#1
Posted: 6/13/10 at 12:11am
Hey guys- just got back from the 1st preview of Merchant of Venice. Here's some thoughts:
LINE: Got there at 5:45 AM and was about 150 people back in line. Ended up getting tickets, but they were the back row. Luckily it was the center, so I think it was still a great seat. But really, there are only a few crappy seats in the Delacorte anyway. Totally sold out- not an empty seat in the house, and when I walked in there was a significant standby line.
AUDIENCE: Seemed to be many corporate sponsors and such there- people I didn't recognize from the line. Nearly the entire middle first rows seemed to be them. Amazingly enough though, among these peeps was a NY representative, borough chief and CHEVY CHASE. Sporting a baseball hat and a wonderful attitude- mingled and joked through intermission. Seemed like a great guy.
SHOW: Most depressing comedy ever. This is my first time actually seeing MoV, so I don't have much to compare it to. The set is very industrial- cages and an iron staircase. Big change from last year's magical tone. But still I think the Victorian era concept worked well and later in the show some mystical elements came into play. I was amazed at the flexibility of the design. Cool surprise set-wise late in the 2nd act.
Al Pacino was absolutely amazing- I'd compare his character here a lot to Roy Coehn in Angels in America the miniseries. The second act dragged a bit at the end once he left for the show. A very physical performance on his part- his best scene actually had no words: the baptism. (No Godfather jokes, please!) I was worried the whole show that he was aging so poorly- hunch, semi-limp, fragility... but then he leaped onstage for the bow and I realized I had been played.
Jesse L. Martin was very humorous, Jesse Tyler Ferguson was also funny, but had a pretty sparse role. Woman playing Portia was also very well spoken and powerful. Also had a knack for comedic timing. The cast was strong overall I'd say though.
The show dealt with the 'anti-Semitic' issue very very well- though I won't say carefully. It was blunt and striking. No apology- which is a very needed interpretation of the material. No pity was asked of Shylock, but boy were the other people total d***s. I've never seen Pacino's film interpretation of the role, but I think there was no way this could have been done better. Pretty amazing for a first preview.
LINE: Got there at 5:45 AM and was about 150 people back in line. Ended up getting tickets, but they were the back row. Luckily it was the center, so I think it was still a great seat. But really, there are only a few crappy seats in the Delacorte anyway. Totally sold out- not an empty seat in the house, and when I walked in there was a significant standby line.
AUDIENCE: Seemed to be many corporate sponsors and such there- people I didn't recognize from the line. Nearly the entire middle first rows seemed to be them. Amazingly enough though, among these peeps was a NY representative, borough chief and CHEVY CHASE. Sporting a baseball hat and a wonderful attitude- mingled and joked through intermission. Seemed like a great guy.
SHOW: Most depressing comedy ever. This is my first time actually seeing MoV, so I don't have much to compare it to. The set is very industrial- cages and an iron staircase. Big change from last year's magical tone. But still I think the Victorian era concept worked well and later in the show some mystical elements came into play. I was amazed at the flexibility of the design. Cool surprise set-wise late in the 2nd act.
Al Pacino was absolutely amazing- I'd compare his character here a lot to Roy Coehn in Angels in America the miniseries. The second act dragged a bit at the end once he left for the show. A very physical performance on his part- his best scene actually had no words: the baptism. (No Godfather jokes, please!) I was worried the whole show that he was aging so poorly- hunch, semi-limp, fragility... but then he leaped onstage for the bow and I realized I had been played.
Jesse L. Martin was very humorous, Jesse Tyler Ferguson was also funny, but had a pretty sparse role. Woman playing Portia was also very well spoken and powerful. Also had a knack for comedic timing. The cast was strong overall I'd say though.
The show dealt with the 'anti-Semitic' issue very very well- though I won't say carefully. It was blunt and striking. No apology- which is a very needed interpretation of the material. No pity was asked of Shylock, but boy were the other people total d***s. I've never seen Pacino's film interpretation of the role, but I think there was no way this could have been done better. Pretty amazing for a first preview.
"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck
Updated On: 6/13/10 at 12:11 AM
