Ann Previews?

Well, I'm pretty sure it's had one preview -- and that was last night.

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Yes, I'm aware, so I'm quite confident at least some people have seen it. There was a thread yesterday but it appears to have been deleted.

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Wait, it's NOT intermission-less?

It's not. It's just about two hours, with a ten-minute break. But it could EASILY be trimmed to a taut 90 minutes. And they'd be stupid not to.

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I saw Ann tonight and Holland Taylor is wonderful, even if the play isn't on the level of her acting. It's kind of in the realm of Looped or even The Iron Lady: a good performance that gets bogged down by the murky material.

I think Ann could become a cut above Looped if they do some trimming and make it one act. As a previous poster said there's too much fat, and it needs to be trimmed. The final section after her term as governor ends goes on too long, and really is unnecessary altogether.

Taylor feels so natural in the role and you can tell she's very passionate about the piece. I have a feeling she wears that wig at home, or perhaps hosts dinner parties in character. She fills Ann's shoes like a well-worn glove.

The humor is folksy and genuinely funny, but not bust a gut hilarious. Taylor knows her way around quips and zingers, so that's fun to watch.

I did get caught up in Ann's political message and I can see why it was easy for people to like her and give her their vote. If Taylor ran for office I'd probably vote for her too.

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How were the tech elements? did they fill that big stage or use mostly just the apron?

Thanks! Just wondering. Seems like an odd choice to put this in the Beaumont. And not put the Nathan Lane play in the bigger theater.

Why are you people always so obsessed that every damned thing should be 90 minutes and no intermission??? You're probably the same people who would eliminate an intermission from a classic three act play and jam two acts into one just so you can get home earlier. Sometimes things are structured for a reason, and it has nothing to do with your train schedule or attention span.

Matt, I have sat through many marathons and some of my favorite plays are three hours or more. Your generalization is unfair.

The play is too long. It wanders. It needs to be trimmed, but if it is trimmed an intermission would seem pointless. On top of it all, the first twenty minutes of the second act are exactly the same as the last ten of the first act. So structure is not a reason.

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Agreed. I've sat through 90 minute intermissionless shows that have dragged and felt like forever (American Idiot most recently) and I've sat through three hour plus shows that have flown by (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.)

In Chicago, and from what I've read the changes aren't substantial so I doubt I'll be going back, the show is way too long and completely loses focus. This is one where not having an intermission and trimming a solid 20 minutes would help significantly. That said I can appreciate the need for an act break to give Ms. Taylor some rest seeing as it is a one woman show. However, that doesn't detract from the point that the show's still too long.

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"Does she have any ghostwriters on this piece too?"

Yes, they're listed in alphabetical order on the window card. Unlike the last piece, in which they were listed in order of appearance.

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Well it can't cost too much to run, so I'm sure if they sell even 1/3 to 1/2 of the theatre, they will more than cover the operating cost. Didn't someone say on another thread that another play was supposed to go into the Beaumont but it was cancelled abruptly?