Anyone going to OLEANNA tonight? (First preview)

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 1:37pm

I'm very excited for this show!

Whoever goes, be sure to let us know how it is. I'm curious to see if Stiles has stage-acting chops, because her screen-acting is questionable at best.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 2:20pm

I'll be there Sunday matinee.

I saw Stiles in TWELFTH NIGHT in the early part of this decade. Wasn't anything even remotely worth-noting (nothing about the production was, except the names of the cast members: Stiles, Jimmy Smits, Kristen Johnston, Michael Stuhlbarg, Zach Braff, Oliver Platt and Christopher Lloyd, to name but a few).

Apparently, she's a revelation in OLEANNA.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 2:25pm

Good for her. I love this play; it's not perfect but (at least on the page) it's a scorcher. Can't wait to see it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 2:53pm

Seeing it tomorrow. Can't wait!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 3:01pm

I'll be there tonight. I guess there's a talk back after all the preview performances too, so that should be interesting. I have a feeling this may end up being one of the stronger plays this fall.

Will report back tonight.

[April Saul]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 5:23pm

Hey Whizzer or anybody who's going--Would love to know where TDF and student rush seats are for this one; thanks!

[trombonist]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 5:44pm

I'm seeing it Friday via tdf and will report back. I think this time I'm going to stay away from threads about it until I see it. I want to see how it hits me fresh.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 6:19pm

I'll be there with Ljay tomorrow.

According to the TDF note, all seats will be in the mezzanine, but I've gotten that notice before and been in the orchestra. So, who knows.

[gustof777]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 7:06pm

not that there really is a bad seat in the Golden but if anyone rushes, please let us know your seat locations.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 9:56pm

trombonist - ill be there on firday night as well via tdf.. we'll probably be right by each other

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 10:05pm

I hated Speed-the-Plow, but I haven't written Mamet off yet. I want to see this. It at least seems interesting enough.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 10:10pm

I enjoy all of mamet.. it takes a while to get used to it though, you really have to be in the "mamet mood" and "frame of mind".. the first two mamet plays i ever saw or read were speed the oleanna and i hated the way he wrote women.. but the more i studied all of his work there resally is a science for everything he does and how he writes. the man is a genius.. and oleanna is so intense and thought provoking

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:20pm

Bumping to hear thoughts.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:27pm

I'm back and have to say I really loved the play itself. EXTREMELY thought provoking with some great twists and turns. Things may start off a little slowly, but they soon go from a simmer to a full frothy boil.

I really like Julia Stiles in her Broadway debut. Her voice is strong and really resounds in the Golden. I loved her transformation from scene 1 to 2 and finally the explosive 3rd. She credits both the California production and a London production of Oleanna, so she has been working on this part for quite some time and it shows.

Bill on the other hand didn't wow me as much. I had some trouble hearing some of his lines. He needed to play the first scene in a much more forceful manner. I wanted to see him have more power over her early on.

It's funny because I may just be harsher on him because I tended to side with her character overall, even though many of her actions were questionable as well. Talk about two of the most ambiguous characters created for the stage!!

If you are looking for an interesting and stimulating night at the theater I highly recommend this production. Things may be a little rough around the edges, but Mamet is still able to pack his punch.

A few other things:
TDF seats were in mezz, second row from the top.

A cell phone went off about 4 minutes into the show. It rang literally 7 times!!! Then about a minute later the same phone went off again. I felt like there was going to be a stoning.

Then an onstage phone went off, and we all gasped, not realizing it was a sound effect ring. When Bill went to answer the phone everyone let out a sigh of relief and a chuckle.

Oleanna is only 80 minutes...if you can't go that long without your phone on, don't go to the show.

[gustof777]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:36pm

It's one of the very few Mamet plays I haven't read but my 17 year old sister loves Julia Stiles. Would she be bored?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:39pm

Was it crowded, whizzer? And how was the overall audience reaction?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:41pm

From what we could see, every seat appeared to be taken.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:45pm

Wickedrocks- Yes it appeared to be pretty much sold/comped out. The audience may have been a little fidgety at first, and the cell phone incident didn't help. It caused me to completely lose my concentration, which isn't a wise thing to do in this show.

By the second scene when things really started to kick into gear the audience really seemed with them and along for the ride.

