MargoChanning's Best of 2005 — Page 3

99.9% of the time there really is no reason for me to see a show a second time. My opinion almost never changes. I tend to absorb theatre like a sponge down to the tiniest details, so more often than not I get a bit bored during a second viewing. I saw PIAZZA twice and walked away with the same opinion both times.

However, sometimes shows themselves change over the course of a run -- especially from early previews to post opening, so it's worth returning. I saw SPELLING BEE the the first week of previews at Second Stage and while I loved a lot of it, there were clear book and structural problems (plus some staging issues) which I pointed out in my review. I made a point of returning after the show was frozen and was quite gratified that every problem I saw before had been fixed and the show ran like a dream.

The same thing happened with CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. I saw the 3rd or 4th preview at The Public and posted that I thought that there was a brilliant show in there waiting to emerge, but certain changes needed to happen by opening (and I listed off the problems in detail and suggested a few fixes -- much later I found out that Kushner, Tesori and the creative team actually saw a print out of my post). In fact, a new version of "Lot's Wife" had gone into the show that night -- so new that Pinkins sang it at that performance to a spare piano accompaniment. When I returned a few weeks later, nearly every problem had been fixed and the show had become the masterpiece I had predicted it could become.

I also returned to see SWEENEY a second time. While Doyle had made several cuts and alterations, changed some blocking and clarified some of the staging, my opinion of the overall show was unchanged. Same with DOUBT. I saw the first preview of it at MTC and much later returned to see it on Broadway and my opinion was the same -- a well-acted, well-constructed, well-made play, but hardly the modern masterpiece everyone was claiming it to be.

There were shows like A CHORUS LINE and DREAMGIRLS that are master classes on the art of the musical theatre which I saw repeatedly in order to bask in the joy and accomplishment on that stage. Sometimes I go back to get a second look at a truly great performance (Elaine Stritch, Uta Hagen, Vanessa Redgrave). And there have been very very rare shows like ANGELS IN AMERICA and certain Sondheim shows which are so dense and complex and brilliant that I returned to several times to make sure I had fully appreciated every aspect of the work and was rewarded time after time when I was able to discover new layers of genius.

Unfortunately, only a handful of shows posses that kind of depth and richness and expertise. The vast majority of shows I "get" in a single sitting and I have no interest in seeing them again, whether I thought they were good or bad. Very few shows can hold up to my repeated scrutiny and my opinion of given show will typically lessen with a second, or god forbid, third viewing (I often notice small flaws and inconsistencies I didn't see the first time).

So, more often then not, unless there have been significant changes, I'm much better off NOT seeing a show a second time.

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Nice to see special mention of James Yaegashi's performance in Appian Way. I think we're going to see more from this very talented young man in the future.

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"It's about time the piano realized it has not written the concerto."

Amen.


Addison De Witt
New York, New York

Updated On: 1/7/06 at 10:39 PM

Who?

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Once again, Miz Margo proves to be ten times more erudite and informed than most New York theatre critics. Crazy 'bout the theatre, that gal is.

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I was suprised to see Gabriel Byrne omitted from your list. I found his performance in Touch of the Poet so deeply affecting.

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No See What I Wanna See?

I saw that. But there was no other mention, so I was wondering what his thoughts were on the show as a whole.

Thanks, Margo.

A Play Performance List I came up with a while back -- I'm sure I've unintentionally omitted several and I apologize to those performers:

