The Public Theater's Brothers Size/ Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet

[CAX]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 12:49am

Saw it tonight and was blown away. Anyone else check it out?

[CAX]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 11:56am

Now that I have had a moment to digest it.

There are several reasons to see this.

1. The Writing is unique, powerful, expressive.
2. The Staging is phenomenal. There are some real surprises with how they make things come together.
3. Some of the acting is spectacular. Tina Landau should be applauded for getting some of this work out of her ensemble.

The cast works so incredibly well together. There was laughter almost start to finish.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 11:58am

I guess I'm confused on how it all works. Do you need to see part 1 before part 2? And it's two shows, correct?

[Sauja]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 1:06pm

RentBoy, it's a trilogy of connected plays. "Part 2" is actually two one acts--The Brothers Size and Marcus, or The Secret of Sweet. "Part 1" is a third play with some characters overlapping (at least based on last night's Playbill).

And CAX, Tina Landau is actually directing Part 1, but Part 2 last night was directed by Robert O'Hara.

In any case, I was there last night and was completely mesmerized by The Brothers Size. Fantastically acted, inventively written, and ultimately really moving, it's a wonderful one-act. I was less thrilled with Marcus, though. Marcus felt connected to The Brothers Size too closely, I felt. It has some mystical elements that felt contrived. I wanted to see Marcus's story, but the Size brothers from play 1 loomed too large and heavy over it. It seems that if you staged these two pieces separately, The Brothers Size would be a wonderful play, and Marcus would feel a bit disconnected. Like a fragment of a show that was supposed to happen.

That's not to say that Marcus is without fabulous acting or some really sharp (and often very funny) writing. I do think, though, that it still needs to find itself as its own work.

Concerns aside, I'll definitely head back for Part 1, In the Red and Brown Water.

[CAX]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 7:16pm

Sauja,

I guess I agree with you on the interconnectedness of the pieces, but the first into the second play is the same way. The sense I got, perhaps incorrectly, from reading it was that the play is one play. That the characters we see in one stage of life has changed in the next piece. Some die, some vanish, but they're all connected.

I though the older brother was mesmerizing. Younger bro I could have taken or not... The actor who played Marcus was definitely charismatic... I loved the older women, though... Especially the psychic.

The inventiveness of the staging was very impressive. Very.

[Sauja]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 8:22pm

CAX, I guess I read it as two very distinct plays, and maybe the difference in opinion on the second half does come down to a difference of perception going in. But I wholeheartedly agree that the staging was fantastic, the actor playing Ogun was incredible, and the aunts/mothers were fabulously cast/played. I'm looking forward to seeing what Part 1 brings. I'm especially curious to see how having a different director affects the other piece. Staging a trilogy in repertory with two directors doing distinct, separate parts is such an unusual choice. Hope it pays off fabulously.

[CAX]

Posted: 10/22/09 at 9:38pm

I agree. I actually saw the Artistic Director there, taking notes. I'm sure it will go over well..

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/23/09 at 9:59am

I saw the second preview of Brothers/Marcus. For a second preview the show is in very good shape and can only get better. The audience continued to applaud after the house lights came up at the end of each play and this was a smart Public Theatre audience that is tough to please.

I had seen Brothers Size two seasons ago and wasn't all that excited about revisiting a play that was rife with symbolic staging. It has been rewritten and tightened by 10-15 minutes and put into the hands of a new director, all to the good.

Let's see what time and the third play do.

One thought that went through my head was that this is the kind of play(s) that could win the Pulitzer Prize.

There are discounts out there and it is on TDF. Spend the money and go.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 10/24/09 at 6:00pm

I saw this last night and was also blown away. I felt like I was witnessing the debut of a great new writer -- one who will win many prizes for his plays in the years to come.

THE BROTHERS SIZE is definitely the more developed of the two plays but I enjoyed both parts. However, it was the heartbreaking story of those two brothers that left me devastated. The acting, especially by the actor playing Ogun Size, the older brother, was fantastic. The older women in the second piece are wonderful as the previous poster said. It was fun to see the characters age in the second play. I loved how they handled the rhythms of the language and the way people in the Delta speak. There's a musicality to their vernacular.

