IMPRESSIONISM thoughts

[scott68]

Posted: 3/10/09 at 10:43pm

Saw Impressionism tonight, and while I won't give a full review, a few thoughts (maybe a few tiny spoilers):

• The play was performed with no intermission. From what I overheard of the usher chatter, I think that was just instated tonight, as they were telling people they couldn't give an official run time.
  
  
• Speaking of the run time, the play began a little after 8:05 or so and let out just a minute or two before ten.
  
  
• After all the talk I've heard of how terrible it would be, I was really, really pleasantly surprised. When I saw that there'd be no intermission, I (cynically) thought it would be so people couldn't walk out, but it definitely worked a lot better than I would have imagined.
  
  
• Joan and Jeremy had a lot of chemistry. I mean, sparks weren't flying offstage, but it worked really well within their characters' relationship.
  
  
• Andre DeShields was hilarious as the bakery owner, but Mr. Sweet Potato was... oof. I don't remember who compared him to Jar Jar Binks, but it wasn't far off.
  
  
• The scene changes were lovely, and the projections were gorgeous, but they could reeeally stand to be tightened up. Especially at the very beginning, with the first "impressions," they were just too long.
  
  
• The script itself isn't anything to write home about, but I absolutely didn't think it was bad by any stretch. The "witty repartee" felt a bit like a rehash of dialogue from an already existing, more sophisticated play, but it definitely gave the actors enough to work with in developing their characters and the relationships among them.

All in all, it was nothing earth-shattering, but definitely a solid, pleasant night at the theater. With the extra time they're taking to tune it up, I wouldn't be surprised if this one comes out in the win column.

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/10/09 at 10:49pm

Oh, NotScott, you give me hope for when I see this in a few days.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 3/11/09 at 12:01am

I was there tonight as well. It definitely wasn't the disaster or near-disaster that it seems to have been last week. I agree with most of what scot68 wrote, but I'd also say that if there'd been an intermission, I think a fair number of people would have left. This is a show that gets better as it goes along. It takes way too long to develop any dramatic interest.

I can see why people like Allen, Irons, and O'Brien might have thought that this wispy play would be lovely onstage, but it really is altogether too wispy. The last scene is the best, but too often it was kind of a dull slog to get there.

It does look beautiful.

What a waste of Marsha Mason. Andre de Shields might manage to get a Tony nomination for his last scene. Overall, I'd have to say someone should take this cast and give them a better play to do.

[scott68]

Posted: 3/17/09 at 3:14pm

Summer Rses, you don't accept private messages, so I figured here was as good a place to respond as any:

I don't have my Playbill on hand, but there is a rich character who comes into the gallery, played by Michael T. Weiss. (He owns one of the paintings that feature in the story, and appears to have been sending Allen's character some mixed signals.)

He's fairly good, but it's literally the smallest role in the entire show, so it's hard to really say HOW good. He doesn't get any great lines, and his presence is really more for Joan Allen to act off of, but he's definitely serviceable in the role.

Hope that answers your question!