"See What I Wanna See" Insight - Discussion- Page 2

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 12:22am

"Just shows that what one person intends to say may not be what the other person hears. Or is one of them just flat out lying?"


Exactly what I meant, Broadway Girl!

See all of this volleying though is exactly what makes this show so great and I think exactly what LaChiusa wanted...

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 12:23am

What I love about LaChiusa and his work is, not only that it is challenging, but that it is didactic without trying to be.

His shows are mainly some sort of social commentary.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 1:28am

The interesting thing is that I don't think he sets out to make shows that are social commentaries. Of course he'd be the one to answer this. But I think he simply finds a story that speaks to him and he sets out to write a compelling piece that pushes boundaries. I actually got a ticket to Bernarda Alba and I'm gonna check it out once it opens to see what the final deal is. I'm slowly beginning to own more and more of his work. I just purchased a collection of his called Lucky Nurse and other short musical plays. I'm kind of interested in what this piece will be. It's based on seemingly mundane things. Certainly interesting.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 1:34am

I didn't say he sets out to do so.

But his interest definitely lie in that sort of thing...look at THE WILD PARTY - reflecting the bigotry and idealogy of the Jazz Age...MARIE CHRISTINE - racism in the US (along with the compelling story of Medea)...HELLO AGAIN - need I say more?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 1:40am

um I never claimed you said anything. I was making a reactionary comment.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 7:28am

Can someone explain the "A" thing? I only saw the show once so I obviously missed many of the finer points.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 10:21am

In my opinion, if there was a big lie it was the thiefs. He is the only one with the motive to lie. Realizing he's been caught, and he's killed people before, he figures he will go down in a blaze of glory. Lily has no real motive to incriminate herself in her husband's murder. Her story then I feel is the most credible. With the husbands, we don't know how good a psychic this woman is, and thus there could be some discrepancies in her story. Mary Testa certainly played her in a way that made her seem slightly incompetant. So if I'm looking for one solid truth I'm looking at the Wife's story.

I think that one can combine "She Looked At Me" and "No More" to surmise that Lily was plotting from the beginning an escape from her husband. So at this point Idina snaps, turns on her husband and then the thief turns on her. The thief leaves. Idina realizes that she certainly feels unclean. She realizes how her husband must feel. Thus, here's where the husband's story and the wife's story overlap. The wife would plead for her life, "Louie". The discrepancy here is that the husband kills himself first because their plan was to die together. However, Lily knows in her heart that she still had her hand on the stilletto and therefore assissted in his death. I think that because she thought she was a murderer she tried to kill himself, not because she promised such to her husband. Yet she fails to do so and leaves. Obviously the janitor will come now and finish Louie off.

That's what I think happens in R Shomon. Obviously it's neither correct or incorrect because there is no definitive answer. But I thought I'd play sleuth a little bit.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 10:51am

"Can someone explain the "A" thing? I only saw the show once so I obviously missed many of the finer points. "

During the husbands side of the story in R Shomon he sets his mind elsewhere so as not to think about his wife having sex with the thief. His mind wanders to the missing A in the movie Marquis (Sp?). It's supposed to be Rashomon, but instead it's R Shomon. So in a following song he sings that the A reminds him of things "Andrews sisters, America, Alarm, Amnesia, Actress, Asshole, Abandoned, Annulment, ADULTERY, Ambivalence, Ache, Abase, Art, Artifice, All gone." Those are all the A words that the husband brings up during his and the medium' statement.

Hope that helps Ashley.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 1:24pm

Actually the missing A actually happened when the real Rashoman premiered in America in the 50's. I think LaChiusa used that as a way to connect what the story of Rashoman is to his plot.


Actually they all have motive to lie. I think that's the point. The theif for glory, the janitor because he simply doesn't wanna get involved and he's IS involved. The wife lies for a different reason, not criminal but emotional. I think she has a bit of guilt for what happened. Let's just say for the sake of argument that the husband's story is what really happened. If I were a wife in 195- I would certainly lie to make sure that my honor was intact. I'd have to face my husband's family, society etc. I think saying that I was going to kill myself with my husband and I couldn't is a lot better than I'm a whore. So there is motive to lie and a big one. I would think that the REAL truth isn't one person's story. Ya know how people can experience the same thing and have different versions? Among all of those versions the truth lies. Some details didn't happen in one story while the same story left out things that another story has. I think all their stories combined make out what happened that night in the park. The problem obviouisly is the facts are too numerous to sift through.
Updated On: 2/22/06 at 01:24 PM

[Jwaa]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 2:20pm

Ive been waiting for some talk on this show!

Looking at the cast...it just seems like a dream...but alas being in the U.K i dont get the pleasure of seeing it, but I cannot wait for the cd to be available to order over here...it seems like an amazingly well thought-through book and show....

im excited.

X

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:59am

Shifting gears a bit, I'm curious to know what are some favorite lyrics of everyone's?

I love the lines "a roster that reads like the modern Titanic,Won't it be fun to watch them all drown. The mighty and weak sucked in and pulled down..."

Posted: 2/23/06 at 12:52pm

First off, regarding the missing "A". In The Wild Party, Mae sings: "In detroit, the theatre ran outta A's, so the marquee read... The CHUMP!".

