John Gabriel Borkman at BAM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 9:44am

I caught this new production of John Gabriel Borkman last night at BAM and it really is a treat. I admit to not being that familiar with Fiona Shaw before the show, but now I want to check out her film work. Her instincts on how to deliver the lines were so perfect. She never went so far as to chew the scenery and ham it up, but she had an enormous dramatic presence that I haven't noticed in a while. It reminded me of how much I liked Kristin Scott Thomas in The Seagull a couple seasons ago.

Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan were terrific as well. The first scene in act 2 (slight spoiler?) is a dramatic showdown with the three of them, and had the audience laughing and gasping in turn.

The set design is gorgeous, simple and effective. There are large mounds of snow around the edges of the stage, with lots of fake snow swirling through the house in the middle. The snow kind of acts as a force connecting the characters as it latches onto the women's dresses and mixes with the other actors as the play progresses. (Again slight spoiler) There is also a grand snow storm to set the final scene that was beautiful.

The play itself was interesting, and very appropriate with its message of greed and corruption. Alan Rickman plays Borkman, who used to be a prominent banker until he swindled his client's money and was sent to jail. He has since been released, but has turned/his wife (Shaw) has turned the second floor of his house into a new sort of prison.

I know this played elsewhere before coming to BAM, but I can't believe it was their first preview. Maybe I've just been seeing bad theater lately (Dracula!- well that was funny at least), but I truly thought last night was near flawless. Perhaps too this stuff is just my cup of tea, but I strongly encourage anyone interested to go. Definitely must-see theater!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 2:16pm

This was the review I needed to get my ass to BAM! Thanks!

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 2:24pm

I really want to see this as I love Alan Rickman. Thanks for the review!

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 2:27pm

A friend and I are going to see this next Wednesday, and this review has made me even more excited.

[matty159]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 3:14pm

Thanks for the review!!! I walk by the theater pretty much every day with the intention to buy tickets and then forget. I now definitely know I need to get on that!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 3:23pm

I'm glad to hear some of you are going! I'd say get tickets soon...once Brantley has a gush fest over this one I would think they'll go fairly quickly. Look forward to seeing what the rest of you think.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 3:40pm

I love all three of them. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and pay full price. Or does anyone know of discount codes?


EDIT: Anyone know how partial view the partial view seats are?

Updated On: 1/8/11 at 03:40 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 4:03pm

Seeing it tonight, and I couldn't be more excited.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 4:29pm

Seeing this next week mainly to finally see Lindsay Duncan. I'm beyond excited.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:15pm

What's the merch like?

[willep]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:16pm

I saw it in Dublin, a great production but I didn't care for the play. Lindsay Duncan and Fiona Shaw are great but I got sick of their characters and I thought Alan Rickman was a little disappointing. But I hope you all enjoy and wish it the best, just wasn't my cup of tea I guess.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:32pm

EDIT: Anyone know how partial view the partial view seats are?

I've never actually seen a show at BAM, but they have a great feature that allows you to see the view from certain sections of the theatre.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:41pm

I have tickets for later in the month and the artist talkback. I'm super excited as I loved Fiona Shaw in Happy Days a few seasons ago. It sounds like a great production!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:49pm

Just back from the show. Sorry to say that I thought the whole thing was a giant bore. The acting was great, and the 3 leads certainly do their best with the material. Lindsay Duncan in particular is fantastic, and Fiona Shaw is great as always. The play, however, is a veritable snoozer. I had to force myself to pay attention as I found my mind wandering throughout. There is a reason this play isn't one of Ibsen's more well-known or often performed works.

[willep]

Posted: 1/8/11 at 10:59pm

That's how I felt, bjh ^

[Gobnitch]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 2:48pm

The play really devided opinion in Dublin and it really will have to be a hell of a lot better than it was in The Abbey to make an impression on the great white way. Here's a link to some differing reviews of the production from this end.

http://cake1983.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/john-gabriel-borkmanthe-abbey%C2%A0theatre/

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/1016/1224281223605.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2010/1015/1224281144148.html

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/stars-set-stage-alight-in-ibsens-dark-tale-2383120.html

http://www.irishtheatremagazine.ie/Reviews/Ulster-Bank-Dublin-Theatre-Festival--10/John-Gabriel-Borkman

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 10:50pm

Isn't it true that BAM does a day-of $10 rush? I thought so. I've done it before, but I wasn't sure if it had changed.

I'm excited to see this show. I've seen a few shows at BAM and I've yet to be disappointed.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:25am

RippedMan, yeah, I think they do. I bought tickets for this one ahead of time in case reviews beef up sales.

[Dawn Davenport]

Posted: 1/15/11 at 7:57pm

Just got home from seeing today's matinee.

This show is an absolute MUST for Alan Rickman fans. Hell, I'd be happy hearing Alan Rickman reading the newspaper live, but honestly, I think it's worth seeing.
All the actors are good, actually.

This is not the type of drama I would usually see, but I'm glad I did. If you have a good seat, up close, it's absolutely thrilling to see such great actors performing live. It was my first BAM show, and I'd love to see more there. Terrific theatre!


I was in the 2nd row and we had a bit of extra, unscripted drama during this performance---one of the chair's back legs broke during the show, and a few of us who noticed tried to warn Fiona Shaw not to sit in the seat after it broke---she did anyway, but gingerly. Luckily it didn't collapse! (not that she's heavy, the chair leg was badly cracked!)

[cwilliams]

Posted: 1/15/11 at 11:16pm

For those who have gone to Borkman, has anyone been to the stage door? I was wondering if Alan Rickman is willing to sign. Also, does BAM sell windowcards to their shows? I am going to see it on Jan. 28th, very excited to see Alan Rickman live!

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 1/16/11 at 12:57am

BAM didnt have any merch for the show that I saw. Yes Rickman does sign he was great! :)

[JHerman5]

Posted: 1/16/11 at 1:04am

I was there Thursday night and I was pleasantly surprised with the production. I am a huge fan of Ibsen and I thought this was an excellent production of an incredibly flawed play. Parts of it did tend to drag on but that was more the writing than the acting. Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan were quite good (Rickman took a while to but eventually setteled in wonderfully and Duncan while occasionally melodramatic was greta). Fiona Shaw was breaktaking and I hope she comes back to New York as soon as possible. Shaw really seized upon the desperateness of Gunhild and was without a doubt the star of the production.

I haven't seen an Ibsen play done this well in a while save for the recent 'Master Builder' in London at the Almeida. It's nice to see Ibsen done well in NY (not like a recent) Roundabout production.

[Dawn Davenport]

Posted: 1/17/11 at 5:53pm

The only "merchandise" I saw for sale when I went was mini posters of the play that you could get free if you signed on as a BAM member. I took a quick look---the poster looked autographed by Alan Rickman but I honestly can't be sure. I didn't bother to ask about it because I figured it would cost more than I was willing to spend.

It's nice to read that Alan Rickman is cool with stage-dooring. Too bad I didn't do it! Probably he wouldn't have come out after a matinee performance anyway? That's what I'll tell myself so I don't keep kicking myself for not even trying

[NYUrickydrummer]

Posted: 1/17/11 at 9:18pm

Here are my thoughts, as posted on musicOMH.com. I loved it overall, though it's definitely not a perfect or extraordinarily "watchable" play.


John Gabriel Borkman, review on musicOMH.com