A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE...1st Preview Review- Page 2

[Mamamia Sammy2]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 10:47am

As a reminder....

Just because someone goes to the first preveiw and posts the first review, does not make them right.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 10:48am

Grim news indeed.

With all due respect -- I'm one of those at this board who welcomes preview reports, even early ones, controversial though they are -- I just hope I disagree with you after seeing the show next weekend.

People have said from day one -- this production will very likely be one extreme or the other. Either a radical but brilliant new look at the text that takes us away from iconic performances (Brando) and allows us to see this story anew. Or a disrespectful and irrelevant attempt to 'stretch' characters that deserve preservation. This review today suggests the latter, or at least, something so muddled as to obfuscate the intentions of Williams, and the grand, tragic dimensions of the character. I'm hoping that time (performances) will at least give the actors confidence to make a case for this interpretation.

Updated On: 3/27/05 at 10:48 AM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 10:48am

And like always, a review is an opinion.

And Auggie, I hope you're right. :)

Updated On: 3/27/05 at 10:48 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 10:53am

Matt, can you tell us a little more about how Reilly looks, how he physically performs the role? I'll be blunt: has he lost weight or worked out? Does he take his shift off in front of Blanche in the first scene? Put "SPOILER" in for those who want no specifics. Or heck, send me a PM. I welcome how these issues fit into your overall take.

[magruder]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 11:29am

Some early preview goers at Cabaret also reported that Richardson was at sea with the role of Sally Bowles. I don't know how true that was, but she sure was a marvel after opening, when I saw it. It may just take her some time in front of an audience to find the role...

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 11:32am

************SPOILER******************




Yes, he does take his shirt off in front of her when they meet. I don't know if he's lost weight or not, though. He looks the same to me that he always has. This is a show where the physical appearance is extremely important. These two characters don't know each other and it's at that moment they begin their game. I hate saying that you need a "hot" Stanley, but I think for this show you actually do. Otherwise it just doesn't make much sense that she would desire him as much as she does.

Updated On: 3/27/05 at 11:32 AM

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 12:28pm

Thanks for the review Matt. That's truly a disappointment, as Williams is one of my favorite playwrights. Let's hope the performances becoming not only engaging with time, but also spot on raw and moving. This, at the very least, is THE show that deserves a brilliant production.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 12:42pm

As a reminder....

Negative people on this board will always be negative no matter what. And that statement is in no way directed at Matt_G. Shows use preview performaces to fine tune etc., but there is no reason why the cast should not be giving opening night performances at the first preview. Preview people pay the same as post-preview people. No excuse for having not found the characters yet.

[PJ]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 12:45pm

I remember reading somewhere that Natasha's performance in Cabaret was all over the place during previews and that she didn't come into her own until opening night. And I believe she said that herself. Since the production didn't have an out-of-town try out, similar to Woolf, it'll take time for Richardson and Reilly to find their characters. Rehearsing in a studio can only do so much for an actor. They need the feeling of being on a stage in front of a paying audience to really kick their butt's into shape and give a fine performance.

[magruder]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 12:53pm

That sounds good in theory, but the nuances and textures of a finished performance are very seldom in place at first preview. Audiences may have paid the same as the audience after the opening, but they are not getting the same experience. Even shows that are in good shape at first preview can't help but gain additional colors as the show plays before an audience. Since the lower-priced previews are generally a thing of the past (although supplanted by direct mail discounting and email blasts), you either choose to see a project in its imperfect infancy, or you don't.

Updated On: 3/27/05 at 12:53 PM

[eslgr8]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 1:12pm

Matt, I enjoyed reading your review. I have the feeling that others may appreciate Miss Richardson's performance more than you did (they may not have your notions of what a Southern woman is and not see her failing to represent that image), but I will be surprised if many people like Mr. Reiley as Stanley. There is a thread on the Off Topic Board started by a young actress who feels that she is being treated unfairly because being overweight, she can't get cast in a romantic leading role. I responded that actors need to be realistic about what parts they are right for and what parts audiences will accept them in. John C. Reiley is a superb character actor, and could be a leading man a la Paul Giamatti in Sideways, but HOT he is not, at least not to the average theater-goer. Most in the audience will fail to understand the strong sexual attraction Blanche (and Stella) feel for Stanley. When he appears shirtless, that is supposed to be a turn on for the straight ladies and gay guys in the house. John C. Reilley a turn-on? I think not. (At least not for the majority.) This is simply bad casting that should not have happened in the first place.

[insomniak]

Posted: 3/27/05 at 3:34pm

*sighs disappointedly* I really wanted this one to be great. Would you say it could be a good production with other people playing Stanley and Blanche? It sound like Natasha and John are the biggest problem.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 1:32pm

Tis a shame to hear that. But, Stanley does not need to be hot. He needs to be sexual - two very different things that are often mistakenly entwined. Blanche AND Stella are attracted to him because of his brutish qualities - they find the fact that Stanley is primal to be what is attractive and desirable about him.

Yuo do NOT need a hot Stanley, just one that can exude even inner sexuality and brutality. If Reilly doesn't do that, its a shame, but there is not much of a reason for Stanley to be hot.

[kas]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 5:55pm

so excited to see it - did anyone see Michael Wilson's version at Hartford Stage? I think they did it at the Alley Theater too. It was soooo good! Analee Jefferies was Blanche and the direction was really solid. Glad to hear that Chris Bauer was good.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 6:01pm

I just saw this and thought it was fantastic. Natasha Richardson's performance was astonishing. I highly recommend seeing it.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 6:09pm

Agreed.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 6:24pm

I love Tasha.

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 6:44pm

I'm trying to see it tommorrow night. I know that student rush is a half hour before the show but does anyone here know how much they are charging for them? I think I heard half off...