Oleanna, very dissapointed

[bundy5000]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 9:29pm

Maybe I am not a Mamet kind of guy, I thought the play itself is good but the way it was delivered failed. I felt like much of the timing was off. It felt forced and lazy. Julia, well I never took her as a great actor but her performance felt dragged on. She looked exhausted so maybe i caught her on a bad day. There were two guys behind me that made the show go faster by whispering jokes. Such as "Jerry Jerry!" when Bill's character picked up the phone. Anyways I wouldn't recommend it but I am going to try and see RACE.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 9:36pm

My problem with the show is that one of the performance of one of the actors made it impossible for there to be a debate or confusion over what happened or who was a victim.

It's in the writing, but it wasn't on stage.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 9:58pm

I felt the same way. I found the play to be lacking any conflict or ambiguity because one character is played as a total villain and the other has all the audience's sympathy.

(And if you haven't already, you must check out the Broadway Abridged version: https://www.broadwayabridged.com/scripts/oleanna.shtml)

SCENE: THE LAND OF BLINDS.

You know what audiences love?

They love watching curtain blinds go
all the way up a set of windows over
the course of two minutes.


And then go all the way down a set of
windows in roughly the same amount of
time.


With a loud mechanical sound of exactly
that happening.


Yeah, it's great to cater to an
audience's likes.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 10:56pm

Mamet's plays aren't for mass audiences.

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 11:13pm

I saw this on Wednesday, and kept wishing I was seeing William H. Macy who is such a Mamet master. I didn't find either performance convincing and neither actor seemed able to develop the light-speed delivery that makes Mamet-style dialogue feel spontaneous. Plus 75 minutes hardly seems like much development (although SPEED THE PLOW certainly packed some interesting confrontations into a mere 90 minute stretch).

And yes - the mechanized blinds rising and falling constituted one of the few highlights.

Loved SPEED THE PLOW, will go see RACE, but kind of wish I'd saved the ticket price on this one.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 11/5/09 at 11:22pm

I loved it. Was on the edge of my seat almost the entire play.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 2:45am

The blinds were totally there to waste time because the play is so damn short. They wanted to make the audience feel like they were sitting in their seats longer for the $115 dollars that they shelled out. lol.

I guess that's why the Talk Back sessions are there as well. Updated On: 11/6/09 at 02:45 AM

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 9:36am

Plus, what untenured college professor has an office like that with ultra fancy blinds?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 9:56am

The blinds are there to allow for quick changes.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 9:59am

I understand that, but aesthetically they don't fit.

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 7:17pm

I used to work in an office on a high floor of a New York building, with two-story windows. The mechanized blinds were triggered by sunlight and temperature, and would open and close on their own. So I guess mechanized blinds kind of interest (and terrify) me. And obviously are intended to cover for hair and costume changes since the set doesn't change...

Posted: 11/6/09 at 7:49pm

Haven't seen it, but if Oleanna becomes a show about blinds, something is wrong!

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/6/09 at 8:01pm

My problem with the show is that one of the performance of one of the actors made it impossible for there to be a debate or confusion over what happened or who was a victim.

You can say the name of the actor, love. Permission granted.