First Preview of Picnic- Page 3

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/19/12 at 11:15pm

I saw this tonight and thought it was pretty mediocre. I wasn't particularly impressed by anyone in the cast, except for the always excellent Elizabeth Marvel. She is just wonderful in this and every time she was onstage, my attention was instantly drawn to her.

Maggie Grace is fine, Sebastian Stan is uninspired and pretty bland, and everyone else is good. For a two hour long show, this mounting felt pretty long to me. It's not exactly a Roundabout disaster, but it's certainly nothing to rush out to see. It's just another safe, boring, unimpressive Roundabout show. I honestly don't have much else to say about it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/19/12 at 11:22pm

Someone needs to tell the sounman to turn up the mikes. It was hard to hear what they were saying. Samething happened with Cyrano.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/19/12 at 11:24pm

Oh, that was one of my biggest complaints. When the cast is in the house, you can barely hear any of their lines. It almost sounds like background noise at times, until you realize there's actual context to what they're saying and there are real lines being spoken.

And even then, I had to strain to hear them. Updated On: 12/19/12 at 11:24 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 8:40am

Inexcusable, and really not the sound man's problem. I am still appalled that straight plays need mics.

[After Eight]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 8:59am

The scenes in the house should have been staged outside. The dialogue was totally thrown away.

Re, Elizabeth Marvel. She's gifted, no doubt about it. But I think she came off too hard, too strong here. Actually, so did Roz in the film. The character is not a hard-as-nails dragon lady. Don't play her that way. What makes it worse is that she is made up to look something like Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. Poor Howard! You're supposed to want him to marry her, not flee for the hills.

This past summer, Jayne Houdyshell was wonderful as an old-maid schoolteacher in Horton Foote's Harrison, TX. That's the approach that should be taken with Rosemary.



Updated On: 12/20/12 at 08:59 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 9:11am

Interesting comments on Rosemary. In the film, I can detect the original's influence, Eileen Heckart's, on Russell, and at least a couple of times her line readings sound eerily like Heckart. I'm reminded of Bette Davis's comments on Regina in LITTLE FOXES. She heard Tallulah, and used it because if it wasn't broke, why fix it. (Bankhead criticized her for copying her performance, but Davis was smart.) We all heard this sort of accusation/debate again a few years ago about DREAMGIRLS and Effie. I need not go into it.

I saw the role played with more elegance -- Alexis Smith in SUMMER BRAVE (the Rosemary material in that version isn't all that different than PICNIC, unlike Hal and Madge). Smith was not especially persuasive, and her natural beauty and sophistication were at odds with the part.

I would see this production only for Marvel, Winningham and Burstyn. But the reports are tepid.

Updated On: 12/20/12 at 09:11 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 9:25am

Indeed, Elizabeth Marvel sounds a great deal like Eileen Heckart here. Too much. The vulnerability is not coming through. Also, I would say she's directed to behave too boorishly.

I thought Alexis Smith was much better in Summer Brave. She may have been innately too glamorous for the part, but that didn't undermine her performance, which, in my opinion, was honest and moving.

Updated On: 12/20/12 at 09:25 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 10:22am

You are likely right about Smith. In fairness, she played opposite Joe Ponazecki, an actor who is always proficient but seldom memorable.

[followspot]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 10:25am

If mediocrity is Roundabout's artistic goal (as it so often seems to be), they've hit a goldmine with this production. Hoping to quickly wash it from my memory.

[little_sally]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 11:26am

It's just not mediocrity; I don't understand why they choose the plays they revive. Was anyone clambering for a revival of Picnic? Cyrano? Man and Boy?

[newintown]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 12:18pm

I've always loved the play; I just wish I could drum up an ounce of interest in this production. I love Marvel, but fear that she could tip over into drag-queeniness in this rather dangerous (as described earlier here) role.

And those two aging B-TV actors in the leads? Will they actually sell tickets, or were they just the best Jim Carnahan could drum up?

[After Eight]

Posted: 12/20/12 at 12:23pm

Little Sally,

You ask a good question.

Frankly, I don't think the public is clamoring to see any revival. But they'll pay to see any revival if there's a star they want to see- eg, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Jim Parsons.

Does the public really want to see yet another revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, or will they go to see Scarlett Johansson?

Apart from that, if it's good, then perhaps people will go. But that's a big perhaps. Golden Boy, first Broadway revival in seventy-five years gets an excellent production and excellent reviews. It's not selling. Edwin Drood? Great production, great reviews. Not selling.

Personally, I would have preferred a revival of Dark at the Top of the Stairs as opposed to Picnic. But I don't know if the public would rush to that one, either.


