Hello, all! I was there last night, on stage, and it was QUITE the experience. There are 44 on-stage seats for audience members; four rows on stage right and four rows on stage left, with a fifth row at the top only for cast members. Two seats on each side of the front row were each also for cast members, and cast members utilized the staircases throughout the performance as well. It was completely unlike sitting on stage in SPRING AWAKENING, in which the audience members are seated to the side facing one another from opposite sides of the stage. Here, I was stage left, in the third row, in the aisle seat on the left. When I arrived to the theatre I was directed up onto the stage and there were lockers back stage, similar to those back stage at SPRING AWAKENING, where you were told to turn off your cell phone and place all possessions in your designated locker (for example, I was in seat CC 16 and my locker was labeled as such). I walked up the staircase and sat in my seat and was quite amazed at what I saw before me. Unlike in SPRING AWAKENING, you are directly facing the entire audience throughout the whole show. I could see the entire house clearly, from the orchestra to the top of the balcony. The theatre was FILLED. For those of you wondering about standing room, the entire standing room section was filled. I immediately noted Doug Hughes sitting in the last row of the center orchestra, aisle seat, audience left.
This was my first exposure to INHERIT THE WIND. From the perspective of sitting on stage, the experience was enchanting. To see Christopher Plummer doing what he was doing directly before my eyes was absolutely surreal. He was PHENOMENAL. Completely committed both on stage and off. When the actors enter and exit the stage, the on stage audience members can see everything going on back stage, so the actors have been directed to remain in character and continue their performance to and from the point they emerge from behind the lockers, out of the audience's view.
About 15 minutes before the performance begins, a band of five enters, walks to the top center of the stairs and starts strumming their bangos and guitars, singing some wonderful old school style songs. This was terrific and really helped the audience adjust to the time period. They continued to sing songs, earning applause after each number, until about 8:05 when the house lights were dimmed. The band leader announced something along the lines of "Welcome to the Lyceum Theatre. Please turn off your cell phones at this time, unwrap any candy, and I heard some sniffling and a little coughing out there, so I hope you're all startin' to feel a little better now, and enjoy the show."
I lean mostly with WithoutATrace's feelings on the production. It was stunning. Plummer gave a beginning-to-end tour de force, and I do agree that he was indeed the star of the show. I was underwhelmed by Brian Dennehy's performance. I felt that he sleep walked through the whole show. Yes, he was great as Brian Dennehy is a great actor, but most of what I saw up there was Brian Dennehy giving a fine, generic performance. Not once did I see him make a choice that would help define his character or make him unique. It was simply Brian Dennehy giving a great public speech. And up against Plummer's fine tuned, specific performance, Dennehy paled in comparison. Not for one moment did Dennehy convince me that his character believed what he is supposed to be so adament about. Considering that this was the first performance and that Dennehy is not only a stage veteran but a legend, I see no excuse for a performance that seemed as though it was taking place toward the end of a long, tired run.
I disagree greatly with LaCageAuxFollesFan2 on Maggie Lacey's performance. Her performance was committed and ultimately heartbreaking. She constantly kept the audience's attention and portrayed Rachel's arc in what was easily one of the most naturalistic performances of the evening. I saw her Broadway debut as Emily Webb in OUR TOWN a few years ago, and not only does she live up to what was a pitch perfect performance in a classic role, but she shows a great growth in the depth she instills in her character. Her performance here in INHERIT THE WIND is absolutely stunning.
A few more notes on sitting on stage:
You need to listen very carefully at some moments, as I did have trouble understanding dialogue now and then. The actors are obviously mostly projecting toward the audience, but, in the trial scenes, the judge is located upstage in between the two sets of on-stage seating, so at times the actors do direct their words toward him. The ensemble surrounds you at many moments and becomes a part of the group of spectators at the trial, or whatever group the on-stage audience members serve as at the given moment. The ensemble members react to a lot of what it being said down below and it is quite interesting to feel as though you are a part of what is going on.
One more note:
Denis O'Hare was fantastic. Let me say this. I saw him in TAKE ME OUT and have seen every show he has been in since. Yes, he does have his "O'Hare-isms" that he incorporates into all of his roles, but, he never fails to make each character stand on its own. What I saw last night was completely different than anything else I've seen from him in the past. O'Hare is one of those performers, like Patti LuPone for example, who tends to always give a variation of the same performance no matter what role he is playing. Many people say "Patti is playing Patti" often, which I tend to agree with. To that, I say we embrace the brilliance of the variations of "Patti as Patti" or "Denis as Denis" and so on. Mr. O'Hare is a fine stage actor, and he has yet to give a tired performance. I have come to look forward to seeing him in new roles, and his portrayal of the wise-guy reporter in 1925 here is certainly one of his most unique.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Updated On: 3/22/07 at 02:58 PM
