LaCageFan's ROCK 'n' ROLL Thoughts...

That's disappointing. I'm looking forward to seeing this.

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Wow ! I'm speechless...

I was thinking of seeing this... YES ...I'll willing to try Tom Shoppard's play one more time ... Though I have questions which may decide my fate in seeing this play.

1. How long is the play?

2. Do you think ..there's a possiblitity this would be nominated for a best new play
(I know its early..) but I wanted to see all the nominated plays.

3. Is this a limited run ?

Thanks

J*

Updated On: 11/2/07 at 12:56 PM

I've only read the play (twice) but am seeing it in two weeks. Let me put it this way, if you're conversant with Charter 77, fascinated by communism in theory versus communism as it was practiced in 1970s/80s Czechoslovakia, know all about the Plastic People of the Universe, were following Margaret Thatcher in the 80s, you'll have a ball!!! And you'll hear a lot of Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground into the bargain.

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I sat through ROCK 'N' ROLL on Friday night, and was bored senseless. There's more drama in the explanatory pamphlet tucked into the program than on that stage. Excruciating.

At a completely indefensible 3 hours and ten minutes, this play is in DIRE need of trimming. A big part of the problem is the interminable scene changes, during which rock music is played and information about the assorted songs is projected on a lowered screen, way too much information, like the name of the song being played, the name of the band playing it, the label that released the album, the studio where the song was recorded and the complete personnel and instrumentation. Did I really need to sit there looking at the words PINK FLOYD projected on a screen for a full minute? Did I really need to be told that Nick Mason played tympani and cymbals on "Welcome To The Machine?"

The play itself is a problem. I was never moved to give a damn about anyone or anything in it. There was the occasional bit of Stoppardian cleverness, as a political bon mot or two were delivered. But I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, and it just plain never did. A shame, as there seem to be a lot of interesting stories to be told about the history of the era. Why on earth Stoppard didn't see fit to tell me any of them is a mystery. Just a lot of back and forth as people describe events that happened offstage.

I wanted my money back, and my three hours and ten minutes back. A disaster. And the assorted critics are going to fall all over it, like they did with the equally useless HISTORY BOYS. I can't wait to read Brantley's inevitable critical fellate on Stoppard in the paper tomorrow.

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You're right of course, Roscoe, Brantly will fall all over himself.

Well, of course, there's nothing to threaten the little drip, no emotion connection, no believable relationships, just pure academia bull doody.

I did love your rant about those endless projections with the inane facts. Musicology 101, at at such a cost!

At one particularly dull point well into the fist act, I looked around me at frozen faces, so bored, people had actually turned to stone.

That Brantley will rave is hardly a surprise considering he gave a rave to the London production (with the same director, designers and principal cast) last year.

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