smarter. You edited your post.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:13pm

Yes, well how long does it take to carry someone offstage, through the back of the theatre, onto the street, hail a cab to take him to the hospital and return? With any luck cab-wise, a couple of minutes, probably. Well, that's how long it takes in the show between his departure, the couple of minutes of dialogue after Zach asks "If you couldn't dance anymore, what would you do?" and the beginning of "What I Did For Love" at which point all the dancers have returned to the stage. It certainly looked and felt like real time to me, all the times I saw it.

Updated On: 8/2/06 at 05:13 PM

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:20pm

I enjoy the break that an intermission gives; and if a show is good, it will be able to captivate you and bring you back to the place the show puts you the minute the second act starts.

[HumATune]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:22pm

As blasphemous as it sounds I’m glad the production of 1776 I saw had an intermission. The show would be nearly three hours straight with no intermission otherwise. The intensity level of the show is so high at times, that I found it a relief to have time to absorb what I saw.

(Waits for flames.)

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:48pm

It's odd that no one, so far, has indicated that perhaps the performers need a break

Also,I'd love to know what it is about Rent that keeps people on the edge of their seats.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 5:53pm

Some shows need an intermission, while others work fine without one. I don't mind either way, but it is more than just a "smoke break." As someone said, sometimes the intermission serves as a passage of time in some shows, i.e. EVITA, LES MISERABLES, SUNSET BOULEVARD.

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:11pm

(The following all references musicals, though there are plays that fit the structures mentioned just as easily)

I think it depends on the intention of the play. Shows like A Chorus Line and 1776 build continually throughout the play, and the intensity of the buildup towards their climax is SEVERELY diminished by an intermission. The whole point of both shows is the time limit imposed by the story line (getting the show up, getting the Decleration ratified) and the intermission only breaks up the momentum.

On the other hands, if it's done properly, an intermission can do one of two things:

1)a first climax in the play taking you to a supreme moment of anticipation for what's to come (think Les Miserables and One Day More or Forum with Pseudolus about to have his neck chopped off). This technique also works structurally for some plays - going after I believe Greek comedies, look at the end of the first act of H2$ -- Finch is reaching higher and higher in the company, there's a problem that the love interest just discovered, AND you get the villain (Frump) swearing "I will return." It's a perfect setup for a break in the action, and a perfect false climax to the story as well.

2) be a natural dividing point in the story (think Into the Woods - how could there NOT be an intermission there? or West Side Story - after the Rumble, could we REALLY just go right to I Feel Pretty?)

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:25pm

"It gives me a chance to pee, for one, but also to discuss the show with friends"

I am the same way. I also like an intermission to rest a bit, get ready for the second act. Intermission helps me concentrate on the show and not make me lose my focus.

So, according to me, it is a nice break.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 6:25pm

Anything two hours or more, and I need a break to pee, stretch my legs, etc. This is especially important when you're in one of the older theaters, crammed into seats like sardines!

I also prefer 1776 with an intermission- without it, you're sitting for nearly 3 hours. That's a long time without a break.

[AvenueQPat]

Posted: 8/2/06 at 7:21pm

I think that intermissions are great breaks. It is a chance to stand up and breathe and catch up the non theatre goers you are with to what is happening.