Intermission....nice break or huge distraction

It totally depends on the show. I could not imagine a show like "The Iceman Cometh" without intermissions.

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usually a huge distraction, but not always.

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I agree, it completely depends on the show. Authors write their works with this format in mind, knowing that the audience will have a breath before diving into the story again.

I actually like intermissions (when they are planned and written in, and not slapped onto shows like ACL or 1776 after the fact), particularly with longer plays or musicals. It gives me a chance to pee, for one, but also to discuss the show with friends.

Part of my love of theatre is the communal and social experience of sharing it with others.

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Updated On: 8/2/06 at 04:01 PM

You lost me when you said A Chorus Line really doesn't have a story...

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In many plays, it serves the function of emphasizing the passage of time and so can work very well when the opening scene of Act II takes place the next day, week, months or years after the final scene in Act I. In the converse I've seen it hurt some shows where Act I had built to an exciting climax and intermission has been awkwardly placed into the middle of a scene. Sometimes it takes the play and the actors a while to build the scene back to that same point of intensity again.

And in the case of epic plays such as ANGELS IN AMERICA or certain classics by Shakespeare and others, intervals are simply a pragmatic necessity to allow the audience a break to take in what they've seen and prepare themselves for what is yet to come in the story. Many shorter contemprary plays don't need them, though, and the break actually hurts the overall momentum of the piece.

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There's not supposed to be an intermission in ACL and the original Broadway production and national and international tours of it didn't have one (and the upcoming revival won't either). Some amateur and regional productions have been known to insert one into the show unfortunately.

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Updated On: 8/2/06 at 04:11 PM

no i said RENT did and ACL didnt.....i said i just found that ironic

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im sorry i meant to put "didn't have"

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I find intermissions a nice break usually. Especially with my bladder the size of a teaspoon and all. However, I find in shows like Spelling Bee and Drowsy they'd be a distraction.

It is often a much needed respite for the audience. Also a chance to leave when the subject matter is offesive.

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"I don't get the irony"

its seems it would make more sence to have an intermission in a show that didnt have as much of a intense story.....such as ACL.....but they put it in shows like RENT where it does have a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and intermission really causes a distraction to it

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"its seems it would make more sence to have an intermission in a show that didnt have as much of a intense story.....such as ACL.....but they put it in shows like RENT where it does have a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and intermission really causes a distraction to it"

That doesn't make much sense. ACL was originally written without an intermission. If you were to put an intermission in there the story wouldn't flow as well. The intermission that "was just shoved in there" for RENT was to indicate a passage of time.

Or that's what I've always thought.