NETWORK Previews- Page 5

[jbird5]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 11:31pm

Ivo was at the Drama Book Shop this afternoon. He didn’t get to say a lot due to the other 2 people’s inability to stop talking. He talked briefly about Network. As for directing actors he said he preferred to let them find their own way. “Actors love me” he said. I think for him they’re secondary to the overall concept.

As for the restaurant, his production of “Desire Under the Elms” featured 8 live cows on stage.

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 11:31pm

GlitterGirl wrote in part, "...but those lights were blinding. I thought they were awful. We were sitting at the first table in the front - I think seats A4 and A5. I couldn’t watch any of the action at the front of the stage directly. Either the camera people were blocking my view or the lights were burning out my retinas. I watched most of the show on the screen. I’m a huge Cranston fan, but if I wanted to see him on a screen, I could have stayed home and watched Breaking Bad for the hundredth time. "

Amen.  I did suggest to the folks there that  they consider a focus group of patrons who can share their opinions.  That fell on the same deaf ears as me asking my mother if she would teach me to drive when I was 10 yrs old. 

Bottom line, I didn't think the stage was worth it or as fun as it was in Great Comet or Farinelli & King.  

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 12:33am

StageDoorSally wrote in part..."In re: lighting: The seating is on the stage. The lights are bright. They are bright for the actors. They are bright so the audience can see what is going on. That is part of of what makes the experience unique. I'm not sure what people expected from sitting on the stage, perhaps a dinner theater experience? I guess my husband and I are quite lucky our retinas didn't get burned out."

I've done stage seating for Great Comet 13 times in various stage seats  of the 21 times I saw that show. I saw Farinelli & King 4 times.  We did not have the lighting issues that Network had.  That is what I expected in Network, but it wasn't the case. I sat at bistro tables in Great Comet much like Network.  There was never an issue w/lighting, visual obstructions, missing half the show, or denying you the right to take your pocketbook to the table. I should not have had to stuff my needed meds, cell phone, tissues, lozenges into my bra b/c I couldn't even take those to the table w/o hiding them. 

My sweater/slack outfit didn't have pockets and I didn't have a husband to dump it on.  This is not what should've happened when you pay four large for a ticket.

In Comet, the performers acted around you, not necessarily in front of you like Network. There were no restrictions on what to wear or what you could bring to your table.  I never knew it had a dinner. Had I known that when I bought my ticket, I would've opted for the orchestra.  

I don't do dinner theater for a reason. I want to watch a show & not spend my time eating. I generally eat lightly hours b4 any show.   As for "clinking," I looked around and many of my fellow stage patrons left their food bc they were watching the show.  They could've served it b4 the show started.  The server told me she had to wait to certain scene changes before she could deliver a spoon for dessert, ice, soda, etc.

When I bought my tickets, nothing was mentioned about serving food or restrictions on dress and personal items in your possession.

I agree sitting on the stage is an experience, but I expect to understand the restrictions when I buy a ticket and b4 I arrive, especially since it cost $400.  As for the show, I saw it from the 5th row orchestra aisle prior.  I still maintain that you can see less sitting on the stage than from the orchestra since the actors tend to perform towards the orchestra/mezz/balcony whereas in Great Comet, they were everywhere.  

I'm glad you thought it was outstanding and an easy ride.  
 

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 9:46am

Hi JayElle,

First, Happy Thanksgiving!  Second, I concur with what you said about being allowed to bring meds and such. A little surprised you did not know a meal was being served, it was on Telecharge's site. Very sorry it caught you for a loop. Also, I am not doing an Apologia for the production (heh snuck in a play title). It's just one of those YMMV scenarios. Back to the turkeys, making two this year for the gang. Cheers!

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 9:56am

sppunk said: "I HATED Joshua Boone’s performance/character. It felt out of place, overacted and from a different environment. It really bugged me. Almost to the point of anger"

I agree, he was really bad, and the worst in the show, by far. I don't understand how he's the best they could find for the role.

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 3:36pm

Sorry Stage Door, When I bought my tickets, these restrictions including the meal was not on the website. And what makes this even stranger is that the box office knew of the restrictions, but it wasn't conveyed to the telephone sales group.  Didn't expect an apology from anyone but the folks in charge of the failed communications which I got. Don't know what YMMV means. Enjoy your birds.

