Has "actor stays onstage in character during intermission" become more of a thing recently, or is this just a coincidence?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 4:26pm

In the past year, we've seen it in two Robert Icke productions at the Park Ave Armory (Alexandra Hille in Oresteia, Juliet Stevenson in The Doctor) and more famously with Ben Platt in Parade at City Center and Broadway.

I don't recall seeing that happen much prior to this, but three shows indicates a new trend.

What are other older examples of this and have I just missed them?

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 4:42pm

And what is the f@cking point of it? Such a stupid thing to get them to do. No breaks, no rest. As if the audience is wondering WHERE ARE THE ACTORS? when they aren't there during intermission. Awful. 

[Tsao5]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 4:58pm

As far as I know, Old Deuteronomy in CATS was the only time I have experienced this. I am not exactly sure how union rules work in that, I thought every actor had to have an intermission. However, it never made sense that people could actually go on stage and get an autograph from him. I did that when I was a kid, and the actor playing Old Deuteronomy signed his real name.  And there were two stage hands on each side of him. So much for any "illusion". I thought that the whole point of having overgrown set pieces and not seeing the conductor and orchestra was to show a certain size perspective.  Years ago on tour, nobody was allowed on stage during intermission....maybe for insurance reasons?

[Yessica Haircut]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 5:34pm

I can't comment as to how often this has happened or if this is some kind of new trend in the theatre. But, as with any aspect of a production, it's all about what the director is trying to say, how that adds to their vision, and how it compliments the overall experience.

With The Doctor, I feel Robert Icke was trying to convey how isolated and stagnant the doctor's life had become after her big decision at the end of the first act. Since the second act begins at least a day following where the first act ended, the image of her sitting at the table and scrolling on her phone as the lights slowly came up (I spent most of intermission in the lobby area, and by the time I got back to my seat she had temporarily gone backstage) made me imagine that, in the time that had passed, that was pretty much what her days had amounted to.

With Parade, I have to imagine it was Michael Arden wanting to highlight the fact that all eyes are now on Leo. Keeping him onstage, watching him mill about his cell like a caged animal, highlights the image of a trapped and unjustly convicted man. Also, to the point above about "No breaks, no rest" - the night I saw the show, a cast or crew member did at least come onstage to give Ben Platt some water.

It definitely wouldn't work all the time, but if used effectively it can add to the experience.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 5:49pm

Yes, I found it extremely effective in the 3 examples I cited and helps the audience remain engaged through intermission.

[DJD4]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 5:49pm

Yessica Haircut said: "I can't comment as to how often this has happened or if this is some kind of new trend in the theatre. But, as with any aspect of a production, it's all about what the director is trying to say, how that adds to their vision, and how it compliments the overall experience.

WithThe Doctor, I feel Robert Icke was trying to convey how isolated and stagnant the doctor's life had become after her big decision at the end of the first act. Since the second act begins at least a day following where the first act ended, the image of her sitting at the table and scrolling on her phone as the lights slowly came up (I spent most of intermission in the lobby area, and by the time I got back to my seat she had temporarily gone backstage) made me imagine that, in the time that had passed, that was pretty much what her days had amounted to.

WithParade, I have to imagine it was Michael Arden wanting to highlight the fact that all eyes are now on Leo. Keeping him onstage, watching him mill about his cell like a caged animal, highlights the image of a trapped andunjustly convicted man. Also, to the point above about "No breaks, no rest" - the night I saw the show, a cast or crew member did at least come onstage to give Ben Platt some water.

It definitely wouldn't work all the time, but if used effectively it can add to the experience."

From a directing standpoint, I can see why the choice would be made. It certainly helps to maintain the immersion and environment throughout the entire evening. I still can't help but feel like it is kind of gimmicky.

I was in a production of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot", where the actor playing Judas had to stay onstage in his cell during the entire performance, from house open to the final blackout. The poor actor would run offstage during the blackout so he could go to the bathroom before having to run back on for curtain call. I feel like most of the time the audience just went "oh, he's still there" by the time intermission rolled around.

[Dom P]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 5:51pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "In the past year, we've seen it in two Robert Icke productions at the Park Ave Armory (Alexandra Hille in Oresteia, Juliet Stevenson in The Doctor) and more famously with Ben Platt in Parade at City Center and Broadway.

I don't recall seeing that happen much prior to this, but three shows indicates a new trend.

What are other older examples of this and have I just missed them?"

