Sunday in the Park...George - ACT II- Page 7

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 7:32pm

Fair enough, Eric. I realize I am in the minority here.

And I'm not saying anyone is stupid for enjoying the show. There are gorgeous songs and obviously the writers are smart guys. What they are not, in the sole case of SUNDAY, are PLAYwrights.

PASSION, on the other hand, only benefits from close-ups. I found it wonderful on DVD. Updated On: 9/23/12 at 07:32 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 7:45pm

I love how Passion was filmed.

In all fairness, all your points make sense to me. And yet... So it must be a case of something either somehow grabbing you--or not.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 7:58pm

It is true that I am very action-oriented (in the Aristotelian sense). I'm willing to define the term very broadly, but I expect somebody to be trying to effect some sort of change when I go to the theater. Otherwise, call me after the characters have had a nap and are ready to move.

Lapine's libretto for SUNDAY immediately thwarts every hint of action, and even the songs are rather static for a songwriter who says Jerry Robbins taught him that performers have to have something to do while they sing.

All of which is intentional, I'm sure. As I said, the writers are brilliant guys. It just isn't why I go to the theater.

Updated On: 9/23/12 at 07:58 PM

[My Oh My]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 8:11pm

You're a difficult one to please, Gav. I like you. =)

Now, I've been wondering something...are you a guy or a gal? I haven't been able to figure that out!

About static direction: But, but, you absolutely hated Les Mis at the Shubert and that had kinetic energy to die for!! You did say you hated that the movement was not the actors. But they did move...against the revolve, lol. XD I'm messing with you.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/23/12 at 8:31pm

I'm a dude, My Oh My. One of the 36,000 gays who married in California before Prop 8 passed. To date, Mr. G. and I are still married, though the matter is making its way through various courts.

There's a difference between busy-ness and action. LES MIZ had plenty of the former. It also had plenty of the latter; I just found it cold and mechanical, as performed at the Schubert. (Good memory, BTW.)

As I'm sure you know, Action, per Aristotle, is the process by which change is effected in the world of a play. Any attempt to make a change will inevitably encounter resistance and therefore, Conflict. (Aristotle didn't mention Conflict, but it is implied.)

Action and conflict are what I miss in SUNDAY. All the talk about "design", "composition", "balance", and "harmony" misses the point that theater, unlike painting, takes place in time. Balance and harmony may be the end result, but they are not the starting places for a play. (On reflection, I suppose Lapine was trying to substitute the process of creating the painting for a play's traditional action/conflict/plot. That may explain Act I, but hardly accounts for Act II. And if I am right about Lapine's strategy, then watching his first act is quite literally the dramaturgical equivalent of "watching paint dry". No, I don't think it's THAT dull, but if that was the plan, it was flawed, IMO.)

And in case I wasn't clear, I don't mean there is a lack of interesting motion in the direction; I'm talking about the libretto. Action in the Aristotelian sense is conveyed by the plot.

BTW, I am posting about SUNDAY again not to be obstinate, but to fulfill my promise to Pal Joey and others to take another, open-minded look at the piece via DVD. I will say that unlike 30 years ago, I now find Act II more interesting than Act I; but that, I fear, is damning with faint praise.









Updated On: 9/23/12 at 08:31 PM