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 3:44pm

I wondered if wardrobe has sewing standards.  Is this normal?  The pattern is bad enough, but it was constructed so poorly. None of the seams match.  I remember the 70's styles, but this one is louder than the audio.  If there was any reason to yell "....I can't take it anymore," it should've been having to look at it, never mind the actress having to wear it.



 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 5:52pm

Three thoughts kept recurring to me while watching this:

1) The use of video is alternately fascinating and distracting
2) Technical rehearsals for this must have been a bitch and a half
3) Man, Cranston is waaaaaaaayy better than everyone else in this

Chayefsky’s screenplay for the film is one of my all-time favorites, so it was at times a little disheartening to see what’s been done with it here. The primary issue to me was that, in the film, the relationship between Max and Diana was essential to providing some sense of humanity so that cynicism didn’t overwhelm the points being made. Here (I assume deliberately) any sense of humanity has been tossed and cynicism runs rampant. The Max and Diana thread feels like a device and is not at all convincing, which is why I think Tatiana Maslany and Tony Goldwyn didn’t really work for me. Maslany got better as the show went on, I thought, but every word out of Goldman’s mouth felt declamatory. (Also, I’m no fashion expert, but everyone else’s clothes seemed at least vaguely period while Max looked ready to walk down a Hugo Boss runway right now.)

The onstage seating/dining element didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, though I don’t think it added anything either. And during one of Maslany’s big scenes set in the dining area, I got the distinct feeling the audience members seated there would have liked to be elsewhere. The video projections are neat at first and then frequently become distracting as there are often feeds of vintage commercials on them that pull focus from the scenes being played simultaneously (it’s a game of, “I remember that one!”). It made me tired just to watch the complex blocking and think about how exhausting it must have been to rehearse all this. (A note on seating: I was in the fourth row of the mezzanine, center section, and can recommend the view from this vantage point.)

Ultimately, this production’s raison d’etre is Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale. He in no way disappoints. His is a grand performance that transcends all the presentational hoopla surrounding it. He completely makes the famous “mad as hell” scene his own, even with a camera right in his face relaying his image (in repeating diminishing perspective, no less) on a giant screen behind him. It’s a flawless three minutes in which every beat and gesture is just right, and he brings the same exactness to everything. So while overall the production is a little disappointing, it’s definitely worth going just to see Cranston work. I do also want to mention that while the script was more than a little iffy to me in spots, the final monologue artfully and effectively captures Chayefsky’s overall points.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 11/23/18 at 4:57pm

I'm going to NETWORK at the end of the run, and mostly because of the cast. But Von Hove tends to to distill the humanity out of most of his productions, imo; he is so busy with his stage pictures and effects that he loses site of the human element. Granted, NETWORK as a film is never warm and fuzzy, but it did very much focus on the characters. Sounds as though the human element is pretty much gone from this now...

[Storkish]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 3:11pm

Funny enough, when I saw the show this Saturday, all of those actors except Mr. Cranston made me feel like I was watching one behind-the-scene episode of a third rate soap opera. 

I found the best part of this show (apart from Mr. Cranston's AMAZING performance) is how ironic it was when I left the theatre, while the big LED screen was playing Obama's speech and everyone around me started cheering. 

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 10:36pm

I was center balcony, second row tonight. It was fine overall, but -- video screens aside -- I felt like I missed out a lot on action/interaction at the front of the set. At one point, Cranston is lying on the stage, looking upward, raging, and it wasn't on the screens. I didn't know where his voice was coming from. Saw him when I craned my neck to look past the front row and over the railing.

I would love to see it from center orchestra -- but rear orchestra for me. Anyone else camera-shy should know that Cranston goes into the front row of the audience, sits down on an arm rail between seats (and audience members) and for a few minutes everyone within a half-dozen rows is up on the big screen.

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 11:58pm

Storkish said: "Funny enough, when I saw the show this Saturday, all of those actorsexcept Mr. Cranston made me feel like I was watching onebehind-the-scene episode of a third rate soap opera.

I found the best part of this show (apart from Mr. Cranston's AMAZING performance) is how ironic it waswhen I left the theatre, while the big LED screen was playingObama's speech and everyone around me started cheering."

