PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE first previe — Page 5

As other people have said, there is a giant frame hanging over the stage that literally frames most of the playing space, so it doesn't really "fit" one theater over another.

One thing it could have really benefited from in the American Airlines, however, is a true pit. Having the orchestra up in the boxes made it hard to hear the singers and make out the lyrics, my biggest complaint about the show.

Maybe a more intimate house would help, it's hard to say, but both theaters are among the smallest Broadway houses, so it probably would not have made much of a difference.

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I admit, I was a crying mess during the last ten minutes, despite some very mixed feelings about the show. I really wanted to love it.

Did anybody catch Signs of Life at the YMCA last year? I thought that show was really beautiful and poignant as far as Holocaust musicals go and would love to see it transfer somewhere else.

Also, it kind of bothered me how they never said what happened to her after the ghetto and before the war ended. Did she survive the camps? Did she escape the ghetto after the Warsaw uprising? Really not relevant to the story, but I was thinking about it.

And some of the lyrics were just really laughably bad.

I may be in the singular minority but I find Donna Murphy
very cold in everything she does acting/singing.
I always feel like she thinks she is this big TONY winner (1 by default) and we are lucky to be in her presence. I want to like her, I think she is beautiful and her voice is interesting enough it is just she just leaves me cold...
I wish she would do something fun (she was out to much in Wonderful Town for me to try to see) so I can see if it is me or just her style I dont like

Does anybody else think that gas chamber joke at the end really should probably go?

Yeah, sorry can't agree about not liking Donna in general. I have a friend who doesn't like her either though, so it's not entirely unheard of. Personally, I adore her and find her nothing less than warm and thoroughly involved with her characters-- I've read/seen a lot of interviews with her though, so I'm super biased at this point.

And I like this show a lot actually. I'm not sure how much it's been changed since first preview (probably quite a bit), but I thought it was plenty enjoyable. Still definitely sound issues, but I think that once those are fixed and a few other snips made that have already been mentioned in this thread, then it'll be a great show. It's already near there. I don't think Donna will get a Tony this year at all, Patina definitely has it, but a great performance from Murphy nonetheless.

Updated On: 4/8/11 at 12:51 AM

Those of you who say shlt like that about her have obviously never met the woman. And I'm not talking about saying how much you love her as she signs your playbill.

...and a Drama Desk Award.

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morgaine, the gas chamber joke was not there when I saw it.
You also make a very good point that they went from the Ghetto to 1946 and there was no mention at all about about the Concentration Camps which I thought about on the way home.

Being the son a of a survivor, I wasn't sure going in what I would think, Dancing Warsaw Ghetto people didn't do it for me but my friends all thought the second act was better.

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I am wondering the same thing. I see it on Tuesday.

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I saw the show yesterday and thought it was wonderful. Definite nominations for Murphy, Parker, and possibly a nod for Zien. It's a very touching show, but definitely not for everybody.

It's a very funny show, but most of the jokes didn't land. I don't know if it was because the theatre was practically empty, but that couldn't have helped.

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Maybe the jokes aren't landing because of the piece. I mean, you go in with the idea that "Oh it's about the Holocaust...." so you aren't expecting to laugh.

Saw this today and don't think it's nearly as bad as people claimed it was. And to say that Donna Murphy will get a "pity nomination" is unnecessary, she does beautiful work here; she doesn't need make up or accessories to make you believe in the transformation, she simply does it in front of your eyes and it's a thrill to watch her do it. But really, more than anything she's just able to find a depth to the character she plays that's ultimately touching and deeply emotional.
The show itself is generic, yes, but it's hardly a bad show. I love the concept of memories colliding with the present and think it's beautifully realized at some points; however, the actual material needs to be so much stronger than it is, the characters and situations are predictable. I thought Nicole Parker's role was terrible! She gets the worst, most cliched dialogue and songs (if she sang another ballad I was going to lose it), whereas the character of Jenny actually gets good songs and has wonderful chemistry with Murphy. And I totally agree that there's something Anne Hathaway-esque about her.
I do feel the show becomes a missed opportunity. Why doesn't Murphy get a big showstopper as the young Raisel? The Hollywood number is completely misconceived, it should be about her not about the blonde chorus girls, and it's completely undercut by what comes next.
I thought the Dancing Dybbuk number was actually hilarious, it's broad comedy and it's about enjoying the ridiculousness of it all, and Murphy sells it. I thought the portrayal of cinematic image/theater moment was so well realized, I would love to see a revival of MACK & MABEL that used a similar concept.
The show is slow and generic, yes, but it has a heart and it's full of beautiful, sometimes even haunting moments, and Murphy's performance has to be seen.

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I quite liked the show. It isn't perfect, but I thought it was very good. As to why they didn't show Raisel at the concentration camps or how she survived: it's not what the show is about. The show is about the fact that she DID survive and as such, it's her responsibility/desire to pass along the stories, history, and culture of those who did not. It's a show about celebrating a shared history and not forgetting the positives that tend to get overwhemed and subsumed by the massive, unforgiveable tragedy of the Holocaust. Showing her at the camps or dwelling on the tragedy would divert attention from the message of the show.

What I most liked about the piece as a whole is that it manages to be relatively upbeat--not denying the horrors that happened but not dwelling on them. It gives us enough to go on, assuming our knowledge of the history will allow us to know the tremendous stakes without forcing us to confront them at all times. If this were the only show about the Holocaust, that would be unforgiveable. But as a piece inside a larger context of artist remembrances, this chooses a lighter (though still serious) focus.

I also thought Donna Murphy was tremendous and nothing BUT warm and committed. I don't really understand why some theater fans feel the need to portray every musical theater diva as an entitled bitch, but I find it even more confusing that Murphy in particular would be the object of scorn. I've seen her in about five shows, and she's never been less than wonderful. She's the most chameleon-like of our leading ladies and while I think she's had more impactful roles (in The King and I, Anyone Can Whistle, Wonderful Town), she's still giving a wonderful performance here. I'd say it's Tony worthy on its own. I haven't actually seen most of her competition yet, though. Still waiting on Anything Goes, have tickets for Sister Act, and don't think I can handle Wonderland or Baby It's You. But I do know she's doing sophisticated, subtle, impressive work. And that's all I can ask for.