Updated On: 12/20/12 at 12:23 PM

[kerrydixon]

Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:12pm

Anyone know if Sebastian Stan took photos/signed autographs after the show?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/27/12 at 5:41pm

I would love to see a revival of Dark at the Top of the Stairs too, but can't see it happening. Out of Inge's four big hits, it seems to have been really forgotten despite I believe his second longest run (Picnic, Bus Stop and Little Sheba at least have much more familiar names even if people don't know the plays). The film of Dark isn't even released on VHS or DVD (despite doing decently--though it's a pretty watered down production).

Newintown I get why you call Seb Stan and Maggie Grace b-tv actors (though Lost was hardly a b tv show, she definitely was not a major star on it) but do you really see them as aging? they seem, at the least, age appropriate to me (if anything Hal is usually played older...0

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/27/12 at 5:51pm

The invaluable Transport Group staged a fantastic revival of THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS five years ago. Donna Lynne Champlin won an Obie for her great work as Cora.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/27/12 at 11:13pm

I thought Marvel was very good in this. I actually thought she and Madeleine Martin were the only good ones. Mare Winningham almost redeemed herself in her final scene, but it was too little too late.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/27/12 at 11:16pm

Also, whoever let Sebastian Stan onto a stage deserves to be shot. He was terrible! (And this coming from someone who loves his TV work.) And as to Madeleine Martin being nasal, that is, as someone said, just her natural voice. It's unfortunate that sometimes it sounds like she's putting it on, but that's just how she speaks. In spite of that, I think her choices are almost always impeccable.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 8:46pm

I actually really liked Maggie Grace as Madge. I've seen so many Madge's just jump into Hal's arms, and the rest of the show is this fluff romance that when it ends she gives up really quickly and runs off. In this production, I thought that Madge was this very timid girl, who wanted the adventure that Hal could give her. But she was being torn between following her dreams and keeping with tradition/expectations, especially from her mother. I think the show was really well casted, and I would bet money that Elizabeth Marvel will get the Tony nomination, and possible award for "Best Supporting Actress".

My three other thoughts from this production was, I loved that the house was useable on the inside, and that everything seemed so real. Along with that, I loved how the lighting of the show was actual light as if this was done in September in a backyard. I first thought it was too dark at times, but looking back on it, I really liked it. And, I never really liked the ending of the show. By, that I mean the dialogue between Flo and Helen. I always waiting for it to end. But there was something where you could feel the emotion between these two characters. I loved it.

My complaint of the show is the acts. I didn't really like that the second act was only 35 minutes. I prefer doing the show with the 3 full acts, and two brief intermissions.

It was a great production of my favourite play!

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 9:34pm

Maggie Grace reminded me a lot of a young Julia Stiles. I was quite taken with her performance, actually. Stan is white bread, no charisma whatsoever. They would have done better casting someone like Seth Numrich (who obviously wouldn't have been available, but still) as Hal.

Is Helen Potts always cast with a woman Burstyn's age? She seemed a good twenty years too old, despite being very good in the part.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 9:42pm

Didn't David Cromer do a DARK AT THE TOP?

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 9:47pm

He directed PICNIC in Chicago. Not sure if he did DARK as well

[kevinr]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 10:17pm

What is / was the stage door like? How busy was it and who signed/posed for photos?

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 11:50pm

So I just saw this and actually thought it worked quite well. Probably the best thing I've seen at Roundabout in a long while.
Some chemistry and specificity missing from Stan and Grace I thought. There were some dropped moments from those to and Martin, but the older cast was quite impeccable I thought. I couldn't decide if I liked Winningham or Marvel more. So good! Birney and Burstyn were also very solid I thought.
It seems to me that Sam Gold was taking very good care of what the play is actually about. I was moved.
So, all in all, the younger leads weren't awesome but not horrible bad either...but I thought it was a solid and meaningful production overall.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/31/12 at 4:28am

Lots of really interesting discussion about this play and production.

Fashion guru, how long does Act I (which I assume is I and II combined) play now? It does strike me as odd to combine them--so often with those three act plays from that era, the act divisions seem quite important and written clearly into the structure.

[bobs3]

Posted: 12/31/12 at 5:00am

"Is Helen Potts always cast with a woman Burstyn's age? She seemed a good twenty years too old, despite being very good in the part."

Burstyn is 80 but looks at least ten years younger. In the 1994 revival Anne Pitoniak was 72 when she played Helen and she looked 72 (by the way Ms. Pitoniak was the highlight of that production). The general idea is that Helen is an elderly woman who has spent her whole life caring for her mother who is now an invalid and in her 90s.