jiaxing_26 said: "Just saw this afternoon and here are some of my thoughts: As someone who's watched the 06 revival recording several times, deemingBeing Aliveas almost myraison d'etre,I still feel a little ambivalent (if not underwhelmed) about this revival, and my reasoning may be more or less in line with that of Jesse Green's. I thought the production was electric; a refreshing take, Elliott's version is the one that squarely belongs to 21st-century New York, with restless sirens, gay couples, and women taking the lead. The set flows seamlessly on the stage, and the lighting and costumes are beyond amazing.
But I'm not sure ifCompanywould have as special a place in my heart if I first saw Elliot's production, instead of Esparza's take in Barrymore (NPH was under-rehearsed, and I still need to watch the Adrian Lester version). In Bobbie's case, it makes sense that she's unrealistically idealistic, and I thought the staging extremely effective where she sees the reality of marriage life horrifying. But there are other times when the focus is more on the couples themselves than Bobbie's perspective on marriage vis-à-vis observing these couples. Maybe the problem lies in my male perspective, or the new revival chooses a narrower interpretation. I just ultimately can'tcompletelyrelate to Bobbie's anxiety to get married at 35 than to Bobby's reluctance to commit and his inner exploration that leads to forgoing safer relationships (i.e. friendship) for something he wants. Bobby'sBeing Aliveseems like a revelation, validation, and liberation, but I wasn't sure what to make of Bobbie'sBeing Alive.
Don't get me wrong, Elliott'sproductionis stellar and worth any praise it deserves, but maybe I have more skepticism with her conception than her execution. For me, Lenk is fine -- a little too awkward at times that left me wondering if she comes out of DEH, but her voice was sufficient. Nothing too exciting nor too embarrassing."
Funny, I feel the exact opposite. I saw the 2006 revival live several times and enjoyed it, but I never really connected with it. This is the first time I have really connected and felt the material. Katrina’s Bobbie, the staging, the surrealist feel, all made me feel much more than the minimalism and almost stoicism of the 2006 revival.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife
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