#1
Posted: 8/2/04 at 2:06pm
Here is a quick review of the Dracula preview (#3) I caught on Sunday night. There are extensive reviews on this same performance elsewhere on the board, so I'm just going to give some additional thoughts...
First of all, a few people have written about the almost 45 minute intermission. Des McAnuff came out before curtain and announced that intermission has been running at least 30 minutes, so no one should have been suprised. I suspect that the reason for this is simply because of the technical difficulties of the production. It really is a technical nightmare. First of all, the set is in constant motion (think goth-style Sunday in the Park with George but with way more stuff popping out of the stage.) Then, of course, there's the flying. Personally, I found the flying to be a little gratuitous...at one point there's a scene going on and a sleeping Dracula randomly floats sideways across the stage...no need. It also became clear why previews were delayed so many times...SAFETY. There are a lot of effects in the show that are potentially very dangerous.
The Strong Points: the set. The set is very artistic, in the sense that it looks like a constantly moving abstract painting.
Tom Hewitt's performance. He creates a very imposing, but sympathetic character. He leaves a little to be desired in the singing department, but Wildhorn's music is tailored to his voice...which brings me to...
The Weak Points: the score. By far, NOT Wildhorn's most complex and moving and whatever else is being said of it. The songs are extremely simple and repetitive, with little being done harmonically or rythmically to keep our interest, and they are not at all aided by weak point #2:
Des McAnuff's staging. BORING. The actors stand stationary through the majority of their songs. Maybe it's because they might get killed by moving scenery, or fall into an open trap door in the stage. Or maybe it's because he doesn't want the main action to distract us from the random flying vampires...I don't know, but it needs to be fixed...my attention span was really starting to wane during the numbers.
Of course, there are many more things, good and bad, to talk about, but this post is long enough already, plus they're only in previews (REHEARSALS with an audience), so we cut them some slack...here's the bottom line...
The main downfall with the show is that nothing is really engaging about it (yet)....not the score, not the direction, not the performances. Now that all the technical pieces are in place, I hope McAnuff is watching every performance and taking notes for his cast, and I hope Wildhorn is busily working on his score (you know he is, that man can't leave anything alone. Incidentally, I talked to him at the show...he told me with a roll of his eyes that I was brave to come to the third preview, indicating that a lot may change between now and August 19...he didn't seem very happy in general...maybe it's because his score is rendered on three keyboards, a cello and an oboe as opposed to the huge orchestra in his head?) BUT, I would recommend seeing it...even as is, it is pretty entertaining (there's something to be said for that) and visually interesting. And tickets are only $30/$60, so you don't stand to lose that much if you absolutely hate it...which you probably won't.
First of all, a few people have written about the almost 45 minute intermission. Des McAnuff came out before curtain and announced that intermission has been running at least 30 minutes, so no one should have been suprised. I suspect that the reason for this is simply because of the technical difficulties of the production. It really is a technical nightmare. First of all, the set is in constant motion (think goth-style Sunday in the Park with George but with way more stuff popping out of the stage.) Then, of course, there's the flying. Personally, I found the flying to be a little gratuitous...at one point there's a scene going on and a sleeping Dracula randomly floats sideways across the stage...no need. It also became clear why previews were delayed so many times...SAFETY. There are a lot of effects in the show that are potentially very dangerous.
The Strong Points: the set. The set is very artistic, in the sense that it looks like a constantly moving abstract painting.
Tom Hewitt's performance. He creates a very imposing, but sympathetic character. He leaves a little to be desired in the singing department, but Wildhorn's music is tailored to his voice...which brings me to...
The Weak Points: the score. By far, NOT Wildhorn's most complex and moving and whatever else is being said of it. The songs are extremely simple and repetitive, with little being done harmonically or rythmically to keep our interest, and they are not at all aided by weak point #2:
Des McAnuff's staging. BORING. The actors stand stationary through the majority of their songs. Maybe it's because they might get killed by moving scenery, or fall into an open trap door in the stage. Or maybe it's because he doesn't want the main action to distract us from the random flying vampires...I don't know, but it needs to be fixed...my attention span was really starting to wane during the numbers.
Of course, there are many more things, good and bad, to talk about, but this post is long enough already, plus they're only in previews (REHEARSALS with an audience), so we cut them some slack...here's the bottom line...
The main downfall with the show is that nothing is really engaging about it (yet)....not the score, not the direction, not the performances. Now that all the technical pieces are in place, I hope McAnuff is watching every performance and taking notes for his cast, and I hope Wildhorn is busily working on his score (you know he is, that man can't leave anything alone. Incidentally, I talked to him at the show...he told me with a roll of his eyes that I was brave to come to the third preview, indicating that a lot may change between now and August 19...he didn't seem very happy in general...maybe it's because his score is rendered on three keyboards, a cello and an oboe as opposed to the huge orchestra in his head?) BUT, I would recommend seeing it...even as is, it is pretty entertaining (there's something to be said for that) and visually interesting. And tickets are only $30/$60, so you don't stand to lose that much if you absolutely hate it...which you probably won't.
Updated On: 8/2/04 at 02:06 PM
