Carol Burnett In Love Letters- Page 3

[Lyssie]

Posted: 10/18/14 at 5:09pm

I rushed for this afternoon's show. I got there around 12:45 and had no problem getting a rush ticket. I was about halfway back in the orchestra and a few seats in from the far side. The view was perfect.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/18/14 at 5:11pm

Was there any sneaking?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/18/14 at 5:14pm

Are there any gunshots?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/14 at 5:56pm

Anyone who does not sign should be put up against a wall and shot. How dare she. Just because she gave her performance and @ 81 may be tired who is she to be human and want to get back to her apartment or hotel room to relax and unwind.

[mc1227]

Posted: 10/18/14 at 7:24pm

Seeing this tomorrow and really looking forward to it. I wasn't sure I would ever get to see Carol on stage again, so this is very thrilling.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/19/14 at 12:10am

I just saw it tonight. Very simple play, and beautiful in its simplicity. Both Carol masterfully pulled off both the funny moments and the serious moments.

I wasn't sure how the rush was going to be, so I got to the theatre at 9, but definitely didn't need to. I was first, and the next person didn't show up until around 9:30, and at 10 there were still only 5 people. I was in row C of the orchestra off to the far house-left side. Perfectly good seats.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 10/19/14 at 6:44pm

Thank you everybody for your input on the rush! I went this morning and got to the box office at 11:15 and was third in line; by the time the box office opened at 12:00, there were maybe 15 people total.

I'm so glad I was able to see Burnett and Dennehy - what an incredible pairing! A thoroughly engaging, funny, and emotional hour and a half. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end.

[mc1227]

Posted: 10/19/14 at 8:08pm

So thrilled to have seen this today and as I expected, I saw two old pros making magic. No screaming, yelling, special effects or tricks, just in the simplest way...with words. I never thought sitting in a dark theater with a set of just a desk and two chairs was going to move me so. Then Carol and Brian came out and everything changed. Thank you so much for such a thrill . Bucket list..check..

[BroadwayFan1231]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 2:21pm

They also added $27 tickets ($35 with online fees) for every performance!
Love Letters Tickets

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 2:57pm

^I don't think the $27 tickets are for all performances. When I was at the theatre, I'm pretty sure it said something like only for weekday performances or something

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 9:37pm

Caught the show tonight. Carol Burnett was marvelous -- it's amazing how hysterically heartbreaking she can be at age 81 by simply sitting there with a binder and losing herself in her character. Brian Dennehy was very entertaining, too.

My only issue is the binders. Why take legends of stage and screen and sit them down with binders of highlighted text? It's not a staged reading, it's a Broadway play. If the binders were of each letter, that would be great. But I feel Love Letters lost something special when I saw the highlighted text - I was following along as they turned the pages.

Got my ticket through TDF - Row B of the Orchestra, far left. Amazing view!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 10:21pm

I think the reason they did the binders was that they are having so many sets of actors come in for just a short time, it must be really difficult to have enough rehearsal time for each set of actors and also give them time to get off book. This play is nothing but words and more words. Memorizing this much text is difficult no matter what, but it might be even harder without movement. As an actor, I've often found that staging and movement helps with memorization, as it helps with characterization and creating associations. These actors don't get that advantage (it also might be worth mentioning that these are elderly actors, and their memories might not be what they used to be).

I agree that it took some of the magic away, but it might have been worth it for the producers/directors/actors if ultimately it helped them to focus more on character than memorization, thereby improving their performances.

[Jon_sense]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 10:26pm

Reading as opposed to memorizing is the main aspect of the show's conceit.

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 6:35am

I understand the importance of reading the text and how that is essentially the premise of the show. But why an organized script of highlighted text for each actor? I feel like there are many more, creative ways to have the characters read their letters (perhaps actual letters?) aloud.

Regardless, this show is beautiful.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 11:03am

One idea would be to put I pads on the desks instead of binders

I wonder what a regular staged version of this would be like & if it was ever considered.

[Patash]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 11:54am

"I wonder what a regular staged version of this would be like & if it was ever considered."

I'm not sure what you mean. It IS staged as what it is, two people not in the same room reading letters to themselves aloud. Are you thinking lots of movement -- maybe actually speaking to each other and interacting? Why? None of that would be the play that it is!

I do kind of agree, that they could have actual letters to read from instead of a binder, but that's really splitting hairs. They WOULD be reading from the letters in front of them. They both treasure those letters. Is it a stretch that they would keep them in some sort of binder or album? If you're focused on whether their letters are in a binder or individually taken from a momento box, then I think the main point and purpose of the entire play escaped you.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:03pm

It's cool she got to take those letters to heaven with her.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:08pm

They could project the letters onto a screen on the back of the stage and the actors can read them from that. That would be cool.

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:25pm

Especially in the physical change in the letters - from the Valentine letters to Andy's final one. I like the idea of taking them to heaven. I also like the idea of Andy reading the letters getting the memories there to write the final one, and he reads the final one as he writes it. So many options!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:29pm

Another good thing would be for them to open fortune cookies and read from those.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:33pm

I would pay to hear celebrities read fortune cookies before I would pay to hear Love Letters.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:35pm

OMG.

"Fortune Cookies" - A New Play

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 12:38pm

Back to Patash's grumping, aren't they actually reading the letters they would have written, not the letters they would have received? Do we think they used carbon paper?

[Patash]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 1:59pm

Phyllis Rogers Stone, of course you are right. I never thought about that point. But "grumping"? Really?

Meanwhile I'm intrigued by Jordan's idea of the actors reading from projected letters on the back wall of the stage. We seldom get to focus on the backs of the heads of a lot of famous actors. And we wouldn't be distracted by mundane things like facial expressions.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 2:15pm

I think the word I meant to use was grousing.

I'm just amazed that anyone would pay Broadway prices to see this, regardless of the star power attached. I may have been subjected to too many community theatre versions, but this show does nothing for me.