Intermissionless Shows- Page 3

[choitoy]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 1:20pm

I don't know about everybody else, but both my sister and I seem to have our bladders give out around the 1 hour mark for everything: plays, musicals, movies. We try to minimize this by not drinking too much before we see something, and by going to the restroom about 10 minutes before a show starts, but we still both get hit. So I do appreciate an intermission whenever possible.
Though I do agree that some shows, if they are so structured, should stay intermissionless (the recent Follies I would have loved to see imtermissionless. I remember the momentum of the show being just crazy when I saw in eons ago in Seattle when it was performed without an intermission, but the recent revival seemed to suck that right out with the break).

The funny thing is, I think my brain/bladder is now trained to be this way, as I gan go through a marathon session of "World of Warcrack" on the computer, and not go to the bathroom for 4 hours...

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 4:59pm

I am sure am glad that Gatz had a intermission.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 5:15pm

"The funny thing is, I think my brain/bladder is now trained to be this way, as I gan go through a marathon session of "World of Warcrack" on the computer, and not go to the bathroom for 4 hours..."

I think I have some of the same problem, actually. Ever since I was 11 or so and remember spending the last twenty minutes or so of Act I of Les Miz so distracted by how badly I had to go to the bathroom, it seems built into my system that it'll happen again. LOL. Although honestly, though I am paranoid enough that I always run to the bathroom 5 minutes before a show starts (which, granted, is often easier for men than for women where there always seems to be a line), it's only been an issue once before, and that was at a production of Don Giovanni where they only had one intermission, and I swear Act I went on for 2 and a half hours. It probably didn't help that I was on a date with someone I barely knew, and had a fair amount of wine to drink at dinner just before... And yet, I can go through a work day never using the facilities once...

(This was prob all TMI)

Comden, I agree with your point that intermission does feel like part of the experience to me--I love Act I finales (well, good ones), the openings of Act II, getting to talk about the show and hear the chatter at intermission, etc...

Although I would say to your 2 hour comment that a lot of intermissionless shows run at least that long--Follies would probably approach the 2 and a half hour mark. A Chorus Line runs about 2hrs and 10 mins I believe. The uncut copy of that Pippin video floating around has curtain at the 2hrs and 20 mins mark. Passion, of course is under 2 hours--and it was originally planned on being a double bill with Muscle, but part of the reason was they believed Passion was still a bit too long (plus Sondheim seemed to think he was wrong for Muscle, after composing some songs, and it may be hard to find something to pair an intense show like Passion with anyway).

As a big Tennessee Williams' fan, it's always interested me that his most famous one act, Suddenly, Last Summer, premiered of course as a double bill, titled Garden District, with the much shorter Something Unspoken as the opener, but yet I don't think any major production has done it that way since. While it's not as long as Williams' more typically (for the time) structured three act plays, it does still run a bit over 2 hours on stage I seem to remember (I saw the terrific Diana Rigg production in London, but it was a long time ago now).

[After Eight]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 9:01pm

"As a big Tennessee Williams' fan, it's always interested me that his most famous one act, Suddenly, Last Summer, premiered of course as a double bill, titled Garden District, with the much shorter Something Unspoken as the opener, but yet I don't think any major production has done it that way since."

Both plays, as Garden District, were revived at Circle in the Square in 1995. Myra Carter was in the first, and Elizabeth Ashley in the second. Both were excellent.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 9:04pm

This past year we saw Relatively Speaking with three different one acts with three different authors.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 12:31am

AfterEight, thanks! I hadn't heard about that revival, but I'm glad they paired them up again. I think one actually does set up--at least atmospherically--the other.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 2:04am

Eric, your openness is appreciated. Reminds me of a 2nd national tour performance of The Phantom of the Opera at which I felt the call of nature just as Christine finished warbling "Think of Me."

That's really early in the first act and I actually worried a LOT that I'd eventually have to leave before the act was over or I'd surely take a wizz in my pants.

Might seem like a non-issue to most, who'd wonder what the big deal is when missing a couple of minutes of a show to find comfort seems like the biggest consequence of it all. I've wondered that myself and all I could say is missing even a minute of any show leaves me feeling as if I can't claim to have seen a whole performance.

