ARCADIA & BENGAL TIGER in one day

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 1:29pm

Saw both ARCADIA and BENGAL TIGER yesterday. That's a lot of serious theatre for one day! I’ve always admired the ARCADIA. I’ve read the script and seen a regional production and college production. Yesterday was a major disappointment for a play that deserves a good production. This was not it! The direction, cast, and design were all excruciatingly dull. How a cast of first rate actors could turn such dull not to mention unintelligible performances is shocking. I guess the blame must fall on David Leveaux here. (To be a fair a few actors rose above the rest, but as a whole it was a let down).

A lot of chatters and critics seemed to have given this production a free pass simply because its Tom Stoppard and ARCADIA but that’s a reason to read the play or recommend the script. This production has almost nothing to recommend it. It’s a let down. Yes, the script is still worthy but go read it then. This production does nothing to promote the material. Sad really.


BENGAL TIGER last night. It was far better than I expected. Robin Williams was quite good. Giving a performances that managed to be in line with the material but still found the humor. My biggest complaint was that I wanted to see more of him. Everything you see about the show outside the theatre leads you to believe Robin Williams is the star. He’s not. He’s just the most famous name. This was sort of a let down to me. Especially since I thought he was so good! The physical production was nothing to spectacular but I was impressed by it because it was much more than I thought it would be.

The play itself is worthy although I’m not sure Broadway and the Richard Rogers theatre are the best place to showcase its merits. The first act was more engaging than the second. There should be a place for this kind of theatre though. So props to Robin Williams for giving it the chance to live. It’s not a masterpiece by any means but it’s a worthy play.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 2:28pm

Wow. It makes my brain hurt to just think of doing both those shows in one day. Kind of the antithesis of my seeing Hello, Dolly and Mame on one day many, many years ago.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 3:04pm

My antithesis was just this past Sunday, seeing HIGH in the afternoon and PRISCILLA in the evening. Talk about opposites...

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 3:17pm

Not trying to do one-upmanship, but I did something similar last Saturday: ARCADIA in the afternoon and HIGH in the evening. I know it's heresy to say this around here, but my tolerance for Stoppard is dwindling rapidly. To have to be familiar with, among other things, Newtonion physics, 19th Century landscaping, Byron's life and poetry, calculus, etc, etc. strikes me not as showmanship, but showoffmanship. And I've been plugging away at it since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in 1968. I didn't react to the cast as harshly, however, and thought that Billy Crudup, Margaret Colin and several others were often quite good, if not overwhelming. But some of the actors were TERRIBLE, starting with the gal playing Thomasina, whose voice and projection were as agonizing as hearing someone dragging their nails on a chalkboard.

HIGH was certainly not boring and I always enjoy seeing Kathleen Turner. No, it's not a GREAT play, but at least it kept me awake and moved at a good pace. And Evan Jonigkeit should get at least a Tony nomination for his work. I keep thinking about how fabulous he would be in EQUUS.

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 7:09pm

Hey, I did them in one day, too! And drove 90 miles home afterward. But I think you did them in a better order; Arcadia should be attempted when absolutely wide awake and thank God that at least I was in the 2nd row...that said, I liked them both, and don't regret it

[wexy]

Posted: 3/31/11 at 9:05pm

I saw Arcadia and Catch Me If You Can on the same day.
After being bored by Arcadia and having to work to pay attention at least I could relax at Catch Me.

[once a month]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 9:11am

Like Ed I spent last Saturday with the plays...

a WONDERFUL Warhorse at LCT for a matinee and the evening performance at High.

I'm getting a bit weary of two productions in a day, but both were interesting enough to grab my attention as well as keep me awake throughout.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/1/11 at 10:24am

Ha, I did the opposite, and purposefully paired Arcadia with The Book of Mormon one time and Priscilla the next to try and off-set the density of Stoppard and balance out the days. It made the double-headers in the midst of a week-plus long marathon a little less exhausting!

I did not love Arcadia QUITE as much as I wanted to, but still did love it very much. I've always adored the play and it was nice to finally see it on stage. Sorry you didn't like it!

Updated On: 4/1/11 at 10:24 AM