Madea at BAM- Page 2

[Tom-497]

Posted: 1/17/20 at 11:15pm

I saw Medea last night from an excellent $99 center orchestra seat -- thanks to the previous poster for the code!

The audience mostly seemed to really get caught up in the show -- hardly a cough (or any other noise), and an enthusiastic standing ovation (at least downstairs).

I, myself, liked the performances from Byrne and Cannavale. But the adapted script struck me as a bit bland and even somewhat sentimentalized, especially at the end. Without giving away any details, I would just say that the Medea character in this modern adaptation does something very significant that Euripides' Medea does not do. And that additional action felt, to me, like a way of intentionally squelching some of the most brutal and disturbing aspects of Euripides' play.

[Gwiss]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 12:30am

I caught this during previews last week and came away from the whole experience with a big disappointed 'Meh!". And I really went in wanting to like it but sadly did not. Standing ovation at the performance that I saw. I remained sitting at curtain call but eventually stood along with the rest of the audience, which felt so awkward, because I did not like it the same way as the majority of folks did...but that's just me.  Overall the production did not grab or pull me in on any emotional level at all. There was no urgency and I did not feel invested in the story at all. The bare, blinding, bright white set and video projections were distracting to certain degrees.  Perhaps the problem was the direction but I think it really failed in the adapted script. Performances were fine from the leads but nothing to rave about. Can't help but think of the riveting production of the same story at BAM that starred Fiona Shaw in an absolutely astonishing performance. Unfair to compare the two as they are two separate beasts, but this current adaptation just does not measure up at all. So disappointing.

Updated On: 1/18/20 at 12:30 AM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 1:02am

I'm familiar with Medea but not the real life story of the doctor that was apparently an influence in writing this adaptation. 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 4:04am

Fiona Shaw and the last ten minutes of that show will always be in my mind. Simply astonishing

[Susanswerphone]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 8:09am

The last time I saw Medea was 1973. Irene Papas. Devastating.
This was not that. But, on its own, this is a stunning production, despite the distracting video projections.
Rose Byrne is really quite wonderful. My only real quibble is Dylan Baker. I like him. He just didn't belong here.

[MNNiceorIce]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 4:26pm

How would front row of the balcony off to the side be for two 6'5" gents?  I've heard horror stories about the leg room.  Stairs, I can do but the leg room gives me the shivers.  

Also, any idea on the run time?

[C4b2a3b]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 5:08pm

Tom-497 said: "I saw Medea last night from an excellent $99 center orchestra seat -- thanks to the previous poster for the code!

The audience mostly seemed to really get caught up in the show-- hardly a cough (or any other noise), and an enthusiasticstanding ovation (at least downstairs).

I, myself, liked theperformances from Byrne and Cannavale. But the adapted scriptstruck me as a bit bland and even somewhat sentimentalized, especially at the end. Without giving away any details, I would just say that the Medea character in this modern adaptation does something very significant that Euripides' Medea does not do. And that additional action felt, to me, like a way of intentionallysquelching some of the most brutal and disturbing aspects of Euripides' play."

I agree about the ending - seems like the story could have wrapped up somewhat cleaner. There were a few moments at the end when I thought, "just do it!" The pacing of the play beforehand moved along very well. 

 Visually stunning overall, and I thought Byrne was great. 

Center orchestra G was perfect. 

[C4b2a3b]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 5:10pm

Run time says 1 hour and 20 min on the website, no intermission. This seems pretty accurate when I saw this on 1/14. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/18/20 at 11:05pm

I saw the show this evening. I’m still processing it, and I’m really not a sure how I feel about it.

Much of what Gwiss said (a few posts above mine), rings true for me as well. Though I think I liked it more than you did, Gwiss.

I think the incorporation of the story into a modern relationship actually worked very well. The circumstances that Stone sets up are palpable and believable to me. I was fascinated by the ways in which Anna’s desire to re-incorporate into her family manifested. It makes your skin crawl, but I don’t know if it really makes you feel for her.

However, I found the ending, along with Medea’s final monologue, really powerful, and moving. That was the only point in the show that I really felt struck me in a visceral way. And of course, the whole play is building up to that moment, so in that sense, I guess you could say I found the show effective. Because the payoff was there for me.

