First Preview of Picnic- Page 2

[get-it-right]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 12:35am

Having (somehow) seen this production more than once already, I've come to realize that Maggie Grace just really doesn't work as Madge for me. I don't know, she and Stan's scene just before intermission really comes across as awkward. I agree that they have no chemistry. At least, unlike Grace, I find Stan to have many more redeeming moments during the show.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 12:38am

Yes, the scene before intermission was extremely awkward. And I agree with you about Stan having far more strong moments than Grace. Like I said, it seems like he's trying to make it work but they really just have no chemistry at all.

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 1:38am

EricMontreal, was the Roundabout revival televised or are you confusing that with the Ahmanson production with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gregory Harrison that Showtime aired in the mid-80's?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 5:03pm

For those of you who know the play well, I have a question. You see, I just returned and feel nothing. It was fine. I was entertained. But I feel NOTHING.

It was like staring at a Norman Rockwell painting for two hours.

Is it better with a Hal who can act?

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 5:19pm

LOL

Well ... yes, it's better.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 5:29pm

Okay.... I mean, there's some nice performances. But it just sort of seemed like, "Why?" What was the point of that? It felt like cotton candy, pure and simple, and the ending felt like one out of left field. And I almost didn't care that she was leaving (either way), because there was no passion between them to begin with.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 5:47pm

I agree, seeing a romantic story played out where there is no romance apparent on stage is pointless.

But I wouldn't blame the play, especially a proven one, because you saw a bad production of it.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 5:48pm

Ugh, that's not a good review of the production. I think the play can be quietly devastating--at least that's my take on it.

ChrisAMPM, I think you're right. I have two recordings--and one is a *ahem* live taping which is the Roundabout production. I haven't honestly seen either in at least ten years--due to not having a working VCR anymore...

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 6:01pm

The heart of "Picnic" is a mother's expectations of her two daughters, and how one of them breaks away when a stranger comes to town threatening to change all of that conventionality and she decides to live her life her own way.

It takes an ordinary day, a holiday, with ordinary people doing ordinary things and turns it upside-down, making them rethink the decisions they've made in their lives so far.

But if the leads can't put across the romance and excitement of doing something like that, you haven't got squat.

Posted: 12/16/12 at 7:36pm

Picnic is one of my favorite shows. I can't imagine a production so bad that it felt like you were looking at a Norman Rockwell painting for two hours.

Posted: 12/16/12 at 7:41pm

And I've always thought that Flo ran off with a "Hal" in her prime. She had a couple kids, he took off and she worked the rest of her life to support her family. She sees Madge blossoming and hopes she won't do the same. That's why she wants her to marry the rich-yet-boring guy and take it easy. Rosemary was a "good girl" and has waited too long to "cash in." She married Howard because it's probably her last chance.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 8:34pm

Oh, absolutely. I think Flo sees herself in Madge, and she's doing everything she can to prevent her oldest daughter from making the exact same mistakes. And it's tearing her apart to watch it happen anyway.

And I agree with you about Roesmary.

When Hal comes to town, he inadvertently (in most cases) awakens everyone to see themselves and the decisions they've made in a whole new light. That's what his raw sexuality, charisma, and reckless behavior does for them. Hal is a big mess, though, and unquestionably flawed. Still, to a town full of people "doing what they ought to do," he represents something exciting that is missing from each of their lives.

They each react to it, and to him, differently.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 8:37pm

Best, you put the power of the play perfectly. (and I agree with Joe's take on it, as well.)

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 8:50pm

A lof of what Joe and I are describing comes out in the movie. I admit the two leads are't the greatest. William Holden is a decade too old for the part, but still plays it well, and Kim Novak underplays to the point of looking bored, but that still works (enough) for the character. They don't suck, either one of them, even if they aren't the best. And they definitely have chemistry. The Moonglow dance scene by the water, even with Kim's hokey gestures, is a classic sexually charged scene.

The rest of the film cast is first-rate, especially Betty Field as Flo. She can do more with a disapproving look than most writers can do in ten pages of dialogue and backstory. You see the history of her character so beautifully. When Hal looks at her and says, "So you're the mother?" and she confirms it. He nods to her as if he "approves" of her in a "hey, you're not so bad yourself" kind of sexual way, and she instantly knows exactly who he is. You can see how she turns on him in a split second as if to say, "I know you."

All of that is on her face.

Then add in one of the best screen performances of Roz Russell's career as Rosemary. Her "Marry me, Howard" scene with (OBC member) Arthur O'Connell is a tour de force of acting from both of them.

I love everyone else in the film, too.

See the movie if you want to understand the power of the story. It's not a "perfect" film adaptation, and I've seen better on the stage, but it's a damn good one.

