Boy From Oz & Caroline Closing Night

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 7:24pm

Here's a really nice piece on the closing night performances of Boy From OZ and Caroline, Or Change by John Heilpern of the New York Observer:
http://www.observer.com/pages/theater.asp

Updated On: 9/23/04 at 07:24 PM

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 7:48pm

Margo thank you so much for posting this link. I cannot tell you how much I loved reading it. A lovely and fitting tribute to both shows.

[jo]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 7:52pm

Thanks for the link.

It's not usual that theatre critics write about how an audience reacts to a show - especially at the time it closes down.

I was part of the hysteria for OZ - LOL!

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 8:31pm

Jo how did you score that seat for the 9/12 performance? How lucky you were to be sitting in Row A!

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 8:33pm

Great article !! Thanks, Margo !

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 8:46pm

That is a great article. It just brought back my sadness of Caroline being gone.

[jmnpublications]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 8:48pm

Wow. A reviewer after my own heart. My biggest gripe about most of the major theater reviewers is that they engage their brains but not their hearts when they see a show. They think they have to be completely cerebral, and the result is a myopic experience of a living, breathing, multi-dimensional art form.

To be a complete theater reviewer, I believe you have to open yourself emotionally as well as intellectually - and, you have to pay attention to the audience. After all, aren't we supposed to be helping potential theater goers decide whether or not the show is worth the price of admission? What better guage than the reaction of the audience who has already seen it.

Balance is the key. Thanks for posting the link to this great article, Margo.

lc

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 8:58pm

Very touching review. It made me even more depressed that I didn't get to see either of these shows before they closed. You're right, jmn, the reviewer saw these shows with his heart instead of just his brain.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/22/04 at 9:48pm

Heilpern has long been a favorite critic of mine and not just because I tend to agree with his opinions (though not always). He and John Lahr of the New Yorker were two of the only major critics who raved for and supported Caroline from the beginning. He's very perceptive and a superb writer -- his reviews are always well-worth reading even when you disagree with his overall critique. He also wrote an excellent book of essays "How Good is David Mamet, Anyway?" that's worth picking up.

[Spiritoflaw]

Posted: 9/23/04 at 12:18am

Thanks, Margo! I found this article to be so moving and genuine, it brought tears in my eyes. It's amazing how this writer manages to bring together the audience appreciation of the 2 shows that are very different - and yet the intensity, warmth, standing ovations, etc. are quite similar. Both are wll-deserved!