But before that...I don’t know. There was something missing for me. The show had my attention the whole time, but until the end I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.

While the set design is certainly very striking, I didn’t feel like it was really used all that well. The actors seemed to me to be a little lost in all the empty space, and some of the blocking just struck me as kind of awkward. I liked the use of the ash, though.

I also didn’t enjoy the way the children were written or acted. I found them really obnoxious, and I don’t think Simon Stone really knows how to direct or write for children.

The whole subplot about the documentary felt a bit forced to me, though I was somewhat intrigued by the idea that these parents are under constant, inescapable watch from their children, evoking the sense of pressure they feel as parents trying to hide their problems from the children. But this worked better as a staging device than it did as an element of the plot.

I ultimately thought Rose Byrne was good overall, but she was a bit inconsistent for me. I thought she did her best work in the more emotional scenes, and also in the scenes where her character was clearly overcompensating and trying to put on calm face. But in the calmer, more naturalistic scenes, I thought she seemed a little ungrounded. It mostly worked, but not in every moment. Bobby Cannavale was just kind of forgettable for me. Not bad, just not very impactful.

I can’t help but think of Mojada - another modern adaptation of Medea that played in NYC this past summer. I found Mojada to be a far more interesting and conceptually consistent adaptation. There was no doubt about what story Luis Alfaro was trying to tell with his adaptation, and the two worlds blended perfectly. That wasn’t totally the case here.

Also, for those wondering if this production lives up the standard of Yerma, not even close. Still, there was a lot that I liked about the production, and I think I need to process it for longer to determine whether the negative outweighed the positive.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 12:15am

So is this play really even “Medea” or is it more or less a new play that has the same general premise and bloody ending? I know it’s an “adaptation” but so are most modern Greek productions (as opposed a translation). I noticed on the website that the characters even have different names.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 12:31am

The Distinctive Baritone said: "So is this play really even “Medea” or is it more or less a new play that has the same general premise and bloody ending? I know it’s an “adaptation” but so are most modern Greek productions (as opposed a translation). I noticed on the website that the characters even have different names."

 

You're correct that with many classical plays that originated in other languages (like the Greeks, Chekhov, Ibsen, etc.) the line between "translation" and "adaptation" is often blurry. But in this case, the play is definitely a true adaptation in the traditional sense. Simon Stone has just chosen to keep the same title as the original, which I think is a slightly odd decision, but whatever. He did the same thing with Yerma.

[Gwiss]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 1:22pm

JBroadway said: "I saw the show this evening. I’m still processing it, and I’m really not a sure how I feel about it.

Much of what Gwiss said (a few posts above mine), rings true for me as well. Though I think I liked it more than you did, Gwiss."

I agree with you JBroadway on so many of your insights after seeing this production. I too thought the falling ash was a nice touch amidst the entire bright white set and how it was used in Byrne's final monologue. Your comments about the children are so spot on too. They were not directed well at all. Another actor that got lost for me was Dylan Baker. He seemed so out of place in the entire production.

Two Medea productions that really impressed me, strictly from an acting/performance standpoint, were with Fiona Shaw at BAM many years ago and more recently National Theatre UK's with Helen McCrory. Those two ladies were absolutely riveting and 150% committed to their roles as Medea that I came away shaken and emotionally engaged by watching them. Very hard to live up to those performances.

With the video projections, I thought they were terrible, especially during scenes where the actors were suppose to be dead and still onstage. Because they were being filmed and projected before the audience in such a massive way, you could see actors twitching and moving in those death scenes which broke the spell and impact for me. 

Overall, this production was dull and poor. Awaiting a remount from Fiona Shaw which will never happen. LOL!

Updated On: 1/19/20 at 01:22 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/19/20 at 4:32pm

I happened to be passing by the theatre again today (just got out of Timon of Athens at TFANA)

There was a sign on the door saying that today’s performance of Medea was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Anyone know what happened?

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:50am

JBroadway said: "I happened to be passing by the theatre again today (just got out of Timon of Athens at TFANA)

There was a sign on the door saying that today’s performance of Medea was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Anyone know what happened?"

