Posted: 11/28/17 at 9:30pm
TheatreRocks said: "I thought it was penomenal. What a shame its closing."
Yay, finally someone agrees with me!
Posted: 11/28/17 at 9:49pm
Posted: 11/28/17 at 10:02pm
*slow chant* Hadestown! Hadestown! Hadestown!!
Posted: 11/28/17 at 10:38pm
Posted: 11/28/17 at 10:45pm
I just re-read the original play. Why anyone felt the need to revisit the script, to overly parse and re-frame the 2017 implications of the text (even if the nod is to the basis for the story) is odd. The play was a product of its time, and a new production might've worked better without so much over-thinking. In the final analysis, the text was not improved, an issue that no one wants to acknowledge in the critiques.
However successful the looming revival of Boys in the Band is, no doubt it will be an honest recreation of what was provocative and on its own terms truthful decades ago. All of this messin' with the original stuff -- I'm with Marsha Norman. A play is not only a product of its time, but also a product of its author's mindset at a given ime. Going back, making changes, sorry, seldom helps. It didn't with this play.
Posted: 11/28/17 at 10:45pm
I just re-read the original play. Why anyone felt the need to revisit the script, to overly parse and re-frame the 2017 implications of the text (even if the nod is to the basis for the story) is odd. The play was a product of its time, and a new production might've worked better without so much over-thinking. In the final analysis, the text was not improved, an issue that no one wants to acknowledge in the critiques.
However successful the looming revival of Boys in the Band is, no doubt it will be an honest recreation of what was provocative and on its own terms truthful decades ago. All of this messin' with the original stuff -- I'm with Marsha Norman. A play is not only a product of its time, but also a product of its author's mindset at a given ime. Going back, making changes, sorry, seldom helps. It didn't with this play.
Posted: 11/28/17 at 11:16pm
Crap. I was hoping it would run until my trip to New York in March. I knew it was unlikely, but I can dream.
Posted: 11/28/17 at 11:16pm
Crap. I was hoping it would run until my trip to New York in March. I knew it was unlikely, but I can dream.
Posted: 11/29/17 at 9:00am
I agree it's odd (but not surprising) everyone is putting sole blame on Taymor. I happen to think the least successful elements of the evening were how clunkily the reframing of gender happens in this new version (I'm really a woman, playing a man, playing a woman, hello, nice to meet you).
That said, I firmly do not believe you can do the original gender surprise ending in 2017. Our understanding of gender has changed too much and frankly, it would feel exploitative. I'm sure some here will dismiss that as being to PC, but Hwang happens to agree. Sadly, though, I don't think the execution of those changes work well.
Posted: 11/29/17 at 9:13am
I agree with the comments on the script. The original piece had a shock factor and an openly stated thesis on East/West relations. It had more to say than 1992's The Crying Game but could be lumped into the same category. Now it's a period piece on a theme that has been covered with nuance since.
Posted: 11/29/17 at 9:33am
Posted: 11/29/17 at 11:55am
I saw this production last week. I have seen the opera Madame Butterfly and have also seen Miss Saigon so I'm familiar with those stories. M. Butterfuly (to my ignorance) I actually never heard of.
I had a happy hour tinder date before going to see the show and unfortunately arrived 7 mins late so I missed the first scene --- and now I'm glad I missed that first scene! When I entered the theater, Jin Ha was performing as Cio Cio San in Madame Butterfly. I sat in rear side orchestra but I still thought my view was great. I was shocked and surprised with what happened in Act 2 mainly because I missed that first scene. Or maybe it was because my view was not that close? Either way, I liked this production from that one time I saw it but who knows maybe my opinion may change if I actually saw the play from the beginning.
Posted: 12/1/17 at 3:20am
I'm seeing this on the closing day after the Miss Saigon matinee. Could be an interesting day.
Posted: 12/2/17 at 12:00am
Alex Kulak2 said: "Crap. I was hoping it would run until my trip to New York in March. I knew it was unlikely, but I can dream."
But it was always called a strictly limited engagement scheduled to close in late February?
Posted: 12/12/17 at 1:15pm
http://www.playbill.com/article/julie-taymor-m-butterfly-revival-starring-clive-owen-moves-up-broadway-closing-date
Update: The production will now close this Sunday.
Posted: 12/12/17 at 1:23pm
Who knew that this was going to flop so very badly?
Posted: 12/12/17 at 2:42pm