It seems to me this has occurred in the past, but I can't immediately recall where or when.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 6:14pm

Robert Icke's 2015 UK production of The Oresteia (2022 Armory) - and The Doctor beginning in 2019 (2023 Armory) used this concept. He didn't use it for Hamlet. The Oresteia actress was brought water and stayed on stage while the bloody set was cleaned. Stevenson (The Doctor) stays for a bit - leaves - and returns before Act II begins.  Characters in turmoil at end of act stay on stage for audience connection to Act 2.

If anything, Michael Arden copied this smart Icke staple for Parade.

Platt, like Icke does for his cast, was brought water. Platt just sat there - in the same way Icke's cast do.His intermission break is during beginning of Act 2 / "Rumbling' & a rollin etc. "

Updated On: 8/13/23 at 06:14 PM

[Dom P]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 7:06pm

CoffeeBreak said: "Robert Icke's 2015 UK production of The Oresteia (2022 Armory) - and The Doctor beginning in 2019 (2023 Armory) used this concept. He didn't use it for Hamlet. The Oresteia actress was brought water and stayed on stage while the bloody set was cleaned. Stevenson (The Doctor) stays for a bit - leaves - and returns before Act II begins.

If anything, Michael Ardenstole/copiedthis smart Icke staple for Parade.

Platt, like Icke does for his cast, was brought water. Platt just sat there - in the same way Icke's cast do.His intermission break is during beginning of Act 2 / "Rumbling' & a rollin etc. "

Oh please.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 7:10pm

Not intermission, but when I got into the house for A Doll's House earlier this year (about 5-10 minutes before the show), Jessica Chastain was already on the stage.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 7:17pm

I think it’s a silly gimmick. But I feel like it’s also meant for us to be impressed by the actors endurance 

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 8:42pm

The Cyrano with James McAvoy at BAM had almost the entire cast doing simple movements during intermission.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 8:46pm

Yep.  Loved Jamie Lloyd's Cyrano - it was excellent.  The cast did take a break  and came back for the second half of intermission.

 

Updated On: 8/12/23 at 08:46 PM

[JoeW4]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 9:56pm

To me it seems like an extension of the much larger trend of having actors already onstage when the house opens. Someone above mentioned A Doll's House, but I've seen it dozens of times in the past 6-7 years.

It's gotten to the point where I can actually predict it. Because often, in order to spare the actor, they usually wait to open the house until 10-15 minutes before curtain.

Makes for a great parlor trick with my friends; sometimes I'm with a friend in the lobby at 7:50 or whatever, and I'll say to them: "hey, how much you wanna bet that when we go in the house, there will be 1 or more actors already onstage?" and I've always been right (sometimes they hold the house for other reasons, but I can usually tell the difference beforehand)

Updated On: 8/11/23 at 09:56 PM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 10:17pm

I don’t know that the benefit outweighs the cost with stuff like this. I can’t imagine anyone in the audience kept their eyes on Ben Platt for the entire intermission: “Did you see how he moved his elbow? Whaddya think THAT means?!”.

I glanced up, saw the actor-on-stage device happening, felt bad for him, and went back to my Playbill to read about the actors I didn’t know of.

Maybe he enjoyed doing it, but I’d have to imagine most audience members were thinking “Poor guy” and not “What a profound and brilliant idea!”.

Updated On: 8/11/23 at 10:17 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 11:06pm

Actors remaining onstage in some capacity during "Godspell" has long been a tradition, whether they're doing improv games, handing out juice or other things. The last Godspell I did, we turned the stage into a mini Marie's Crisis during a slightly extended intermission: audience members were invited to come up and have a drink, but also request and sing-along some classic show tunes with a few cast members playing piano or other instruments.

We'd usually end the intermission with a slightly-comic melodramatic performance of "If I Can't Love Her," but closing night, a very large section of the audience joined in on the final chorus, which had never happened before. We decided to add one more song to the intermission that night, and did "Anthem." Nearly the whole audience joined in, and the whole cast came out onstage to sing too. It was one of those magical moments you couldn't recreate.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/11/23 at 11:18pm

I have seen it before, once I recall it was at the Atlantic and once on Broadway, but I cannot piece together the shows. In any case, I think it works in the contexts discussed above. It certainly is not being done irrationally. (And no there is no contractual provision.)

I want to say one other thing which is that some here seem to think this is directorial shtick. I can envision situations where the idea originates with the actor, in rehearsal, and I also have seen some actors who do not want to come out of character during the intermission (and that can be challenging backstage). They would welcome it, especially perhaps in an intense play or situation -- such as those mentioned. I think it might seem weirder in some frilly musical.

