#1
Posted: 4/18/08 at 12:01am
First of all, I must say that it shocks me that after five previews, that I am the first person on both BroadwayWorld and ATC to review this show...
Saw THURGOOD this evening via tdf. My seat was F 15 in the Mezz, but unfortunately, the mezz was about half empty so I moved down to the second row where I had an excellent view.
After the crap I've seen lately (especially that dismal TOP GIRLS Tuesday night), this play was so refreshing. Laurence Fishburne was excellent as Thurgood Marshall. Just to preface my review, I am not a history buff by any means, and I knew little to nothing about this character before walking into the theater this evening. In fact, I found history to be the most boring subject in high school, so the fact that this show kept my interest at all means it is very good.
George Stevens, Jr.'s play is extremely well written. There is drama and laughter throughout and tonight's audience (small as it was) was extremely receptive. In the play, we learned about Thurgood Marshall in all stages of his life, from childhood and how he was picked on and shunned for being a black man to his triumphs of Brown vs. Board of Education plus all the interactions he had with past presidents of the U.S.
There is no show curtain...Fishburne walks on via stage left and at the end of the play, exits stage right. The set is sparse but effective. There is a long rectangular table center stage with four chairs surrounding it, a podium upstage center, a couple of portfolios, a pitcher of water and a glass, and a gorgeous, white, stone-looking backdrop of the american flag, on which projections are tastefully used throughout the show. The lighting is also very well done.
The play is a crisp 90 minutes and as soon as the show was over, the audience gave an immediate standing ovation (which does not always happen with straight plays). Fishburne certainly deserved it for that long monologue that he delivered extremely well. He did flub 3-4 lines, which I'm sure he will master as previews go on.
At the stage door, there were maybe 15-20 people waiting. Laurence Fishburne had TONS of visitors, including Joan Didion who I saw go into the stage door. After about 10 minutes, the stage door man came out and said that Mr. Fishburne was probably not coming out for a while, but he had pre-signed a bunch of playbills for the crowd, which were given out.
So, all in all, an enjoyable evening. I'm glad I saw it, and am eager to hear others' thoughts in the coming weeks.
Saw THURGOOD this evening via tdf. My seat was F 15 in the Mezz, but unfortunately, the mezz was about half empty so I moved down to the second row where I had an excellent view.
After the crap I've seen lately (especially that dismal TOP GIRLS Tuesday night), this play was so refreshing. Laurence Fishburne was excellent as Thurgood Marshall. Just to preface my review, I am not a history buff by any means, and I knew little to nothing about this character before walking into the theater this evening. In fact, I found history to be the most boring subject in high school, so the fact that this show kept my interest at all means it is very good.
George Stevens, Jr.'s play is extremely well written. There is drama and laughter throughout and tonight's audience (small as it was) was extremely receptive. In the play, we learned about Thurgood Marshall in all stages of his life, from childhood and how he was picked on and shunned for being a black man to his triumphs of Brown vs. Board of Education plus all the interactions he had with past presidents of the U.S.
There is no show curtain...Fishburne walks on via stage left and at the end of the play, exits stage right. The set is sparse but effective. There is a long rectangular table center stage with four chairs surrounding it, a podium upstage center, a couple of portfolios, a pitcher of water and a glass, and a gorgeous, white, stone-looking backdrop of the american flag, on which projections are tastefully used throughout the show. The lighting is also very well done.
The play is a crisp 90 minutes and as soon as the show was over, the audience gave an immediate standing ovation (which does not always happen with straight plays). Fishburne certainly deserved it for that long monologue that he delivered extremely well. He did flub 3-4 lines, which I'm sure he will master as previews go on.
At the stage door, there were maybe 15-20 people waiting. Laurence Fishburne had TONS of visitors, including Joan Didion who I saw go into the stage door. After about 10 minutes, the stage door man came out and said that Mr. Fishburne was probably not coming out for a while, but he had pre-signed a bunch of playbills for the crowd, which were given out.
So, all in all, an enjoyable evening. I'm glad I saw it, and am eager to hear others' thoughts in the coming weeks.
Updated On: 4/18/08 at 12:01 AM