Elizabeth Ashley, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Ashley, Geraldine Page and Amanda Plummer, AGNES OF GOD
Zoe Caldwell, MEDEA
Zoe Caldwell & Jason Robards, A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Vanessa Redgrave, A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
Vanessa Redgrave, ORPHEUS DESCENDING
Uta Hagen, COLECTED STORIES
Uta Hagen, MRS. KLEIN
Julie Harris, THE BELLE OF AMHERST
Stephen Spinella, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeffrey Wright and Kathleen Chalfant, ANGELS IN AMERICA
Kathleen Chalfant, WIT
Rosemary Harris and George Grizzard, A DELCIATE BALANCE
Charles Dutton, THE PIANO LESSON
S. Epatha merkerson, THE PIANO LESSON
s. Epatha Merkerson, F*CKING A
Ian McKellan, AMADEUS
Ian McKellan, ACTING SHKESPEARE
Maggie Smith, LETTICE AND LOVAGE
Alan Bates, FORTUNE'S FOOL
Judi Dench, AMY'S VIEW
Charles Ludlam and Everett Quinton, THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP
Trazana Beverly, FOR COLORED GIRLS
Al Pacino, JJ Johnston and James Hayden, AMERICAN BUFFALO
John Kani and Winston Ntshona, THE ISLAND
James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer, OTHELLO
Christohpher Plummer, KING LEAR
James Earl Jones, FENCES
Tandy and Cronyn, THE GIN GAME
Swoosie Kurtz, John Mahoney and Christine Baranski, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES
Maureen Stapleton, THE LITTLE FOXES
Harvey Fierstein, TORCH SONG TRILOGY
Stephen Dillane, THE REAL THING
Joe Mantegna, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
Lily Tomlin, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
John Malkovich, BURN THIS
Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
Mark Ruffalo, THIS IS OUR YOUTH
Eileen Heckart, THE WAVERLY GALLERY
J. Smith-Cameron, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN
Janet McTeer, A DOLL'S HOUSE
Bette Bourne, RESIDENT ALIEN
Cherry Jones in THE HEIRESS
Cherry Jones, DOUBT
Brian F. O'Byrne, DOUBT
Brian F. O'Byrne, FROZEN
Adriane Lenox, DOUBT
Jefferson Mays, I AM MY OWN WIFE
Viola Davis, KING HEDLEY II
Keith Nobbs, FOUR
Dallas Roberts, NOCTURNE
Dallas Roberts, A NUMBER
Simon Russell Beale, JUMPERS
Judy Kaye, SOUVENIR
Lois Smith, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL
Julie White, THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
Kristin Nielsen, MISS WITHERSPOON

Some of the Musical Performances I remember fondly:

Jennifer Holliday, DREAMGIRLS
Jennifer Holliday, SING MAHALIA, SING! (on the road)
Jennifer Holliday, HARLEM SUITE (on the road)
Julia McGirt, DREAMGIRLS
Sharon Brown, DREAMGIRLS
Cleavant Derricks DREAMGIRLS
Loretta Devine, DREAMGIRLS
Raul Julia, NINE
Anita Morris, NINE
Donna McKechnie, A CHORUS LINE
Donna McKechnie, FOLLIES
Ann Miller, FOLLIES
Sammy Williams, A CHORUS LINE
Kelly Bishop, A CHORUS LINE
Ann Reinking, A CHORUS LINE
Ann Reinking, DANCIN'
Angela Lansbury, SWEENEY TODD
George Hearn, SWEENEY TODD
Patti LuPone, EVITA
Lena Horne, LENA HORNE: THE LADY AND HER MUSIC
Richard Kiley, MAN OF LA MANCHA
Zero Mostel, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Nell Carter, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
Kevin Kline, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
George Rose, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Bernadette Peters, SONG & DANCE
Bernadette Peters, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Mandy Patinkin, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Tyne Daly, GYPSY
Gregory Hines, JELLY'S LAST JAM
Brent Carver, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
Chita Rivera, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
Donna Murphy, PASSION
Julie Andrews, VICTOR/VICTORIA
Natasha Richardson, CABARET
Nathan Lane, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Nathan Lane, THE PRODUCERS
Lauren Ward, VIOLET
Michael McElroy, VIOLET
Harvey Fierstein, HAIRSPRAY
Antonia Banderas, NINE
John Cameron Mitchell, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Hugh Jackman, THE BOY FROM OZ
Mary Testa, FIRST LADY SUITE
Elaine Stritch, AT LIBERTY

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Updated On: 2/2/06 at 07:57 PM

Margo, here's to 2006!

I eagerly await each and every one of your reviews!

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aaaaaaaaand again, never saw any of those performances... but i'm still gonna enjoy the fact i saw a show you didnt



EDIT: WAIT!!!! I SAW HARVEY!!! NEVERMIND!!!

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Updated On: 1/9/06 at 01:04 AM