Peter Pan today...wonderful show, HORRIBLE audience

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 10:22pm

I attended this afternoon's performance. While I am glad I did, something needs to be done over at the Garden.

First the good. The show is excellent shape. Rigby is as spry and energetic as ever. For me, she is Peter Pan, but I was never around to see Mary Martin- my only experience with her is the video. Rigby just nails the role, and her acrobatic flying is still awesome too watch, even if it's not as impressive in this venue (more on that later). The choreography (especially Ugg A Wugg) is fantastic. The entire cast is really quite good. James Clow, who isn't anywhere near as good as Paul Schoeffler, did a pretty good job. Even though Elisa Sagardia is probably about 10 years too old to play Wendy, 90% of the audience can't tell that.

While I enjoyed the performance, and still get goosebumps at the end of the show, something must be done about this venue and the audience coming here.

This "theater" (if you can even call it that) is the completely wrong choice for this show. I can understand why they did it ($$$$$- there was not a seat to be had this afternoon), but artistically it doesn't work. I'd say anyone not sitting in the VIP section is probably in partial view. Our tickets were in section 204, which regularly sell for $100 a piece. We didn't see anything happening on stage left, and these seats should have been labeled partial view. I can't imagine what the people in the next section over saw- probably very little. The next problem is the stage itself. It's not very tall, and therefore there's not a lot of room for the Darling children and Peter to fly. Consequently, "I'm Flying" isn't nearly as impressive as it is in a real theatre. They were never more than 8 feet off the ground. Even during the curtain call, where she flies over the audience. Because the ceiling isn't that tall, that loses its effectiveness as well. She kind of sputters over the audience a little. It is a much better effect when she flies up to what seems like the edge of the balcony. I can't fault Rigby for this, because this is just a horrendous venue.

Which brings me to the audience. I have never in my life encountered 5,000 ruder people. Your tickets encourage you to arrive one hour prior to showtime. Obviously, no one does that, but perhaps they should, because no one is seated when the show begins. They started promptly at 4, which is usually a good thing, but not when 20% of the audience hasn't been seated yet. I couldn't see or hear most of the first scene because people were coming in and out. And PEOPLE DIDN'T SHUT UP! The woman next to me kept telling her companion what was different when she saw the show 15 years ago ("Well, they used to a little minuet with their mother in that scene."). I finally turned to her, exasperated, and said, "Well they're doing it a little differently now." But people kept coming in and out during that first scene making noise. And, the worst offender was an MSG employee- an usher!! He was treating this like he was working the Knicks game upstairs. He'd walk up and go, in a loud voice, "Ok, who's next? Who needs to find their seat?!". Then he kept shining his little flashlight in the rows, asking people what row it was, because he couldn't see. And he didn't whisper.

This is sounding like a rant, but I was really frustrated today, because I LOVE this production, and Rigby's performance, and this was probably my last time seeing her do it. And it was ruined by people who don't know how to behave.

Now, I don't have anything against family shows. But, what is it about MSG that makes people think it's not live theater. I've seen Beauty, Lion King, and Chitty multiple times, all where the audience was pretty well-behaved. Do people think that because this is basically an arena that theatre etiquette doesn't apply? I truly think they would have been better off waiting until January, then playing the Hilton for a couple of months.

To summarize, I really love the production, but this is a terrible venue. I really want to write the folks at MSG a letter telling them about this awful experience, but I know it will fall on deaf ears. I'm considering treating myself to a VIP ticket so I can sit up close and enjoy the show one final time.

[misto625]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 10:45pm

This saddens me to read (but I thank you for writing it anyway) because I really want to see Peter Pan at MSG. I was lucky enough to see Cathy Rigby do the role on tour in 1998 thanks to the foresight of my aunt who thought I might like it. It was the first national tour I ever saw and of course I fell with it. I couldn't get over the sets and the dancing. I admit to developing a crush on Elisa Sagradia (who was almost too old back then). I also developed a liking to Paul Schoffler and always followed his projects as best I could. When I heard that the show was back on tour (with the same Peter/Wendy/Tiger Lily) I got really excited but it has not come anywhere close to where I live but now I have a chance to go to NYC and I was definitely considering seeing the show again. My question to you is do you think it's worth it to go if I have the video and my memories?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:16pm

It's a different Tiger Lily now, if that means anything to you.

I'd say it's worth if you can sit in the VIP section, as close to the stage as possible. Otherwise, it's like a circus.

[misto625]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:21pm

I knew Tiger Lily had changed and I was saddened a little because I was hoping to have seen Dana Salimondo again. I am sure Lauren Masiello is great as well but not the same. I was hoping to go for the cheap tickets with binoculars and only spend for VIP if I had to. The seats are really that bad?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/4/05 at 11:35pm

The 300 seat (the "mezzanine") are practically up in the arena. Seriously, you feel like you're in a different world. Maybe with binoculars you'll be able to see ok, but you'll still have to put up with the nonsense going on around you.

I maintain that if 20% of the audience is not seated at curtain, it makes more sense to start the show late, then have people coming in during the first scene. Or, better solution...make them all wait outside until intermission.

I've also gotta throw in a complaint about the usher who kept coming in and out the big door on the side of the theater during the show (the one that goes out to the street). He kept opening and closing that door, which not only brightened up the whole side of the theater, but he didn't quietly close it. He just let it swing shut.
Updated On: 12/5/05 at 11:35 PM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:12am

I would have gotten right up and demanded a refund!

[Calvin]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:24am

Do people think that because this is basically an arena that theatre etiquette doesn't apply?

I've had that problem before at MSG, when they were doing A Christmas Carol, and other venues like it. It's like, psychologically, because people aren't in traditional theater setting and can buy popcorn and peanuts at the concession stand, suddenly they have carte blanche to act like they're at a baseball game or something.

Of course, I was surrounded by ill-behaved kids and parents making no effort to control them during Chitty, too, so...