Gem of the Ocean to Close February 6- Page 2

[magruder]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:05pm

I HATE it when things are illegible! What has happened to penmanship in this county?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:11pm

I've heard that "Light" has made some significant changes since the Chicago tryout last year. If that is true, it should be reconsidered, in my opinion. But the Pulitzer rules are very specific.

[midtowngym]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:12pm

I saw Doubt this weekend (in the first row-thanks snow wimps!) It was edge-of-your seat tense. The issues of questioning your faith and trusting your judgement were quite challenging for me. Cherry Jones was indeed riveting. I haven't seen any TV or films about the subject (though i've read a lot and seen the occassional TV news story), so for me it was a familiar subject treated in a fresh manner.

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 06:12 PM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:16pm

Midtown-

Couldn't agree more. Love your icon. "Souvenir" was so great!

[midtowngym]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:24pm

Thanks! It's about time us queers had a NEW Judy as our goddess and icon- Judy Kaye!

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 06:24 PM

[magruder]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:28pm

The pedophilia aspect in the plot of Doubt is really ancillary to what the play is really about. So, the "Movie Of the Week" claim being leveled against it earlier in this thread really doesn't ring true.

[Justice]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:29pm

If tourist's want to see musicals and not plays, then what makes these people think that Doubt will have a long lasting run?

[magruder]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:31pm

Oh, perhaps the two year-plus runs for Proof and Tale of the Allergist's Wife?

[midtowngym]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:33pm

And I believe seeing Cherry Jones will be habit-forming **middie bows**

[Justice]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:35pm

So, are you saying that they will only see "white" plays?

[magruder]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:39pm

Not at all. I'd expect that the James Earl Jones On Golden Pond will do well. And Denzel is selling lots of tickets for Julius Caesar.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 6:52pm

The fact is that at least two or three of the tv movies I've seen on this subject dealt primarily with the question of faith and trust and whether or not to believe the allegations against a beloved priest at the center of the drama, while soft-pedaling (and not showing) the actual questionable interactions with the victimized boys. Telling this story from the point of view of the clerics rather than the victims (and exploring the inner turmoil and crisis of faith the accusations cause amongst the members of the clergy) has been done before. Sorry, but when I saw Doubt, I had a strong sense of deja vu throughout and unmistakable feeling that I had seen this all before.

Simply having the opportunity to watch Cherry Jones and Brian O'Byrne act together (and not anything in the writing) was the only thing I found enjoyable about the production. Those two can create miracles and could make a recitation of the phone book exciting. If this production had been mounted with lesser actors in a smaller less prestigious theatre than MTC, nobody would be touting it for the Pulitzer Prize or anthing else.

[midtowngym]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 7:10pm

As noted, if you haven't seen much in the way of TV movies or films about priest abuse, your experience will be more rewarding. My friend was irritated by Brian O'Byrnes accent--to him it wasn't 'Bronx enough' or 'Bostonish', and he couldn't place it.

Updated On: 1/25/05 at 07:10 PM

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 8:19pm

Dang, I was going to watch this when I visit the city next month.

[Razz77]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 9:48pm

This news is really quite depressing...This play is beautiful with incredible performances across the board -- a challenging, intelligent NEW work...It makes me so sad when plays, especially new plays, go down so early.

If you haven't seen this show, do everything you can to see it. Even if you don't like shows like this, Phylicia Rashad's performance is worth the ticket price.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/25/05 at 10:21pm

How horrible- I was really hoping this play would last, but the signs when I saw it weren't positive. It was during the busy Christmas-New Year's week, and the family next to me only came because Gem was the last show left at the TKTS booth. They were puzzled that Mamma Mia! was sold out. But how could it compare with Dracula, their favorite show?

*sigh*

Anyway, I really recommend this play to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. The cast is absolutely phenomenal from top to bottom- everybody has their bravura moments. Rashad is wonderful, completely believable as a 200+ year-old woman. Lisa Gay Hamilton- the standout, in my opinion, among the supporting cast members- has some unforgettable interactions with Rashad and John Earl Jelks. Ruben Santiago-Hudson's monologue on law and order was masterful, and Anthony Chisolm and Eugene Lee's spoken duet about their Civil War experiences was just as good. And Jelks' performance grew in parallel with the consciousness of his character, a very impressive feat.

When I saw the play, the house was full and audience reaction was warm and appreciative. I only wish that I'd been sitting closer than the top balcony, and that the full houses had lasted past the prime of tourist season. Writing this good deserves more than a run of a few months. Updated On: 1/25/05 at 10:21 PM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/26/05 at 12:16am

It's sad when word of mouth isn't enough--I have not heard one person say that they did not like the show. Everyone has raved about it. It's sad.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 1:18am

Saw Gem of the Ocean last night. LOVED it. SO touching. The audience was on their feet before curtain call even began. I am truly tempted to call it a masterpiece. WONDERFUL.