The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence

Haven't seen it but I will be very interested in hearing your report, thanks.

Anxious to hear how this is. Even as a PH subscriber, I have (so far at least) opted to skip SEA MONSTERS as it doesn't seem to be something I'd enjoy. So I'm curious how this production is...look forward to hearing your thoughts!

I enjoyed this tremendously. Very poignant in its depiction of the foibles and rewards of connecting with each other. The context of historical fictional characters as well as real figures gives an almost surreal feeling. The best thing I've seen which looks at the limits of technology.

...Of course.

Well, I'm with After Eight on this one. I had no idea what was going on. And the longer the play went on, the more baffled I became (I did stay for the whole thing). I liked John Ellison Conlee, though. He kept the evening from being a total loss.

Sorry, I didn't take note of the running time.

Updated On: 11/17/13 at 12:06 AM

Yes, it began about five minutes after eight and ended at 10:35. I liked the interesting mix of reality and fantasy at first, but too many speeches were long winded, adding little while diluting my pleasure and trying my patience. Also, I like Conlee but somehow he seemed miscast as the object of a young woman's instant attraction. At one point he's described as someone well younger than he appears to be, which threw me. And the play is simply too long; it needs judicious cutting.

One jarring element: Perhaps this was due to its being a very early preview, but the moving of I assume scenery and props behind the curtain while action was going on onstage was loud enough to be distracting.

Updated On: 11/17/13 at 01:37 AM

They WERE playing various roles. Sherlock Holmes was not one of them though. His assistant Watson, Watson the creation of the modern day techno woman, Watson the Alexander Graham Bell assistant, and Watson the computer repair guy were played by one actor. Another actor was Alexander Bell, the lovelorn auditor candidate, and Merrick the inventor. The woman played different characters too. I agree it was challenging to parse through some of the changes in character but not impossibly so. I thought the script was intelligent and engrossing.
I'd highly recommend this as it's a challenging and extremely well done piece. It doesn't offer any easy answers which makes it more interesting.

Reading your comment was quite a trial of blather...or perhaps babble....either one would be right.

Caught this last night and while it took a good part of the first act to get going, I thought by the time the second act rolled around it developed into something really beautiful and engaging. This is still pretty safe and not overly experimental in form but the play sort of is seeking to look at the Watson character in a couple of different stories, weaving together Watson from Sherlock Holmes, Watson of Bell and Watson and the recent Watson computer that beat the two reigning champions of jeopardy. The story focuses around a woman who is developing computer technology based off this Watson computer which is a high tech AI machine. The play very smartly weaves together how the Watsons of the world, the sidekicks, the unsung heroes that are at the heel of every extraordinary person, affect our lives on the reg.

The kind of work Playwrights Horizons done isn't particularly experimental when it comes to form, they just aren't willing to cater to a society that demands filmic pacing and MTV quick cuts because our attention span has gone to ****. This play is very typical of what PH generally has to offer, and in a great way I think. It's a play that makes you think about the people you are sitting next too, and actually might make you feel something too.

There was a definite link with all the different Watsons from my eyes. They were all helpers and genuine in their almost compulsive need to assist. This is what attracted them to the other characters they came in contact with. The Watsons were almost seductive in this way.
At the end of the play, Bell's Watson gives a touching and affecting expansion about this. I found this section, where he speaks into the microphone with the present-day woman as his interviewer, saying there are few real extraordinary people, but behind them are many more who have had direct influence on their groundbreaking endeavors, one of the best parts in the play.

Playitagain-I think you hit all of my notes on this one. I liked the first act but really thought the scene transitions (and those damn noisy curtains) were about as flat-footed as anything I've ever seen at Playwrights. Then I think the whole thing got way too wordy and ended up officially running out of steam before it ended. Fine acting, disappointing direction (both because it didn't find a more economical way to transition and also because it didn't force the playwright to become more economical and more focused).