#1
Posted: 7/9/09 at 12:51am
Someone asked in another thread about rush. I got a rush ticket at 6:25, as did the person behind me, so they're definitely available later in the day. I was in the side section, but could see just fine.
I had wanted to see this play for some time, but for various, random reasons, never got around to it. I'm so glad I caught up with it this evening.
I confess, I have a predisposition towards liking this period in European history, having done a lot of reading about it. So, I may have found this more to my taste than others have. However, I thought the entire thing was riveting. I didn't for a moment find it "dull." I was worried I might, because I generally find "talkies" (as someone else on the board called it) to be quite boring. However, this was much more than just a "talkie" for me. There was enough seduction, betrayal, and intrigue to keep me entertained the entire 2 hours and 55 minutes, even though I knew the outcome beforehand. There was a lot going on, and much to digest. There was plenty of action and the play was incredibly engaging- it was fun to follow all the double-crossing taking place. A truly remarkable production.
Lots of praise is to be given to the talented ensemble cast, though my favorites were Nicholas Woodeson (whom I thought was fantastic) and Chandler Williams.
Of course, at the apex of everything are the two towering performances of the leading ladies, Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter. The two women each give a master class in acting, and I dare say may be turning in the finest dramatic performances on a Broadway stage at the moment. McTeer's unrestrained Mary countered with Walter's indecisive Elizabeth make for quite the duo. The scene at the top of act 2, the only one the women share together, is pure theatrical electricity. I greatly enjoyed the performance Marcia Gay Harden gives in God of Carnage, but one of these two women certainly deserved the Tony. I suspect Tony voters, like myself, were hard-pressed to decide which one of them should get the award, so they went with Harden.
The production, rain and all, worked for me on every level, and I hope to get back again before they close. Like I said earlier, I am generally bored at plays where people "sit around and talk" (I despised The Seagull revival everyone raves about for that reason), but this play kept me riveted, because it was so much more than just a "talkie."
I had wanted to see this play for some time, but for various, random reasons, never got around to it. I'm so glad I caught up with it this evening.
I confess, I have a predisposition towards liking this period in European history, having done a lot of reading about it. So, I may have found this more to my taste than others have. However, I thought the entire thing was riveting. I didn't for a moment find it "dull." I was worried I might, because I generally find "talkies" (as someone else on the board called it) to be quite boring. However, this was much more than just a "talkie" for me. There was enough seduction, betrayal, and intrigue to keep me entertained the entire 2 hours and 55 minutes, even though I knew the outcome beforehand. There was a lot going on, and much to digest. There was plenty of action and the play was incredibly engaging- it was fun to follow all the double-crossing taking place. A truly remarkable production.
Lots of praise is to be given to the talented ensemble cast, though my favorites were Nicholas Woodeson (whom I thought was fantastic) and Chandler Williams.
Of course, at the apex of everything are the two towering performances of the leading ladies, Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter. The two women each give a master class in acting, and I dare say may be turning in the finest dramatic performances on a Broadway stage at the moment. McTeer's unrestrained Mary countered with Walter's indecisive Elizabeth make for quite the duo. The scene at the top of act 2, the only one the women share together, is pure theatrical electricity. I greatly enjoyed the performance Marcia Gay Harden gives in God of Carnage, but one of these two women certainly deserved the Tony. I suspect Tony voters, like myself, were hard-pressed to decide which one of them should get the award, so they went with Harden.
The production, rain and all, worked for me on every level, and I hope to get back again before they close. Like I said earlier, I am generally bored at plays where people "sit around and talk" (I despised The Seagull revival everyone raves about for that reason), but this play kept me riveted, because it was so much more than just a "talkie."
Updated On: 7/9/09 at 12:51 AM
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