Minimalist theater... argh.
Minimalist theater... argh.
Minimalist theater... argh.#0
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:09pm
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/6201
This is a compelling article about minimalist theater marketers who pull out the old "if you aren't shallow, you'll be able to imagine sets" line. Now I'm excited to see a production of Ragtime now matter how it's done, but for $60 to $100, I'd strongly prefer sets. The same goes for Chicago.
*edited from "shallow" to "aren't shallow"*
Updated On: 6/21/05 at 03:09 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#1
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:16pmDid you see the London production of Ragtime? It had no set, it was all done through imagination. It was excellent, and not $100, about $75 - worth it entirely for Maria Friedman's award winning performance.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#2
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:18pm
But if a show cannot be done without its elaborate physical production, perhaps it is not written well enough.
The true test of the worth of any play or musical is on a bare stage.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#3
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:21pm
"The true test of the worth of any play or musical is on a bare stage."
Honey, try telling that to Broadway!
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#4
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:28pmi'm the biggest minimalist theatre fan out there.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#5
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:32pm
Man that Filichia is a dick! Was that supposed to be a review?
I think that generalities on either side are wrong-- I can't imagine that a bare stage production of Sunday in The Park would be anywhere near as effective as the original, but I've also seen shows where the bare stage adds to the experience.
As to the pricing argument-- I wonder how much expense the set adds as opposed to the other costs of a production? I think most shows are priced according to what the adience will pay-- not necessarily how much they cost to produce. Tickets to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (One set, 4 actors, 4 costumes) are $107 apiece (including charges). "All Shook Up" for that same night (Huge set, huge cast, multiple costume changes, orchestra) is $120.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#6
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:34pmI really think the price of theatre tickets needs to be drastically lowered.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#7
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:50pmNot to mention the latest concept in "Premium Seats", which means the top ticket price you paid previously guarantees you won't get the best seats even if they are available, because now they are "Premium Seats" and even more expensive. I noticed this with the recent production of Lion King in Chicago. The top ticket price is virtually the same as last year, but now they added "Premium Seats" for $125 which comes with a souvenir program and a keychain or whatever. An allotment of these seats are held for each performance in hopes that the rich won't care and buy them anyway. It makes me want to vomit.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#8
Posted: 6/21/05 at 3:54pmAs the Producers (and many other shows) have proved, people will pay absurd amounts for top notch tickets. Why should the scalpers profit? I see nothing wrong with premium seats charging premium prices. We all see "Wicked" tickets being offered on Ebay for hundreds of dollars. Obviously there is a market for them.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#9
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:10pmMinimalist theatre, when done correctly, can be brilliant. I am a big fan of it. I see Ragtime on Thursday.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#10
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:21pm
I've always hated scalpers and those who purchase from them, but now, the producers of these shows are being scalpers as well. Now they charge $40-50 more for the exact same seats to the exact same show they sold for $80-90 the previous year. They're gouging the public and then wonder why fewer people are going to the theatre each year.
As for the minimalist thing, it depends on the show. Some shows are beautifully written AND need sets while others don't. And then there are shows that are visually stunning enough to make up for the lack in writing. This is not necessarily a bad thing, either. And then there are the shows in which the set layers a concept into the piece that was not provided into the text, such as the revival of An Inspector Calls. It's a fantastic play, but the set and lighting only enhanced what was already a brilliant piece. Personally, I didn't care for the inconsistent staging of the Broadway production of Ragtime and I doubt I would like this minimalist approach either. But then, I'm rather iffy on the book as well. Beautiful score, but everything else was rathy uneven and shaky.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#11
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:40pmIt should be a testament to how good Ragtime is that it can still work so well without any of the fancy sets, lights, and other distractions.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#12
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:42pm
That dad nab Thorton Wilder started it with "Our Town". Of all the nerve!!
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#13
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:53pmUm, there weren't a lot of falling chandeliers, helicopters and flying cars at the Globe Theatre.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#14
Posted: 6/21/05 at 4:56pmAnd the playwrights worked within those limitations. Nowadays, lots of shows would have a very hard time working without scenery.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#15
Posted: 6/21/05 at 5:14pmI think Filichia is too polite to say it, but Papermill is known for its production values. When you go to see a Papermill musical, you expect to see a set. Even the small musicals like "Harold & Maude" and "The Baker's Wife" had sets.
re: Minimalist theater... argh.#16
Posted: 6/21/05 at 7:08pmGod, I am SO TIRED of those damn minimalist productions of Our Town!
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