My thoughts on GOD OF CARNAGE- Page 2

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 10:23am

Well I guess one could catagorize Irena's Vow as a vehicle, but I really don't think it is. A star vehicle seems to imply that the only reason it exists is to show off the star. I strongly disagree with that being the reason Irena's Vow is on Broadway.

Tovah may be the reason to see it, but the show is much more about the message than allowing a star to give a flashy performance. I really believe it is the better play, and although I really enjoyed and appreciated God of Carnage I wouldn't vote for it over Irena's. I'll be interested to hear what you think once you've made it to Irena's Vow.

Updated On: 3/19/09 at 10:23 AM

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 10:29am

I didn't mean it as a knock on the show! I think GREY GARDENS was easily the best show of that season, but as an awards vehicle, it was clearly all about Ebersole (and Wilson) and the performance. Know what I mean? IRENA'S VOW might be a great show, but I feel like the buzz/attention to going to surround the performance rather than the play.

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 12:59pm

Talk about a season that has really taken a turn for the best. I remember by December I had seen everything I had wanted to see; [tos], All My Sons, Liza. Now I can't get back to NYC ENOUGH. Having just seen Shrek and Blithe 2 weeks ago, Happiness yesterday, Godot APril 3rd, Irena's APril 16ish, and 9 to 5 and Next to Normal on May 2, I now need to squeeze in time to get to see GOD OF CARNAGE.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 3/19/09 at 7:56pm

I caught the matinee yesterday and really enjoyed it. Although the show didn't exactly have a conclusion, or at least a satisfying one. I can easily see a nomination for Marcia Gay Harden. The rest will depend on billing. Everyone is above the title, so I'd imagine the producers would petition some of the actors to be classified as featured, but that remains to be seen. Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis were both especially nice at the stagedoor, actually coversing with everyone and taking photos. I think the experience was enhanced by the beautiful weather (which turned into today's misery, lol).

My only complaint was the sound design, which I know yankeefan highlighted in his review. I don't think this is a production specific problem as I had the same issue with Frost/Nixon. There is a weird echo effect in the Jacobs, which is especially bad if you're in the front of the orchestra. I was in the fifth row yesterday and the front row for Frost/Nixon and all I kept hearing was the actor's voices coming from the rear of the theater. It was awkward to hear lines directly from the stage and coming from behind me. There needs to be some kind of acoustical work done in that theater... or I'm having auditory hallucinations.

[Elke]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 4:55am

frogs_fan85, you're right about the odd sound balance. But they're aware of it: when I stagedoored a while ago, I heard Marcia Gay Harden tell someone that they had been working on improving the sound quality. Though it looks like from your review that they haven't managed to solve all issues yet.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 8:14am

**EXTREMELY VAGUE, NoN-SPECIFIC SPoILERS REGARDING THE CoNCLUSIoN**

Interesting note about the ending, frogs. Personally, I think it's perfect -- pushing things to a point where things can't really escalate any further and then leaving us AND the characters to our own devices to wonder, "how did we get here?" and "where do we go from here?" I think it's just right for the material, but you're right, it doesn't "satisfy" or "conclude" in the way that theatre tends to, and I wonder if that'll be a mitigating factor for audiences. I don't think it will, but it's something to consider...

[aliciag]

Posted: 3/20/09 at 9:37am

I saw the play on Wednesday night as well and thoroughly enjoyed it. I agree with everyone who has said that the performances are really the reason to see this show because everyone does such a fantastic job. I was very partial to Marcia Gay Harden though, she was absolutely hilarious.

And just to add a little to MiracleElixer's posts on the stage door, it was really interesting that after each and every one of them came out they commented on how young most of the people at the stage door were. Also right as I left towards 8th after Jeff Daniels came out James Gandolfini was leaving through the other exit. There were some people getting autographs and a guy even asked for a picture, which Gandolfini didn't seem too happy about at first but he was smiling when the camera flashed.