 

[bowtie7]

Posted: 8/12/23 at 11:04am

Not really a new thing. William Goldman in the book The Season describes how Peter Masterson playing the title character in "The Trail of Lee Harvey Oswald" in 1967 was on stage, silent for 2 hours from house open, through the first act, intermission, most of the second act before having his first (and I assume only) line--a 20 minute monologue. As Goldman writes "Masterson was seated on stage as the audience entered, which was someone's literary notion . . . It sounded logical, but it was miserable for the actor. Sitting and staring out at nothing for hours is hard enough, but doing it on a stool when you have a bad back is no help . . . But that wasn't really what made it hard: what really made it hard was the audience at intermission walking up to Masterson and talking to him and about him as he sat there . . . "Hey get him a lemonade somebody" a third one said."

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/12/23 at 11:18am

The William Goldman example feels like something that makes perfect sense from a story standpoint.

It also made me chuckle because we talk so much about how bad audience behavior has become nowadays. This shows that little last changed in the past 55 years :) 

[ILoveYourPuppies]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 12:54am

I can only speak to when it was done at Parade, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

 

The whole point of Parade 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

is that they are putting on a show.

 

From the first moment of letting Newt Lee go because hanging a Black man wouldn't be sufficient for the crime, to the literal song and dance of the Factory Girls' testimony, to all of the "fun" numbers being the lies about Leo Frank or ignorance of his situation (and when telling the truth or calling for justice in his situation, the mood is killed and/or music stops), to immediately jumping up and celebrating after Leo Frank is convicted, the musical is absolutely clear that the whole "search for justice" is about putting on a show.

 

By having Ben sit on stage for intermission, the musical refuses to allow the audience to remove themselves. Ordinary intermission has the lights come up and people get up, go to the bathroom, talk, do their thing. They are no longer in the magic of the show. But not now. Now, a man has been sentenced to death and is right in front of you. And you can't get close a curtain on him and get 15 minutes of peace - you are forced to be part of the musical. You don't get to ignore the miscarriage of justice for 15 minutes and then resume the musical after a break. You have to live in it, just like he did.

 

You're forced to be part of the spectacle. You don't speak up and save him. You have three possible reactions: 1. You simply watch him wait for his death for a crime he didn't commit, 2. Go about your daily life ignoring the innocent man in front of you, 3. or, worst of all, you take advantage of the innocent man who's been wrongfully convicted (the people taking pictures at the show and/or enjoying the acting, taking pleasure out of a negative situation). 

I have rarely felt more uncomfortable than I did at Parade intermission. It was a brilliant choice.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 1:15am

This is why it's been done in THE ORESTiA & THE DOCTOR etc. prior to PARADE.  Continued audience connection to a character in turmoil.

Updated On: 8/13/23 at 01:15 AM

[Penna2]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 6:26pm

Not relation to a play, but the only time I ever saw a performer stay on stage during an intermission wasn't a play, but a concert...Dick Shawn literally lay down on and took a "nap." Several years later, he actually had a heart attack and died during one of his shows. The audience thought it was part of the act.

Updated On: 8/13/23 at 06:26 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 7:13pm

If an actor can’t shake a character for an intermission let’s not pretend that that is good acting.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 8:41pm

There are some productions where it works, and some where it doesn't, just like any other theatrical conceit.

The most effective use I've seen wasn't intermission, but it was preshow. This was Hedda Gabler at the Public with Elizabeth Marvel. If you didn't see this production, it was done with a stage up front and a walkway surrounding the audience. Cast members could enter and exit from the back of the house. The audience was basically trapped inside with Hedda. Marvel sat onstage, slumped over a piano, occasionally playing some notes as timed ticked by in another day of her life. The house went down but the theatre never fully went dark as the walkway was always lit.

There were some big swings in that production that didn't land for me, but I found the actor onstage before the show conceit to work here.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 9:44pm

trentsketch said: "There are some productions where it works, and some where it doesn't, just like any other theatrical conceit.

The most effective use I've seen wasn't intermission, but it was preshow. This was Hedda Gabler at the Public with Elizabeth Marvel. If you didn't see this production, it was done with a stage up front and a walkway surrounding the audience. Cast members could enter and exit from the back of the house. The audience was basically trapped inside with Hedda. Marvel sat onstage, slumped over a piano, occasionally playing some notes as timed ticked by in another day of her life. The house went down but the theatre never fully went dark as the walkway was always lit.

There were some big swings in that production that didn't land for me, but I found the actor onstage before the show conceit to work here."

 

^That production was at NYTW, I believe - and for those wondering, it was an Ivo Van Hove joint. He did it again with Ruth Wilson in London, which I saw. I believe it was a similar set, and they did the same thing with her at the piano, though there was no walkway (it was at the Lyttelton, which is quite a bit larger than NYTW). Sounds like a cool additional element to the conceit, though!