You left at just the right moment, as I'm sure you know what came next. 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 6:46am

pacificnorthwest said: "

I would loveto see it from center orchestra -- but rear orchestra for me. Anyone else camera-shy should knowthat Cranston goes intothe front row ofthe audience, sits down on an arm rail between seats (and audience members) and for a few minutes everyone within a half-dozen rows is up onthe big screen."

Interesting. When I saw it, he sat in an empty seat between two people, I think in the third row. I was wondering if they held a particular seat back from sale for that scene, but maybe Cranston just improvises based on the audience. 

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 9:24am

When I saw it, he sat on an armrest between two people in the second row. 

I was in the front row of the balcony (center section), and I could see him when he was in the audience (and when he was at the front of the stage), but I did have to lean forward to do so. I wouldn't have wanted to sit back further in the balcony, but I was happy with the view from the front row. 

[rg7759]

Posted: 11/27/18 at 10:13am

I'm shocked no ones asked the only important question, IS THERE A RUSH PRICE THAT INCLUDES THE FOOD

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 11/27/18 at 5:50pm

The food goes only with the onstage seating. It's a super premium seat, don't expect it will be available for Rush.

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/28/18 at 9:22pm

Carolinaguy Worte in part, "...And during one of Maslany’s big scenes set in the dining area, I got the distinct feeling the audience members seated there would have liked to be elsewhere."

Thank you so much.  You were not imagining it. I was on the stage and I looked around at my fellow stagers and got the same impression. It was fun, but frustrating. Alot of times we had to watch the screen b/c we couldn't see the live performance, especially if you sat at the bar. The stage lights were often in our eyes. I wrote enough on that experience in this chat.

And bless you for the wardrobe notice. Diana's busy dress in the last part of the show screamed louder than Cranston.  And your analysis of the script was great.  I will say that one of the actors told me that they only had less than 2 hours so the original SLA/Hearst and other issues wouldn't fit.

And yes, Cranston is the one to see which likely explains the $400 seats in orchestra as far back as row O which is the same price for the stage. The whole experience was novel and fun. I saw it both from the orchestra and stage. But if you're willing to pay $400, go for the stage. At least they give you a meal and drinks.

[Damiensta]

Posted: 12/2/18 at 2:49am

As others have said, you go to this show for Brian Cranston and he doesn’t disappoint. How he maintains his strength and voice for the run will be amazing. Too bad rest is hit or miss. I’m not a fan of Ivo gimmicky direction. But few things did make me wonder point of it and had me asking why have scenes off stage . Just so it could be projected on screen?
And it’s the outside scene done live or prerecorded
People in background realizing it was been taped was funny n took out of the moment.
I’m a big fan of Tatyana but she was just okay here same as Golwyn. But the biggest casting mistake for me was Joshua Boone. Found him awful . All I could think was Frank Wood was there in a worthless role n he would of been great in that role.
About stage seating from where I was sitting in mezzanine the bar seating people didn’t seem to happy n always were watching the TVs.
And in that Diana scene the poor lady next to it looked so embarrassed n when it was over mouth “wow” n took a big gulp of whatever she was drinking

Spoiler spoiler
Can someone explain why in last scene Ron Canada comes on stage if he is dead? Made no sense to me

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 12/2/18 at 7:23pm

"Spoiler spoiler 
Can someone explain why in last scene Ron Canada comes on stage if he is dead? Made no sense to me."

Made no sense whatsoever.

[ParkerPauly]

Posted: 12/5/18 at 6:27am

Some balcony seats for tomorrow's(12/6) opening night have been released.

[Hourglass Song]

Posted: 12/6/18 at 11:26pm

Oh Belasco... Oh TodayTix… I was in D7 in the balcony and this was my view. Nothing on my tickets said "partial." Blessedly, no one was next to me, so I leaned to the right the whole show. (Since there was no intermission, it would have been disruptive to actually move seats, and I was already bonding with the nice elderly woman to my left.)



Regarding Tatiana, she really pulled me out of the show. When she was being shouty, it was fine, so I wonder if it's a projecting-for-stage thing. Whenever she had to make her voice fill the space, her line readings were so bizarre, like she had no control over how they were coming out of her mouth.

I imagine Bryan Cranston will be one of those folks who, despite the amount of screens here, I'll be delighted to say I saw live 30 years from now. Just magnificent.