#1
Posted: 9/11/08 at 12:45am
Saw the show tonight, and all I can say is WOW. I paid $116.50 for my Row A seat and this is one of the very few times I've paid full price and can say it was worth every penny. I'd gladly go back tomorrow if I could.
I have never seen the show onstage before, nor had I read the play. My only exposure to the piece is the film, so while familiar with the subject matter, I was unfamiliar with just how intense it is when you see it live.
I simply can't rave enough about the production. The design is gorgeous- the stage is appropriately stark and the set consists of the 6 stable doors and four cubes that get moved all around. The star technical attraction is the lighting, which is appropriately eery, and jarring when it needs to be. The sound design is also quite impressive, in that it's deathly quiet until that climactic scene, when it builds to a sudden cacophany.
The play itself is a 2 hour and 40 minute adrenaline rush. I was riveted to the action onstage the entire time, completely caught in the moment, as was the rest of the audience. The show flew by and never once was I bored or taken out of the moment. I highly recommend trying to sit close to the stage (which is very low, so no worries about site lines) because it plays very well from up close. I was completed transported last night being that close. The climactic scene in act 2 is nothing short of perfection- I didn't want it to end, and my heart continued pounding throughout the intermission, and well after I left the theater after the show.
As good as the show is, it soars because of the work of its cast, particularly Daniel Radcliffe. He is clearly the anchor of this production, and is delivering an absolutely stunning performance in his Broadway debut, wiping the floor with the likes of Terrence Howard and Julia Roberts. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind that he'd transition into adult roles, they should immediately disappear after watching this performance. Brilliant is not a word I toss around often, but he certainly is in this production. It's such an ethereal, transcending performance, that is nothing short of revelatory. How he manages to do it 8 times a week is beyond me. He was still shaking when he came out for his curtain call. He completely shattered my expectations for him. I'm still thinking about his performance, and how beautifully layered it was. And for the record, never once did the words "Harry Potter" enter my mind.
Richard Griffiths is also doing fine work as the psychiatrist. He's appropriately detached at certain moments, but then displays a fiery intensity (without ever having to raise his voice) when it's necessary. He's presents a demanding physical presence, which plays into the concept of him being sort of the catalyst for everything going on. He and Radcliffe have excellent chemistry.
The rest of the cast is uniformly good, with Carolyn McCormack and T. Ryder Smith as the parents doing exceptionally fine work.
This is definitely worth the trip, folks.
I have never seen the show onstage before, nor had I read the play. My only exposure to the piece is the film, so while familiar with the subject matter, I was unfamiliar with just how intense it is when you see it live.
I simply can't rave enough about the production. The design is gorgeous- the stage is appropriately stark and the set consists of the 6 stable doors and four cubes that get moved all around. The star technical attraction is the lighting, which is appropriately eery, and jarring when it needs to be. The sound design is also quite impressive, in that it's deathly quiet until that climactic scene, when it builds to a sudden cacophany.
The play itself is a 2 hour and 40 minute adrenaline rush. I was riveted to the action onstage the entire time, completely caught in the moment, as was the rest of the audience. The show flew by and never once was I bored or taken out of the moment. I highly recommend trying to sit close to the stage (which is very low, so no worries about site lines) because it plays very well from up close. I was completed transported last night being that close. The climactic scene in act 2 is nothing short of perfection- I didn't want it to end, and my heart continued pounding throughout the intermission, and well after I left the theater after the show.
As good as the show is, it soars because of the work of its cast, particularly Daniel Radcliffe. He is clearly the anchor of this production, and is delivering an absolutely stunning performance in his Broadway debut, wiping the floor with the likes of Terrence Howard and Julia Roberts. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind that he'd transition into adult roles, they should immediately disappear after watching this performance. Brilliant is not a word I toss around often, but he certainly is in this production. It's such an ethereal, transcending performance, that is nothing short of revelatory. How he manages to do it 8 times a week is beyond me. He was still shaking when he came out for his curtain call. He completely shattered my expectations for him. I'm still thinking about his performance, and how beautifully layered it was. And for the record, never once did the words "Harry Potter" enter my mind.
Richard Griffiths is also doing fine work as the psychiatrist. He's appropriately detached at certain moments, but then displays a fiery intensity (without ever having to raise his voice) when it's necessary. He's presents a demanding physical presence, which plays into the concept of him being sort of the catalyst for everything going on. He and Radcliffe have excellent chemistry.
The rest of the cast is uniformly good, with Carolyn McCormack and T. Ryder Smith as the parents doing exceptionally fine work.
This is definitely worth the trip, folks.
Updated On: 9/11/08 at 12:45 AM
But then, I'm one of the only people on this board who thinks this production really misses the mark. But who am I to judge if others are moved by a piece of theatre? I think thats great.
