#1
Posted: 3/15/04 at 12:18am
I saw Wintertime today 3/14/04
I think it was supposed to be a Drama, but it was pretty damn funny to me. I don't know what was worse...the acting or the script?! Marsha Mason was actually good considering the crap she had to feed the audience. She has a great stage presence and delivers her lines beautifully. The only problem was the awful false accent she was using. Her character is from Italy, but has also been living in America for many years. I just think it was foolish on someone's part to have her use that accent.
Some of the other actors were not that terrible.
Tina Benko was good in act 1, but just became annoying in act 2.
MaryLouise Burke was funny but her voice is so irritating. Although if it weren't for Burke, the second act would have been much worse (if that's at all possible). She keeps act 2 alive.
Nicholas Hormann falls into the same boat as Marsha...he was a good actor with a bad script.
The 2 youngest performers: Christopher Denham and Brienin Bryant were just the worst actors I have ever seen live. I hope they were just terrible because they've never done a play before (although their playbill bios state otherwise). Whoever casted them in "Wintertime" should be shot. Bryant was annoying as hell. She clearly does not know how to deliver lines, and seemed as though she had struggled to memorize them because she constantly had a blank look on her face as though she was trying desperately to remember every single word.
Denham was extremely awkward. His use of props is horrendous, and he did not have any chemistry with any of his fellow cast-mates.
The set was gorgeous. It made no sense at all since it seemed to be snowing in these people's living room, but it was breathtaking none-the-less. The staging was ridiculous. I will not even waste too much time talking about how bad the staging is because I don't have all night.
They had Jonathan (Denham's character) breaking a chair at one point. It was supposed to represent how he was taking out his anger for the people, but it just looked stupid.
Following the chair bit there was what appeared to be a door-slamming contest. No, not really; but it sure seemd like that. They slid a door onto the center of the stage, and one by one the actors took turns slamming it shut in different ways.
It was great to see Marsha on stage, but I really would not recommend this play to anyone I liked unless they're in the mood to laugh at something at which they are not supposed to laugh.
People walked out after the first act, and the ones that did stay (such as myself), were probably just fascinated to see how this odd little play was going to end.
Oh, I should also mention that Jonathan has about a 2 minute thing where he keeps running himself into a tree, falling down, getting back up, running into it again, etc., etc. Again...kind of supposed to be a dramtic anger release thing; but my friend and I could not stop laughing. LOL It's so bad I almost want to see it again just for a laugh....note I said almost, not gonna.
I think it was supposed to be a Drama, but it was pretty damn funny to me. I don't know what was worse...the acting or the script?! Marsha Mason was actually good considering the crap she had to feed the audience. She has a great stage presence and delivers her lines beautifully. The only problem was the awful false accent she was using. Her character is from Italy, but has also been living in America for many years. I just think it was foolish on someone's part to have her use that accent.
Some of the other actors were not that terrible.
Tina Benko was good in act 1, but just became annoying in act 2.
MaryLouise Burke was funny but her voice is so irritating. Although if it weren't for Burke, the second act would have been much worse (if that's at all possible). She keeps act 2 alive.
Nicholas Hormann falls into the same boat as Marsha...he was a good actor with a bad script.
The 2 youngest performers: Christopher Denham and Brienin Bryant were just the worst actors I have ever seen live. I hope they were just terrible because they've never done a play before (although their playbill bios state otherwise). Whoever casted them in "Wintertime" should be shot. Bryant was annoying as hell. She clearly does not know how to deliver lines, and seemed as though she had struggled to memorize them because she constantly had a blank look on her face as though she was trying desperately to remember every single word.
Denham was extremely awkward. His use of props is horrendous, and he did not have any chemistry with any of his fellow cast-mates.
The set was gorgeous. It made no sense at all since it seemed to be snowing in these people's living room, but it was breathtaking none-the-less. The staging was ridiculous. I will not even waste too much time talking about how bad the staging is because I don't have all night.
They had Jonathan (Denham's character) breaking a chair at one point. It was supposed to represent how he was taking out his anger for the people, but it just looked stupid.
Following the chair bit there was what appeared to be a door-slamming contest. No, not really; but it sure seemd like that. They slid a door onto the center of the stage, and one by one the actors took turns slamming it shut in different ways.
It was great to see Marsha on stage, but I really would not recommend this play to anyone I liked unless they're in the mood to laugh at something at which they are not supposed to laugh.
People walked out after the first act, and the ones that did stay (such as myself), were probably just fascinated to see how this odd little play was going to end.
Oh, I should also mention that Jonathan has about a 2 minute thing where he keeps running himself into a tree, falling down, getting back up, running into it again, etc., etc. Again...kind of supposed to be a dramtic anger release thing; but my friend and I could not stop laughing. LOL It's so bad I almost want to see it again just for a laugh....note I said almost, not gonna.
"It's the little things; the details, that distinguish the Barbra Streisands from the Rosalyn Kinds."~Gilmore Girls~