**Minor Spoiler**
The last minute got a lot of audience reaction and they received healthy applause, though no standing ovation.

gustof777- It's not like this play is too difficult for a 17 year old to grasp or anything. I guess you know her better than I do. If she likes talky plays that you have to pay attention to every word then she will like this. Also, if she is planning on going to college, I would say definitely go.

Updated On: 9/29/09 at 11:45 PM

[ABB2357]

Posted: 9/29/09 at 11:59pm

I certainly hope this has improved - I saw it opening night in LA and thought it was a mess. Stiles was shrill and one-note and seemed to have problems projecting. Pullman was ineffectual and didn't appear to connect very much with the material. Since the characters are more symbols than actual people, you'd think each actor could inflect their role with a bit of their own personality, but this was not the case. The costume choices for Stiles were inconsistent and neither the set nor lighting indicated what should be a college professor's stuffy office.

At the time, I chalked it up to lack of direction (Doug Hughes's snazzy production of FARRAGUT NORTH must have gotten more of his expertise), but maybe work has been done since LA.

*MILD SET SPOILER* Is there still a small bench a few feet in front of Pullman's desk? Being Doug Hughes, its placement was very Sister Aloysius.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 12:52am

without ruining for everyone and not giving anything away.. how was the big scene at the end? did they pull it off or did it come off cheesy? ive seen it both ways

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 12:56am

It's one of the very few Mamet plays I haven't read but my 17 year old sister loves Julia Stiles. Would she be bored?

I'm sorry, but Mamet just can't write roles for women. This dusty play of his will always be the best example and I rather sit through BKLYN The Musical than through this lame attempt at writing a good role for a young woman.

Ok, maybe I would not sit not through BKLYN again, but you get the idea.

[ooliveros]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 1:20am

I saw OLEANNA on its last weekend in Los Angeles. Stiles gave a strong performance. =)

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 1:53am

I also saw it when it was playing in Los Angeles. And I absolutely loved it. I was already familiar with the play and like Mamet's style. That being said, I had no idea how much I would like it until the show was over. Miss Stiles gave the performance of a lifetime. Now remember, that's HER lifetime and with a resume including Save the Last Dance, The Omen (remake), A Guy Thing, and Down to You that isn't much. Basically she was better than in 10 Things I Hate About You. And that's saying a lot. Kat rocks.

As for her Carol, Stiles held her own up against both Bill Pullman and Mamet material, which is not an easy feat. Truth be told, she plays this insidious little manipulative character that is pretty hard to like. And she pulls it off in such a manner that leaves you shocked. Although Pullman wasn't as good as I had hoped, he still delivered rather well in the latter half of the play. His transformation from mild-mannered professor to someone whose life was becoming unhinged was believable, but I have to admit he lost me with (SPOILERS) that final scene.

Maybe it's just that I had so much expectation for the final scene, as it really is just so jaw-droppingly powerful. Although I liked the blocking (again, not sure if this remained the same for the Broadway production) with him pushing her against the wall as she tries to exit, it went down from there. He was just so quiet with his rage. While that alone is not necessarily a bad thing (some of the best lines in history can/have been said with a quiet intensity that is just as effective), there was just nothing behind it. It was as if Pullman were just tired by that point and had more or less given up on the material. I know this is not the case, but it just really felt weak. Even so, the audience seemed to eat it up. The girl I brought with me had never seen or heard of Oleanna, so had no idea what to expect. When that last scene occurred, she just gasped. The audience around us erupted in a mix of whoops and claps (someone actually yelled out, "F*CK yeah!", which kind of shocked me but oh well) when Pullman "erupted".

All in all I really enjoyed the production when it was on this side of the country and hope to see it again on Broadway sometime in the near future.

[Elke]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 8:23am

Whizzer, did you stay for the talk-back? I was wondering whether Stiles and Pullman are part of the panel?

Going tonight, very much looking forward to seeing this.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/30/09 at 9:12am

I didn't stay for the talk-back because I wanted to stagedoor. I assumed they weren't part of the talk back because there was a list in the program of the moderators and panelists, and there was no mention of Stiles and Pullman being there.

jeffmiele- I thought the final moments were thrilling and directed very effectively. I also found it be Pullman's strongest moment in the play.