THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA Reviews - Page 2

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/30/24 at 3:45pm

I usually love Sara Holdren's take and I think she makes a lot of valid points about the piece as a whole (and yeah, I also thought the 2 minute "break" was laughable), but I feel like I saw a completely different performance of Joan than her.  Yes Joan is disillusioned and speaks almost exclusively in a deadpan tone, but I thought she was far from the caricature that Holdren described.  What impressed me most about Donnelly's performances as both Veronica and Joan was how you could see their false flippancy belying their inner turmoil.  The entire caricature that Joan displays is entirely on purpose, and you can see hints of her true self peek through with things like the scene on the stairs.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/30/24 at 4:46pm

chrishuyen said: "I usually love Sara Holdren's take and I think she makes a lot of valid points about the piece as a whole (and yeah, I also thought the 2 minute "break" was laughable), but I feel like I saw a completely different performance of Joan than her. Yes Joan is disillusioned and speaks almost exclusively in a deadpan tone, but I thought she was far from the caricature that Holdren described. What impressed me most about Donnelly's performances as both Veronica and Joan was how you could see their false flippancy belying their inner turmoil. The entire caricature that Joan displays is entirely on purpose, and you can see hints of her true self peek through with things like the scene on the stairs."

Some of Holdren's reviews sound like like she watched these shows under influence. I don't know her personal situation, but she comes off as a woman hater. Yuck.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/30/24 at 5:59pm

gibsons2: Some of Holdren's reviews sound like like she watched these shows under influence. I don't know her personal situation, but she comes off as a woman hater. Yuck.

I did not get that at all. She takes Mendes and Butterworth to task however. I agree on many of the directorial choices.

Mendes’s blasé direction and Butterworth’s overripe dramatics are doubly frustrating because they’re weighing down a bunch of fine actresses, turning what might be (and what will surely be called) a great play for women into a slice of formulaic melo-trauma.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/30/24 at 6:25pm

Melissa25 said: "gibsons2: Some of Holdren's reviews sound like like she watched these shows under influence. I don't know her personal situation, but she comes off as a woman hater. Yuck.

I did not get that at all. She takes Mendesand Butterworth to task however. I agree on many of the directorial choices.

Mendes’s blasé direction and Butterworth’s overripe dramatics are doubly frustrating because they’re weighing down a bunch of fine actresses, turning what might be (and what will surely be called) a great play for women into a slice of formulaic melo-trauma."

"They slot into place and keep the machine churning without really making us feel — a weird irony, given how much heavy feeling there is up onstage" Holdren should speak for herself. If she feels nothing seeing these extraordinary talented women on stage, that's on her. I couldn't disagree more.

Also, what does it mean: " a great play for women"? As if it's somehow better than "formulaic melo-trauma". That's as condescending as it gets. 

Updated On: 9/30/24 at 06:25 PM