Accent on Youth First Preview Reviews

[James2]

Posted: 4/7/09 at 9:51pm

Anyone go tonight?

My mother and godmother saw it. They both thought it was enjoyable. Mom said she probably would have enjoyed it more if she were more knowledgeable about the theatre world. They both liked Pierce, and they said the actor who played the butler (I don't know the character's name or the actor's name) was funny.

[James2]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 1:26am

bump

[nearthestage]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 7:34am

Charles Kimbrough is the gentleman that plays Flogdell, Stephen Gaye's butler, confidant, etc.

I haven't seen the play but I am equally as curious about last night's performance. I have tickets for April 26. Even though the play hasn't received alot of chatter here on the BWW boards, I'm really excited about seeing it. Collectively, the cast is wonderful. Besides Mr. Kimbrough, who couldn't like seeing Mr. Pierce and Ms.Garrison in performance.

BTW James2 - Glad to hear your mom and godmother liked the show.

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 6:32am

I just saw this last night (still in previews) and I enjoyed the gentle and genteel comedy on offer. I'm not one for detailed reviews but the three performances which stood out for me were David Hyde Pierce as the playywright Steven Gaye (another charming comedic performance with undercurrents of pathos and passion), Charles Kimbrough as Flogdell, the playwright's spritely butler, and Mary Catherine Garrison as the flighty and mercurial Linda.

It could probably use a little trimming and tightening before opening night to improve momentum (I wasn't too keen on the curtain drop as a transition between scenes) but overall it was a very enjoyable night out. Does anyone know if this production is holding 'talkback' sessions after Saturday matinee performances?

[nearthestage]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 8:01am

Thank you for your thoughts TIGGOSAURUS. I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

I understand completely what you say about the curtain drops. Even thought I've not seen this production of 'Accent', for me, curtain drops between scenes tends to interfer with the flow or "momentum" as you said.

I have a couple of questions.

Since this isn't really a play that has ROTF laughter moments; but whose humor is "genteel" as you well describe. Did you find the audience receptive to the more "elegant" humor as Director Sullivan described it in a recent interview. Also, how was the chemistry between the central characters of Gaye, Flogdell, and Linda?

There will be; according to the flyers and e-mails I've received, "talkback sessions" for 'Accent'. I just don't know when. To my knowledge there's no set date. I'll post here if I hear anything definite. If you're signed up for the MTC e-mails, you'll receive an e-mail announcement a couple weeks prior to the session.

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 1:21am

Thanks for the info about talkbacks. I'm only in NYC till Sunday and have booked to see AOY again with a friend on Saturday afternoon, partly in the hope of of a post-show Q&A. Will have to wait and hope and see.

The audience at the performance I saw seemed to be skewed towards the older theatre-goer. The understated ("genteel") humour went down well, plenty of titters and giggles throughout - as you say this isn't really a 'ROTFL' type play.

I thought the chemistry between the lead characters worked well, in that the main pairing seemed unlikely at first, then passionate, then conflicted. I thought the interaction between DHP as Gaye and Charles Kimbrough as his butler was excellent, they played off each other very well.

And please, call me Tigg - I didn't mean to leave the caps lock on when I registered as TIGGOSAURUS.

[nearthestage]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 7:54am

Thanks for information 'Tigg' .

It sounds as though Mr. Sullivan stuck very close to the original script, which is fine with me, I found the play a delightful read and I'm very fond of period pieces.

"I thought the chemistry between the lead characters worked well, in that the main pairing seemed unlikely at first, then passionate, then conflicted."

Perfect.

"I thought the interaction between DHP as Gaye and Charles Kimbrough as his butler was excellent, they played off each other very well."

I'm so glad to hear this! The interaction between these to characters is such an important part of the play, IMO of course. I saw a performance of this several years ago in Va., and unfortunately, the director chose to play down this relationship and play up the May/Dec aspect. It was excruiating.

Thank you again Tigg for the information. I hope you enjoy the rest of stay in NYC and your second viewing of AOY.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 4/14/09 at 2:13pm

Glad you enjoyed it. I found it exceedingly dull and flat -- nothing awful, but just a sort of vague "why am I watching this?" feel, even though I love DHP. This is maybe a smidge better, but it reminded me most of TO BE OR NOT TO BE (though the humor here is considerably less broad).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 10:55pm

I saw tonight's performance and thought that hands down, it was the worst play in maybe a decade and that's saying something. Every single line fell flat, the story was ridiculously dull and had really no point to it at all. I can't imagine what anyone in that cast who read the script was thinking when they agreed to take part in it. Is MTC THIS desperate for something to put on the stage??

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 10:59pm

I'm not sure I get the term "elegant" humor? What's the point of doing a comedy if you don't want them to be rolling on the floor with laughter?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:00pm

No, there was no "elegance" in the humor. You would need actual humor to be in the show first in order to have that.

[fetzles1490]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 1:10am

I saw this show almost a week ago, and almost entirely forgot I saw it all the next day. It was incredibly underwhelming. I enjoyed DHP's performance, as well as the butler, and I agree that they played off each other VERY nicely. They got the biggest laughs from me.

My biggest issue with the play is the script itself. It felt like in an attempt to cover the events of a full year in 2 hours, it ended up severely lacking in continuity. I felt no connection to the characters or their relationships, because it went from a crazy love triangle situation to one of them married to someone else entirely in the span of five minutes. I can't even write adequately about it because I hardly remember a damn thing from the show, it was so forgettable!

It didn't help that the curtain dropped between scene changes, which weren't even scene changes! The set never changed - they dropped the curtain and played transition music to change which actors were on stage. Wouldn't a blackout suffice? I also found it strange that in a play that is pretty clearly written in 3 acts, the intermission was after the first act. The first act was roughly a half hour, and the second act was at least double that (or maybe that's how it felt).

There were also a few instances of fairly obvious dropped lines and a moment where the actors cracked on stage and briefly started laughing. The laughter, at least, was one of the highlights for me! In an otherwise static show, it was a fun moment and woke me up a bit since the actors were clearly enjoying themselves.

Despite all this, I DID have a good time. The show had redeeming moments and some very strong performances. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but maybe it will improve through previews.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:54pm

I'm glad other people are having a good time, it just did absolutely nothing for me and everyone around me last night.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:05pm

There were scene changes if you were paying attention. Do you think the piano magically appeared out of nowhere, and then later disappeared into thin air?