Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
#0Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 3:08pmI just bought one of the first editions of Mourning Becomes Electra... I was just wondering what some of you guys thought about it..I was also wondering why there were so few productions..just because of the length? any info is appreciated. Thanks!.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#1re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 3:11pmI like the show very much. I think there haven't been many productions because of its length, but also because it is "Greek tragedy" and there aren't many light moments. It also needs brilliant actors to pull it off.
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#2re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 3:17pmYeah it's brutal both in length and content. It's not an easy watch. But it's a riveting one. They did a production at the National in London a couple of years back and it was amazing. Horrible accents, but incredible performances. Helen Mirren and Eve Best were outstanding. Interestingly, they were never able to do a 2 show day with it (it was in repertory) as it was so long and such a drain on the cast so any revival would probably be a 6 show week.
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#3re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 3:21pm
The length of the play precludes more than 6 performances a week so 25% of your gross is gone right then.
The plays themselves while admirable, are repetitive.
Which brings us to a production I saw at Long Wharf in December 2002 with Jane Alexander. The dramaturg had cut nearly 50% of the play and frankly (Scarlett), nobody missed a damn thing. The running time was 3:15.
Maybe more regionals, universities and non-profits could use this adaptation. The problem is that there might be a fight between the purists who want all the playwright's words and the practical who do not want a butt-numbing 5 1/2 hours.
Also NY City Opera did a production of the operatic version a year ago and it worked very well.
zelda
Stand-by Joined: 6/20/05
#4re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 4:31pm
you can find almost anything you want to know and speak directly to some of the leading critics on the works of Eugene O'Neill by logging onto eoneill.com many scholars there and many respond.
and personally cutting O'neills work is dangerous at best unless you have a significant background in studying. the repetition is quite frankly scarlet a device that o'neill employed intentionally. altough the same thought is repeated it might not be the same intention. be cautious..he was very sneaky how he put his work together
jgph
Stand-by Joined: 4/7/04
#5re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 6:14pm
I've recently had the enormous misfortune of being compelled to play Orin. Never in my life have I been so frustrated with a character. The entire play is populated with a bunch of self-invovled, narcissistic, vile and disgusting people who are so f*cked-up they take an inordinately long time to say the tiniest nugget of information or feeling.
The plays are all long, and very, very, very boring. Not too mention horrific for the actors cast in them. I pity the poor b*tches who play Lavinia. That is one NASTY part.
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#6re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 6:17pmIf the dramaturg cut almost half the show and it still ran 3:15, then either the version I saw at the National wasn't the full text either as it ran 4 hours, or the Long Wharf had the slowest performers ever.
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#7re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 6:29pm
'is populated with a bunch of self-invovled, narcissistic, vile and disgusting people who are so f*cked-up they take an inordinately long time to say the tiniest nugget of information or feeling.'
You are aware of where you are posting, right?
jgph
Stand-by Joined: 4/7/04
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#9re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 6:42pmjust making sure!
#10re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/11/06 at 6:56pmYEah. I saw this and.. hated it it just drags on sometimes and thats 99.9% of what the show does, drag on.
zelda
Stand-by Joined: 6/20/05
#11re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/12/06 at 11:02amthats not a very positive way to approach the role.
Flahooley
Leading Actor Joined: 11/17/05
#12re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/12/06 at 3:30pmI have to give kudos to anyone who has actually read the entire play. I've tried at least 4 times and keep putting it down.
#13re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/12/06 at 5:10pmWell, I finished Homecoming and just started The Hunted...its fascinating so far...Very Greek....so much symbolism with the faces as masks and the house even. I would love to see a production of this... I put the movie on my netflix...but probably a poor substitute...O'Neill is definitely an author i'd sit hours for.
#14re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/12/06 at 9:13pmany chance of a revival soon?
#15re: Mourning Becomes Electra--couple questions
Posted: 1/12/06 at 9:13pmany chance of a revival soon?
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