Posted: 1/18/18 at 5:09pm
Previews begin tonight for the world premier of Adrienne Kennedy's play at TFNA. Very excited about this one, so any reports are appreciated.
Updated On: 1/18/18 at 05:09 PM
Posted: 1/18/18 at 6:08pm
Posted: 1/20/18 at 2:40pm
This play runs 45 minutes. At what point will theatre companies realize that an evening of theatre is supposed to last longer than the train ride to get there?
Posted: 1/20/18 at 3:54pm
Posted: 2/5/18 at 8:03pm
I saw it a few weeks ago.
I found it really dull and lifeless. I read Funnyhouse of a Negro and saw it at Signature, and although I didn't love it, I had a lot of respect for it because it was so bold, raw, visceral, and culturally significant. I expected to react similarly to this one - i.e, I expected that if I were to dislike it, it would be because it was TOO bold, TOO risky, TOO over the top. But instead it felt really safe and inert. It was still experimental and Kennedy-ish in the sense that it was told in a very non-literal way, but not in a way that felt exciting or ambitious in this day and age. I ended up being utterly bored throughout.
The play centers around an interracial couple in Jim Crow, which as a premise has been done a lot already. Still, I was ready to root for them. The first scene shows them interacting, and the two actors had a good amount of chemistry. They share a kiss early in the play which I found to have a very palpable, tender passion in it. But I subsequently lost interest entirely because they spend the rest of the play separately narrating their family history to the audience without interacting at all.
It was cohesive enough, and Kennedy probably achieved what she was aiming for, but I found it extremely disappointing. It was only 50 minutes long, but I had the urge to leave halfway through - and I almost never do that.
I can tell a lot of my reaction comes down to personal taste. I absolutely hate plays that consist largely of narration, and in this case it felt particularly irritating because I was so ready to become emotionally invested in the main couple. The production was also chock-full of gratuitous, tasteless projections - another thing I can't abide.
Updated On: 2/5/18 at 08:03 PM
Posted: 2/5/18 at 10:02pm
Posted: 2/5/18 at 11:43pm
There's no shortage of short plays in the world. What on earth happened to curtain raisers? Or maybe pairing it with another play 50 minutes in length?
Several years ago The Goodman did a production of Hughie with Brian Dennehy. It was certainly very well done and I'm glad I went... but it felt sort of inert. And bizarre to be leaving the theater after (what felt like) a VERY long 50 minutes. Several years after that, they did the same production but followed it with Krapp's Last Tape. The evening was marvelous. It felt absolutely shattering.
I really don't understand why folks would spend all that money on parking or transportation for such a short evening. Even if the evening is knock-em, sock-em... I shouldn't be commuting for longer than I'm actually seeing something.
Posted: 2/5/18 at 11:57pm
Some people view short runtimes as a bonus. You get to see a show which, which in theory could be just as impactful, brilliant and life-changing as any full-length play (as your Krapp anecdote proves), and yet you could get home early or even grab dinner after the show. Still, I do also understand the mentality of wanting more for your money.
I was lucky that the night I attended, there was a panel discussion with three black female playwrights discussing their experience in the world of theatre, as well as the impact of Kennedy's work. Not only was this panel discussion far more rich and valuable to me than the show itself, but it was actually about 30 minutes longer! That did make me feel like the trip had been a better use of my time and money.
By the way, since I'm talking about the panel discussion - one little fact I learned is that Adrienne Kennedy's name is pronounced "AH-dri-en" - with the "A" pronounced like in the word "hat" - and not "AY-dri-en" like "hay." I had no idea!
Posted: 2/6/18 at 10:10am
It's not really a money thing. It's the time and effort I'm taking to get to the theater. If something feels like a full evening, I don't care how long it is. I just can't imagine a 40 minute play that feels like a full evening, regardless of its impact. And it would be so easy to present something to with it. Even a lecture. Something. It just seems so odd to ask your audience to schlep if you've just got 40 minutes for us.
Posted: 2/11/18 at 12:21pm
Spoiler question:
Updated On: 2/11/18 at 12:21 PM
Posted: 2/11/18 at 12:22pm
^^Is the spoiler feature working for other people? When looking at this from my desktop, the drop-down isn't working.
Posted: 2/11/18 at 12:25pm
^Dropdown not working for me either. Just looks like plain text.
