See What I Wanna See OOTB

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 2:04am

Has anyone else seen this production? I jumped on tickets as soon as I found out about it but I chose a later date in the run because it was more convenient for me. I don't think it lived up to the promise of the concept but I would like to see another director attempt an all-Asian production again with a stronger vision. There were some very compelling performances and standout moments but it felt a little disjointed to me. To my surprise, I enjoyed Act 2 much more than Act 1. In Act 1, the secondary characters overpowered the leads and it felt like there was an imbalance. Zachary kept everything on track in Act 2. Also, I want to see Ann Sanders in everything now.

[RubyLee]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 8:23am

I saw it and agree with you that Act 2 is stronger. I enjoyed the puppetry and musicians, who did not overpower the voices. In fact, I was hoping the sound engineer would turn the vocals down a bit. It got shrilly loud in parts. I thought the acting from everyone was incredible and I'd love to see all of those actors together again. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 8:48am

I love this show very much and it was a pleasure to hear the score live. The musicians were amazing, playing multiple instruments and creating a beautiful sound. There were some surprising choices- I’m not sure how well they worked but I was very happy to see the show.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:55am

This was my first experience with the show and I enjoyed it overall but I think it has some large flaws (though most of what didn't work for me was in the show itself and not necessarily this production, especially act 1). 

I like the idea of bringing it back to its roots with an all Asian cast, but I thought translating the opening song to Japanese without subtitles was a bit of a mistake, since the whole point of it is to contrast it with the opening of act 2, which doesn't work if we don't know what's being said.  I thought the puppets were generally well utilized, though I liked the bunraku puppets in act 1 better than the shadow puppets in act 2 (which could sometimes feel a little clumsy, though used to great effect in Rising Up).

I agree that Zachary Noah Piser and Ann Sanders were the highlights, though I thought the whole cast overall was very strong.  I think the direction in act 1 could've pulled it together a bit better (though again, I think most of my faults lie in the original writing), but act 2 was fantastic overall.  

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 8:40pm

I wasn't expecting Idina in act 1 but I wish they'd found a way for those songs to still pack a punch.

Also, I agree that the puppets worked better in act 1. You could see them playing with the placement of the cutouts so the silhouettes would projected in the right spot.

Overall, I was just happy to see the show fully staged and to finally appreciate act 2.

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 9:34pm

LaChiusa's score is really top-tier and this is definitely worth seeing for that reason — only I wish the production were lighter on its feet and had a stronger sense of musicality.

[raddersons]

Posted: 9/28/24 at 8:31am

I had the privilege of seeing this on 9/11, and the director had a great pre-show speech that really reminded me of just how hopeless New Yorkers were in late 2001 and willing to find faith in anything. It put Act 2 in some great context for me and set me up for a teary eyed evening.

After listening to the cast recording I agree Act 1 is just not as well written. It doesn’t really get a satisfying conclusion or feel like it’s building towards anything. Act 2 was really outstanding. I actually think the shadow puppets in act 2 were way more impressive and tied into the themes much better than the than the hand puppets in Act 1, of which I couldn’t really think of a dramaturgical reason why they would swap out The Husband for a puppet.

Yes, Ann Saunders & Zachary Noah Piser are the big highlights.

I’ve been talking about this show a lot in the past month, because even if Act 1 isn’t as strong as Act 2 it’s still a moving and thought-provoking night out.