Tyler Perry was out sick?

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 10:37am

I also thought this was pretty good, erring on the side of okay. Byrne is giving it her all, she was dazzling in the latter half, and I imagine her performance will find even more modulation and depth as they continue. The play itself lacks substance, but it's high on energy and style. I enjoyed how the sparse white stage becomes more chaotic and cluttered as time goes on, and there are some memorable images for sure. Cannavale was fine, but I just didn't buy him as a scientist.

Worth seeing for Byrne, if not too much else.

[desperateAndee]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:09am

JBroadway said: "I happened to be passing by the theatre again today (just got out of Timon of Athens at TFANA)

There was a sign on the door saying that today’s performance of Medea was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Anyone know what happened?"

Could be because Bobby Cannavale was in LA for the SAG Awards. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:26am

desperateAndee said: "JBroadway said: "I happened to be passing by the theatre again today (just got out of Timon of Athens at TFANA)

There was a sign on the door saying that today’s performance of Medea was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Anyone know what happened?"

Could be because Bobby Cannavale was in LA for the SAG Awards."

 

If Cannavale was, in fact, in LA, then that would explain the cancellation. But that doesn’t sound like “unforeseen circumstances” to me. 

 

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 1:17pm

JBroadway said: "If Cannavale was, in fact, in LA, then that would explain the cancellation. But that doesn’t sound like “unforeseen circumstances” to me."

Exactly... you think they would've seen that coming.

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/28/20 at 8:27am

Ack this was a major disappointment for me. I guess I was spoiled seeing Medea with Fiona twice. Rose did try her best, but something was lacking.Some of the actors are just horrid. The ending could of been different, really no tense building up to the major scene. If they can fix the ending, get some guidance  and get some new actors I would say this show has a chance. 

Updated On: 1/28/20 at 08:27 AM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/28/20 at 1:21pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Fiona Shaw and the last ten minutes of that show will always be in my mind. Simply astonishing"

Funny you mention that.At the performance that I swathe dead child she was cradling started to fidget major. Shaw flawlessly took firm hold of his feet without dropping a beat in her actual performance, and held themfirml, so the audience was not jarred.  I was sitting very  close, so I don't know if the audience as a whole saw it.

I have seen several productions of Medea, including ones with Zoe Caldwell and Diana Rigg.  Both won Tony's, although I have always felt that Rigg won because she had little competition and the show was doing good business because of her name.  Caldwell was incredible as always, but she and the production did not come close to the Warner / Shaw Medea.  I have always felted for Shaw that she opened the same season as Vanessa Redgrave in LDJIN.  She was superb in a season in which an acting colleague gave a performance for theatre history books IMO.

 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 2/1/20 at 4:17pm

I guess going in with low expectations due to this board/Brantley helped, but damn I loved this. I thought Rose was superb and totally disappeared into the character. The whole experience was thrilling, and I actually really loved the projections. The biggest problem is the show just....ends...but it’s Medea, so I’m not sure what else there is to do.

Really, really glad I spent the money/time to see this. If you were a fan of Yerma, I’d definitely recommend this.

Also - there was the sound of a woman hyperventilating this afternoon towards the end of the show. I thought it was a sound effect since none of the ushers seemed particularly interested (although maybe she was in the balcony?) but I’m wondering if it was an actual distressed patron?

[lolo3]

Posted: 2/1/20 at 6:33pm

It was an audience member in the front left orchestra-I could see her. Her date seemed to be trying to calm her. I too thought it was a sound effect at first. I thought Byrne was excellent.

[BenSimpson]

Posted: 2/10/20 at 5:52pm

Got a BroadwayBox offer today with the code BAMBOX that works on some great seats which is nice - excited to check this out.

[holdyourbatboy]

Posted: 2/10/20 at 10:25pm

Loved this production! 

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 2/12/20 at 2:55am

BenSimpson said: "Got a BroadwayBox offer today with the code BAMBOX that works on some great seats which is nice - excited to check this out."

Thanks for posting this, we bought tix for this coming weekend. Still expensive, and SO short a show but we will be there.