The marketing materials say that you don't need to see the two evenings in order, but I wish I had waited to do exactly that because I enjoyed watching the progression of the characters lives. It's really strange that they would start with Part 2 rather than Part 1. Not sure why that choice was made.

But I agree - GO. TDF has tickets as does Goldstar (1/2 price so it's a great deal.)

[CAX]

Posted: 10/24/09 at 7:03pm

I think I may go again. I was struck by the awesomeness of Mr. Ogun Size. As an actor, it's seldom that I see something that really strikes me like his performance did. Man.

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/2/09 at 8:04pm

They also have rush tickets for $20 an hour before showtime. I saw Part 1, In the Red and Brown Water, over the weekend. If anything, I was even more impressed by it than I was by Part 2. Tina Landau's exceptional direction highlighted the musicality of the piece and also struck a balance between realism and fantasy that I thought benefited the piece tremendously. Where Part 2 was grounded in a more relatively naturalistic style, Water is allowed to be a bit more magical in presentation which I found benefited the already fantastic material.

During intermission, I already found myself wanting to go back to the other plays to see how all of the pieces and characters fit together. Truly, this play stands entirely on its own, but the characters are all living in one community. Some overlap from play to play; some don't. I'm curious what the experience of seeing them in the reverse order would do to the experience. I imagine it works tremendously either way because the layers are so delicately intertwined.

Regardless, I loved The Brothers Size and liked Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet. In the Red and Brown Water, whether because of its own greatness or because it contributed to the cumulative effect of the whole piece, completely dazzled. These are great plays.

Just a side note: WOSQ, you mentioned the Pulitzer. I wonder if any of the plays are actually eligible, though, as I think they've all been seen before. I actually don't know if those were workshops (or what makes something eligible for the Pulitzer), but I'd be curious if anyone happens to know.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 11/2/09 at 10:43pm

I, too, saw IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER this past weekend and can safely say that this was in my top three theatrical experiences this year. I agree with Sauja, of the three plays, this one is the strongest. Tina Landau has produced a directing masterpiece. The movement,the dreamy quality, the fluidity -- all making an exceptional evening.

I liked the other two plays as well, but this one is his most lyrical and beautifully written. And I can't say enough about the direction. I've never thought of Tina Landau as a powerhouse director, but seeing this makes me think she is brilliant. I don't see how this won't be a serious contender for the Pulitzer. It's a play where the characters, images and language stay with you long after you leave the theatre. It's an evening that restores your faith in the American Theatre.

Seriously, I've seen both a $25 and a $35 discount out there. And the Public has RUSH tickets for $20, as well as student tickets (not sure how much they are). GO NOW before the reviews come out, because I can probably safely guarantee you won't be able to get a ticket once the critics have their say. I'm going back to see both parts so that I can take it all in again.
Updated On: 11/2/09 at 10:43 PM

[CAX]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 1:49am

so the show opens tonight? any bets on the reviews?

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 11:01pm

The NY Times is an astounding rave.

"You experience the excited wonder that comes from witnessing something rare in the theater: a new, authentically original vision. It’s what people must have felt during productions of the early works of Eugene O’Neill in the 1920s or of Sam Shepard in the 1960s."
http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/theater/reviews/18brother.html?ref=theater

I just adored these plays. I hope they catch on and get a longer run somewhere. They truly deserve to be seen.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 11:21pm

Fantastic review! Thanks for posting. I agree. Love these plays and I hope they extend or move. I do believe he will be on the short list for the Pulitzer.

[vodkastinger]

Posted: 11/18/09 at 9:30pm

Can someone let me know about how long the two evenings run? Just trying to coordinate when to see them with my schedule.

[bwayrose2]

Posted: 11/19/09 at 4:55pm

IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER is about 1:45 with one intermission.

I can't remember exactly but THE BROTHERS SIZE & MARCUS are around 2:30 with one intermission.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 11/19/09 at 8:50pm

I saw The Brothers Size when it was staged by O'hara with (I think) the same cast at City Theatre in Pittsburgh and LOVED it. I thought it was beautiful. Does anyone know if/how its been changed? It was staged alone and didn't feel like a one-act to me...