Bridge Project: The Tempest
Bridge Project: The Tempest
Melissa3
Swing Joined: 2/17/10
#2Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/22/10 at 10:38am
Bumping this up to see if anyone has been yet...
I have tickets for the talk-back performance and I'm really excited. I loved As You Like It, but this production looks even more interesting to me.
thtrbear
Leading Actor Joined: 10/13/06
#2Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/23/10 at 12:05pm
bump! me curious too.
so far, a total of one comment here and at ATC ("it was stunning").
it does look like it's selling a lot better than as you like it, which has been done to death in nyc to an extent in the last 10 years...
Vespertine1228
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/30/05
#3Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/23/10 at 1:23pmI'm seeing it tonight and will report back. Hopefully it'll be better than As You Like It.
#4Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/23/10 at 1:56pmIt's definitely selling a lot better than As You Like It. I've been waiting for The Tempest to pop up on TDF like the other show did, but nothing yet.
whatever2
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/06
#5Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/23/10 at 2:14pmfrogs: i think it is very unlikely this will show up on tdf. the balacony already is sold out for the entire run. i am a subscriber and a friend of BAM, and i had a GREAT DEAL of difficulty exchanging my seats.
#6Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/23/10 at 2:47pmI enjoyed As You Like It and certainly hope the cast does some great work with The Tempest. Haven't grabbed tix yet but will be.
thtrbear
Leading Actor Joined: 10/13/06
#8Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 12:01pmI think the reviews tonight for THE TEMPEST are going to be rapturous, so I bought a ticket today for later in the run just to be safe. Not many seats left FYI.
#9Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 1:37pmI have tickets for tomorrow night so I will definitely report back.
Vespertine1228
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/30/05
#10Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 2:43pm
I absolutely loved it. My only complaint is that it ran 2 hours and 20 minutes with no intermission, which is a mighty long time to be sitting in such uncomfortable seats.
The Tempest improves on many of the problems As You Like It had. The staging is fascinating and fantastic. The production actually takes a point of view and tries to do something interesting.
I don't want to give anything beyond the first ten minutes away, but the entire back half of the stage is slightly flooded and there is a manicured circle of sand that serves as the main playing space. It works well to combine the tricky location changes required by the play.
The comedy in Tempest is also much better executed than As You Like It. In other words, it's actually funny.
Acting is terrific all around, but the lack of female roles in the show leave most of the female company in the dust. Christian Camargo gets to wear a number of exciting outfits as Ariel.
Definitely a must see if you can score a ticket.
#11Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 2:56pmVespertine1228, since you mention AS YOU LIKE IT, I have a question: as a Stephen Dillane fan, is it possible to live with the knowledge that I only saw his Prospero and skipped on Jacques due to the poor reviews for the production? I am still very undecided on whether or not I should give AS YOU LIKE IT, my time!
harper4
Understudy Joined: 6/9/08
#12Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 4:19pm
Scripps,
Don't let the reviews deter you. I loved AYLI. A lot of people around here and on the other site saw early previews and judged the production based on the work which was still in progress, a pitfall I avoided by spending the extra $10 and seeing it post opening. The major complaints seem to be its "darkness" (which I rather liked; it gave the play somewhere to go from Act 1 to Act 2 and I wasn't confused when the foresters were singing "Blow, blow thou winter wind". Usually its set in the spring or some Eden-like version of Arden and the song and Duke Senior's monologue about the harshness of the world they find themselves in makes no sense, not true in this production. The shift from winter to spring is lovely and helps rather than hinders the plot), and the "lack of comedy" which on the night I saw it couldn't have been further from accurate. The audience I saw it with was roaring, as was I. I actually liked the fact that I wasn't being pandered to and that the comedy came with some pathos and intelligence, it wasn't served to me on a plate. There are some problems and the show isn't perfect but it sure as heck isn't as bad as the nay sayers would have you believe. And Stephen Dillane's Jacques is the best I've ever seen. Along with some other performances that rank as the best I've ever seen those roles done. My advice: go! See both!
Updated On: 2/25/10 at 04:19 PM
#13Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 5:48pmharper4, thank you for such a thoughtful response; I have much to mull over it appears!
Vespertine1228
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/30/05
#14Bridge Project: The Tempest
Posted: 2/25/10 at 6:11pm
In response to two things:
I saw As You Like It earlier this month at the second to last performance before they took a week off to tech The Tempest. I still thought it was bad.
And it's not the end of the world that you missed Dillane's Jacques, scripps. He strangely seemed to fade into the background of As You Like It, which is a shame because he's one of the best characters.
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