I know. It's odd and downright nit-picky. But it's also very true and it actually made me wait until intermission at that one Phantom performance. I have never mouthed so many curse words at poor Christine and Raoul for warbling their 1st act closer loveditty slowly for what seemed like an eternity. When ya gotta go, you gotta go!! XD

Thankfully, that hasn't happened again since. But it did make me somewhat worried it would happen again for the next several shows I saw, enough to ensure I wouldn't gulp an ounce of anything a few hours prior to the performance.

As for intermission/less shows, saw an excellent production of A Chorus Line years ago presented by Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities (one of the best I've ever seen, actually) and I was appalled upon seeing "Intermission" printed between "Hello Twelve..." and "Dance 10, Looks 3" in the program. I truly thought it would be awkward and completely disrupt the flow of the show.

Well, it wasn't an asset to the production but it didn't make it less than all other productions of the show that presented it as it was meant to be presented without an intermission, nor did it ruin it in any way. Yes, the flow was abruptly halted but I must say the picking up at "Dance 10, Looks 3" worked well and did not feel awkward at all.

I don't usually stray and use elements outside the piece to explain away choices not to my liking, but I'll make an exception this time and say it was probably unavoidable due to their average patron being well in their golden years and all the ahem...benefits that has on aging bladders. I sat front row for that performance so had no noggins to see in front of me but before the show and at intermission, I swear the auditorium was filled with a sea of white heads. So, the addition of an intermission there was probably a wise choice.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 2:19am

Ha! My Oh My--that was *exactly* my experience. There was a good 25 minutes left, I knew, so it was fairly excruciating. There's also the thing that theatres have different policies about letting you leave and come back. I get that, honestly--I find it annoying when others do, myself (although if they clearly are trying to disturb as few people as possible, they have my sympathy). I know at the opera--at least at that SOOO long Don Giovanni, they don't let you come back at any point during the act--you have to wait till intermission, sitting in the lobby, while the ushers prepare for intermission, embarassingly watching the show on a monitor. I think with most Broadway shows, they have enough decent parts where they'll rush you back in, but it seems to depend not only on the show, but the theatre.

Getting the urge at Think of Me would be pretty horrible--and I know the feeling of instead of enjoying the show, you just hope they'll skip a few verses, or scenes and get on with it... (Of course, I've had that experience with some shows when I haven't had to go, as well).

I've heard stories of some productions inserting intermissions (apparently) partly due to the usual make up of their audience. I suppose that makes sense. While I still don't like the idea of A Chorus Line with an intermission, where you say they placed it seems to me to be the only somewhat decent option.

(I'm sure the performers didn't mind an intermission... In the excellent memoir/scrapbook about the history of A Chorus Line--The Longest Line, there's a lot of talk about how much cocaine went on with the cast that by the early 80s, Equity came in and had to speak to them and offer huge penalties. I'm sure this went on on tons of other shows--I know that there are tons of stories about how much cocaine use was rampent with the cast of the New York based soap All My Children in the early 80s--but I simply can't imagine doing a hit of cocaine at the open of the show, and then slowly coming off that hit for the next 2 hours, while still trying to carry on the energy...)

In the excell

[After Eight]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 7:40am

"Eric, your openness is appreciated. "

Not by me. A little seemliness would be more appreciated.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 7:45am

Eric, Americans don't talk about pee, okay?

"I'm just from Philadelphia, you know?

I mean, we believe in God, so -- okay?"

- After Eight

[My Oh My]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 7:59am

That's aiight, After Eight. I'll settle for agreeing to disagree. =)

[temms]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 9:30am

I have to say, I have never seen a "Chorus Line" that did not put an intermission after "Hello Twelve". Then they repeat the "And now life really begins" as the second act opening.

I've heard of other productions that put the intermission where Zack sends everyone off and tells Cassie to stay, then the second act starts with their scene and "Music And The Mirror". But I've never seen a production played straight through.

Most "Once On This Island"s I've seen also add an intermission, which is devastating to that piece. It's usually after "Mama Will Provide" with "Some Say" as the Second Act opener. That makes for about a 40 minute first act, which seems very slight and destroys any momentum. And it's not like that show is long at all, they just need to sell drinks and hawk merch.

[raker]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 5:51pm

The must-pee shows of the season.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/31/12 at 6:33pm

Unlike Americans, Canadians are far from seemly. Particularly on forums. (Facty x) In fact I've heard it told that American theatres nowadays don't bother with their public washrooms--they let the chorus boys change there--that's one reason why they now allow those discreet (and seemly) sippy cups to be brought with you back to your seat.