[Jon]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 9:59pm

A weak Madge can also be overshadowed by a good Millie. She's really a more interesting character.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/16/12 at 11:24pm

Here's the 1986 Showtime Broadcast with Leigh and Harrison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1DuiV_cl7A

Posted: 12/17/12 at 12:55am

this is fascinating, seeing this 1986 production.
I'm really excited to see this revival, especially to see Reed Birney. He has become one of my favorites in recent years.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/17/12 at 2:16am

I saw the show on Saturday, and I think it has a lot of potential to become a strong production. Unfortunately, though, I walked away not really feeling the urgency in why Roundabout felt the need to produce it.

The standout is Elizabeth Marvel, who steals the show as Rosemary. It's so nice to see her play the comedic relief in something, given that she is so often required to be incredibly dark and intense. I also really enjoyed Maggie Grace, who started off a bit stiff but found some really introspective dimensions to Madge. I think she could lighten things up a bit (she's a little sullen and forlorn a little too long,) but she strikingly conveyed Madge's painful realization of how little everyone thinks she has to offer beyond her looks. It was quite heartbreaking. The other supporting cast are all uniformly strong, particularly Madeleine Martin, Mare Winningham, and Ellen Burstyn.

As others have said, I am sad to confirm that Sebastian Stan is largely unsuccessful as Hal. Lord knows he looks the part, but he has absolutely none of the presence and charm and the utter magnetism that is so critical to the entire plot. I've heard that Finn Wittrock and Adam Driver both played Hal in previous readings of this incarnation, and I couldn't help but think that either of them would have been a vast improvement (particularly Wittrock, opposite Grace.)

Stan is the dead weight that prevents this production from getting off the ground, and it's sad how much he hinders things given how promising everything else around him is.

Updated On: 12/17/12 at 02:16 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/17/12 at 7:26am

Thanks for posting that, MrMidwest!

I saw that Ahmanson production during its run and thought it was excellent.

[cglaid]

Posted: 12/17/12 at 11:45am

I saw this show on Saturday. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Thought Madeleine Martin stole the show - she's such a strong actress, and was the most interesting character in the show. Thought Maggie Grace was fine, wish Ellen Burstyn was used more/Sebastian Stan less, Mare Winningham is so pretty, and though I may be in the minority, to me, Rosemary was a useless character. Apart from her giant meltdown to start act two, I didn't see her purpose at all and thought the show would've been exactly as is without her character.

Posted: 12/17/12 at 12:02pm

Well Rosemary is there for formula's sake. Shows used to routinely feature a "lead" couple echoed by another couple that slightly "burlesques" the leads: The King and I is the classic example, with all sorts of parallels and echoes between Anna and the King and Tuptim and Lun tha.

Rosemary and Howard are the "second couple" here and while some see them as strictly comic relief I have always found them to be a second center of the show. Rosemary waited too long and now she sees Howard as her last chance. Maybe she was a beauty in her day and fell in love young but waited for a better man who never came. She can settle for Howard (who's not wealthy OR sexy but he's a man and available) or wind up an "old lady school teacher" like the other women she socializes with. Seeing Madge with Hal reminds her of what she's missed. Inge is vague on what transpires offstage during act II between Rosemary and Howard but clearly SOMETHING happens and Howard's line "You were awfully nice to me tonight" makes me think that they (like Hal and Madge) were somewhere Doing It. And Rosemary makes it clear that in her mind, that means he's GOT to marry her. She's a fascinating character- and yes, Russell was spectacular in the part- well deserving of her Oscar nod.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/17/12 at 12:09pm

Rosemary, to me, was the only interesting character. The production is FINE. But the leads are not. And maybe that's the problem. Did I enjoy it? Sure. I was entertained. But did it matter? No. Was I affected? No. Will PICNIC linger in my mind forever? Certainly not.

My only reaction was that I couldn't understand why it was such a beloved play.

[cglaid]

Posted: 12/17/12 at 12:38pm

Thanks for the explanation, JoeKv99.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/19/12 at 7:12pm

Saw it this afternoon and found it to be a very mixed bag. The grownups steal the show. Winningham, Burstyn, and especially Elizabeth Marvel and Reed Birney are all wonderful. Some nice turns by Maddie Corman and Cassie Beck in smaller parts fill things out nicely.

Maggie Grace is okay, Madeline Martin is highly nasal, and Sebastian Stan uses his hands a lot and needs to learn some technique.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/19/12 at 7:47pm

I'm pretty sure that's Madeline Martine's real voice, as she's used it in everything. I think she is becoming a wonderful actress, though, and I've enjoyed watching her over the years.