Posted: 4/21/16 at 7:44pm
How high is the stage for this production? I have a ticket Row B house left and am wondering if I should try to switch it to sit further back.
Updated On: 4/21/16 at 07:44 PM
Posted: 4/21/16 at 7:47pm
Saw this on twitter - https://twitter.com/PortlandTheatre/status/723263105606647808 - stage looks level with the first row if I'm not mistaken?
Posted: 4/21/16 at 9:14pm
Side front mezzanine would be good.
The stage is not particularly high.
Updated On: 4/21/16 at 09:14 PM
Posted: 4/21/16 at 9:42pm
Thanks Callum_brown1 I searched for some production photos but nothing came up, this picture is very helpful, stage does not appear to high, but it sure does appear to be angled in favor of house left, as several have mentioned.
"Saw this on twitter - https://twitter.com/PortlandTheatre/status/723263105606647808 - stage looks level with the first row if I'm not mistaken?"
Thanks neonlightsxo, my Access10 seat is in the mezzanine, rescheduled to the end of June.
Posted: 4/22/16 at 7:32am
I saw this production last evening on a last minute whim. Around quarter to two I was able to purchase a rush seat, Mezz left, row F just five seats from the aisle, almost center. Great view.
All I can say is that it's a beautiful production with stellar performances. The hours flew by.
Go see it!!
Posted: 4/22/16 at 10:38am
I'm really bummed/concerned about this Lange/House Right issue. I've got a Rear Mezz HIPTIX, E 109. I hope they adjust the staging to open her up a bit.
Updated On: 4/22/16 at 10:38 AM
Posted: 4/22/16 at 11:43am
I didn't really see it as an issue, I think people are making a big deal out of it for nothing.
Posted: 4/22/16 at 11:50am
Good to know, neonlightsxo. Thanks! There's nothing I can do anyway...all the HIPTIX are sold out for that show (and the entire week I'm in NYC). I'm sure it will fine.
Posted: 4/22/16 at 12:59pm
Her back is turned several times for several moments but she does shift. It's nothing too terrible and also keep in mind there are the other actors to look at while they are in the scene.
Posted: 4/22/16 at 1:04pm
Thank you, Sondheimtime, I am aware. I'm excited to see everyone in this cast and it is one of my favorite plays.
Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:20pm
Anyone sat in the Orchestra against the wall (preferable stage right)? Just wondering if sitting there is worth the extra $80 than sitting in a box.
Posted: 4/23/16 at 10:48am
It's a good production of a great play.
But, and please forgive me, I could not get past Jessica Lange's plastic surgery. Her face is so bizarre because of it. It's disturbing. Why do people do that to themselves? Men and women! It took me right out of the play several times. I feel for actors who see their beauty fading, but there's great beauty in aging as well.
Just my two cents.
Posted: 4/23/16 at 11:09am
Callum_brown1 said: "Anyone sat in the Orchestra against the wall (preferable stage right)? Just wondering if sitting there is worth the extra $80 than sitting in a box.
"
I sat one seat off from the wall (stage right/orchestra left), row F, and I thought it was an absolutely perfect seat.
Posted: 4/23/16 at 6:08pm
JudyDenmark said: "Callum_brown1 said: "Anyone sat in the Orchestra against the wall (preferable stage right)? Just wondering if sitting there is worth the extra $80 than sitting in a box.
"
I sat one seat off from the wall (stage right/orchestra left), row F, and I thought it was an absolutely perfect seat.
"
Oh wow, excellent! Could you see the staircase okay too?
Posted: 4/24/16 at 6:20pm
Lange is transcendent. Michael Shannon comes closest to her level. He makes some big choices in that last Act, and they pay off. Gallagher Jr. seemed terribly miscast. And Byrne had several nice moments, but for some reason it never clicked. I kept wondering what Brian Dennehy had done in that moment.
Updated On: 4/24/16 at 06:20 PM
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:04am
"Gallagher Jr. seemed terribly miscast."
I'm genuinely confused what you mean by this. As far as type goes, he's ideal for Edmund. It's fine if you mean you didn't like his performance, but please explain?
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:17am
neonlightsxo said: "I didn't really see it as an issue, I think people are making a big deal out of it for nothing.
Agreed 100%. Not an issue, unless your sole purpose of seeing the show is to stare at JL's face for four hours (which it shouldn't be).
Updated On: 4/25/16 at 09:17 AM
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:28am
It's an issue if you consider one's facial expressions to be part of the performance they are giving. Which, of course, they are.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:37am
Fair. But there are plenty of times the other actors have their backs turned, and no one seems to take any issue with that.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:39am
east side story, for what it's worth I preferred Byrne to Dennehy, who I perhaps saw on an off night. Byrne might not have been helped in the final act here by playing opposite an Edmund who seemed healthier than he had been at any other point in the evening.
neonlightsxo, miscast is not the word I would have used, and I can not speak for east side story, but in a play where each character's state escalates throughout the evening he becomes oddly muted and a bit bland in the final act. It is as though once the fact of Edmund's consumption is established he no longer needs to show a sign of it. Edmund's memories of his escapes at sea, related so strongly to his father and brother's escapes via alcohol and his mother's via morphine, lose much of their poignancy in Gallagher's hands. I did not question his performance prior to this scene and hope he gets to a deeper place as the run progresses.
Updated On: 4/25/16 at 09:39 AM
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:39am
The degree to which Lange's back is turned to that side of the house is what makes it an issue. Of course, during a performance, an actor faces in many different directions that may momentarily obstruct her face or show her in profile to a certain section of the house. Lange spends about 75% of her performance with her back to house right. That's a huge amount that none of the other actors come close to approaching.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:49am
I agree entirely, Larry. I'm coming over from London to see this show (Lange in particular), and for need of a better phrase, I'll want to see the more acting for my buck - in this case Lange.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 9:51am
Personally I think Gallagher's performance is completely justified by the text, but OK. We can agree to disagree.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 11:00am
neonlightsxo said: ""Gallagher Jr. seemed terribly miscast."
I'm genuinely confused what you mean by this. As far as type goes, he's ideal for Edmund. It's fine if you mean you didn't like his performance, but please explain?
"
The notion that John is ideal in type for the role does not mean he can pull it off. For the record, he doesn't. He seemed lost on stage, especially in the last act. I've enjoyed him in other projects in the past, but I had my reservations as soon as his casting was announced. He just doesn't have the chops for the piece. Michael Shannon was acting circles around him. And Byrne, who also left much to be desired, delivered a performance that was not the least bit memorable. The production is worth seeing just for Lange and Shannon. Jessica has never been so perfect, even if she is appearing in a good production of a brilliant play.
Posted: 4/25/16 at 11:05am
The way you present your opinion as fact is a little baffling, so I'm not going to argue with you further, but I've seen this production twice now and disagree with you on nearly even level, the least of which being that Jessica's performance definitely misses the mark for me. But OK.