Clearly, there is a lil gremlin that steals A's from LaChiusa shows. Take that, Mrie Christine.

This discussion is absolutely fascinating. Having never actually seen the show, all my commentary stems from the OCR. SWIWS comes across for me as a Company-esque fractured take on the theme of lies/truth. Interestingly, having heard the score previous, and comparing to the OCR, my impression of the characters changed. Previously, I found Idina Menzel's Kesa to be giving the words a very proper Asian humility/dignity, such that I believed Norito would kill her. But on the OCR, the fierceness of "No More" carried over into Norito - it made me wonder if Kesa carried the same fire that Norito was unaware of, and if he'd be a victim of it as well. Contrast that to previously hearing "No More" and finding it more of a whiny-woe-is-me song against a stronger and more dominant Norito.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 2:14pm

Morito.

I bet if the title had been Hello, Gin, a lot of people would have gone to see it and been really confused.

It's actually... it's not like Company in that it just arbitrarily goes from scene to scene, it has a flow. The first act sort of spins in and out of itself, it's a poem brought to life. You find yourself revisiting words you've already read and emphasizing different things, taking it a different way. The second act is straightforward. I really liked the first act. It was very absorbing and suspensful. I liked the second act too, but it was more like, "Okay guys, we're going to have a musical comedy now!". Which is great, it was like you got two theater experiences in one evening :P

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:02pm

I wouldn't call the second act "musical comedy." It was more conventional and emotional than the first, but...musical comedy?

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:08pm

Well, not quite conventional musical comedy like Hello, Dolly! or something like that, but it was funny, had a straightforward structure, each character got a song to sing about themselves, and there was even an uplifting song for a big strong woman at the end. The subject matter, depth of the lyrics, and Henry Stram's part are what really elevated it though. Nobody ever talks about Henry Stram, I thought he was amazing.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:19pm

Before I go into further discussion of the piece, I'll let it marinate in my mind a little more before fully participating in this wonderful thread (thanks Sly!). So, I'll just post my favorite lyric:

"You're looking for answers, so am I,
That's what people do.
The instinct to wonder is human,
The instinct to survive is too."

-- "Curiosity"

::chills::

A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P genre

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 5:19pm

Maybe LaChiusa is anti-A because of the little a that haunts his name.

I mean, you always see... MICHAEL JOHN LaCHIUSA

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 6:03pm

PGenre, those lyrics from Curiosity are my favorites too. Those and simply "I could use a little miracle..." from Coffee and also the whole quartet of the finale. That's my favorite part of the recording actually.

Roninjoey, I thought Henry Stram was excellent as well. Vocally he left a little to be desired but he captured a tainted innocence in the priest that couldn't have been done in less hands. It was great, and it really magnified his reliance on his communist Aunt Monnie. I really enjoyed his acting and especially enjoy his scene with Deanna the actress; when they F**K (not on the OCR).

I also enjoy the first half of the show more than the second half. However I find that I'm enjoying the second half's music more. The second's music as a standalone seems to have more depth and variety. This is perhaps because the stories are truly divided between unrelated characters. In ACT 1 the characters and songs depend a lot more on the whole of the story.

How about favorite tracks everyone?
Mine:
Kesa
The Thiefs Statement (She Looked At Me)
You'll Go Away With Me
Louie
Coffee
Curiosity/Prayer
There Will Be A Miracle
Act 2 Finale
Updated On: 2/23/06 at 06:03 PM

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:04pm

I thought Henry Straum's vocals added a wonderful depth and reality to his character in Act Two. We've come to expect certain things (musically, dramatically) from Marc Kudisch, Idina Menzel, Mary Testa, and Aaron Lohr, all of whom have distinct musical theatre voices. The contrast of Straum's voice, not having the edgy powerhouse belt that the others have, brought me into his story arc all the moreso.

[MissElphie]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:27pm

When I first saw the show, I actually liked the second act much better than the first. The first act made me feel quite uncomfortable (I was first row, so being really close was probably one of the reasons). However, after multiple listens to the show, I'm actually starting to enjoy the first act more. I'm not sure whose truth I believe. It changes daily. I think that is one of the great things about it. We never really will know. We can choose to believe the truth we want to believe.

As for the music....I think brilliant covers it. It gives me chills.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:31pm

Miss Elphie, I was first row too. It was a stunning experience. When Aaron Lohr waved threatened my best friend with that prop knife, I was completely entranced. LOL. Seriously though, the intimacy of those seats and the theatre itself really lent itself to the show. In my opinion anyway.

[MissElphie]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:33pm

neo: yeah...it was just a whole experience. Being that close for so much emotion. I have never been that close for a show before, and was so unsure of my seats before it started. I thought it would feel weird. But it was actually intimate and quite the experience.
It wasn't just that the seats were close. We were on the same level as the actors. My feet were on the stage. It was very surreal. Updated On: 2/23/06 at 09:33 PM

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:36pm

Yup, I can totally relate to that. I mean, those will be the best seats I will ever have to anything. Obviously, being on the stage is pretty much as close as you can get. It was deffinitely an experience everyone should have once.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 10:27pm

I think it's interesting and AMAZING that one show can spark so much debate.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 3:23pm

Any good synopses out there for this?