SPAIN at 2ndStage

[Ernest_Shackleton]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 9:40pm

Have seen almost no buzz about this, has anyone seen it or planning to? Saw it tonight and I found it engaging, charming, and often funny, and occasionally with something interesting to say. Andrew Burnap is just a ridiculously likeable performer (which the show itself explicitly called out a couple of times) and he and Marin Ireland make an appealing foundation to build the show around. Spoilers about the ending below:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Like I said, the play had some interesting ideas and a couple of lines that really stuck with me (I found the exchange about not understanding a Latin mass but knowing you were hearing something powerful to be particularly evocative). But good lord, that ending landed with a THUD. It basically abandoned the story they were telling to hit you over the head with "and this is still happening get it get it??" That scene just dragged on and on for no real payoff, and it was clear they lost the audience - I've never seen so few people give a standing ovation for what were overall uniformly excellent performances. I hope they rework that final scene, because right now it feels like the author got stuck with how to end it and gave up.

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 11:09pm

I was there tonight as well. i agree that Burnap is phenomenal, and that in general the Burnap-heavy opening 40 minutes are strong, setting up an interesting story with witty dialogue. I was all in.

I also agree that the final scene was stupefyingly insulting, hammering the obvious point as if we were in kindergarten. But I can't forgive that sin since the middle chunk of the play was exceedingly dull. I could barely keep myself awake during Ernest Hemingway's lengthy monologue, during the Spanish opera, during Marin Ireland's sorta expository speech that is delivered from a door near the ceiling stage right? 

Very disappointing despite a strong cast. 

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 9:54am

I saw this Saturday night. I found it to be extremely boring. I adore Marin Ireland and all of the performers were great, but the script itself just doesn't go anywhere. Burnap's opening monologue was funny and intriguing (and I loved the noir-inspired style of the piece), but after that nothing much happened.

I am a fan of the cast and Silverman, so this was quite a disappointment for me. Despite only being 90 minutes, this just crawled for me.