The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
noahrp3
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/05
#0The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/28/06 at 7:20pmI did a search and couldn't find anything that answered my question. For anybody that has seen this production yet, what is your opinion? I hear its extremely different from anything else people have ever seen. Can someone post a review? I am seeing it tomorrow afternoon, so I will post a review when I get home. Also, I have seats in the balcony. Are the Ahmanson balcony seats good? Thanks
2seatsoffcenter
Swing Joined: 4/28/06
#1re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/28/06 at 8:17pmGo in with an OPEN MIND!!!! I loved it. You're gonna see many walkouts at intermission since this is not a typical musical-comedy performance. Stay with it and I guarantee that Robert Wilsons iamges will haunt you for a long time. The wedding scene in Act 2 was visually amazing. You are going to witness a talented emsemble cast! The first Act is about 80 minutes and needs to be cut down a bit. The night I attended, half the audience gave it a standing O and loud cheers for the cast. This is a VERY controversial show.
noahrp3
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/05
#2re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/28/06 at 8:30pmI will definitely go in with an open mind. I LOVE Tom Waits and I think he is a brilliant songwriter, so I am very excited for this show. Does anyone know how the balcony seats are? I hope they aren't terrible. haha
noahrp3
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/05
#4re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/29/06 at 3:06ami had no idea what it was about before i saw it. i had no idea what it was about while i was watching it. and three days later i still have no idea.
noahrp3
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/05
#5re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/29/06 at 10:54amhahaha. Sounds like it will be very interesting. Since I;m in the balcony, maybe I can find an empty seat in the orchestra and move down there at intermission (as I am sure there will be plenty of emty seats from people leaving)
noahrp3
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/05
#6re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 4/30/06 at 12:03pm
Ok. So I saw the Black Rider yesterday afternoon. I have to say, it was the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. When all of the characters started coming out of the box at the beginning, I got a little creeped out and felt very uncomfortable which it was supposed to make you feel. I thought the opening was very cool and thought it was going to be a great show... I was wrong. I guess its just not my kind of thing. I could not follow the story line very well (some guy makes a pact with the devil to be able to kill deer). It wasn't just that, but it was too freakin' weird. There would be a scary uncle fester looking guy in front of the curtain that would have a 3 minute monologue that was about nothing, and then the curtain would open and a different Uncle Fester looking guy would say the same monologue, but repeat the 2nd syllable of every 3 words or something like that. I didn't get the concept, and by the end of Act I, I had a headache. So I walked out b/c I didn't think I could take it anymore.
On the positive side, I thought the set was amazing and the lighting design even better. I loved Tom Waits music and thought it went really well with the show. It really reminded me of Kurt Weill and the Threepenny Opera. But it was definitely a very German kind of show.
Also, as I walked out at intermission there were a couple of people who were very pissed off. One lady said 'we should write letters and ask for our money back and an extra show'. I thought it was kind of funny.
Anyway, even though I didn't enjoy it, I thought it was a very interesting experience and I'm glad I went to see what it was. And I'm extremely thankful I only paid $20 for my ticket and not $60. That would've been a bummer.
#7re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/26/06 at 7:10pm
Is there any video of this in existence? even really bad quality ones?
I'm on the wrong coast to go see it...but have the album and the video clips...
If anyone has any leads, PM me.
#8re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/26/06 at 7:18pm
There aren't any legal videos of this production.
Bootlegs are illegal and aren't allowed to be discussed on this forum.
#9re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/26/06 at 11:00pm
thank you patronus - i know that bootlegs are illegal and not to be discussed on this site
however, I also know that their are official websites that have video clips - this is how i fell in love with the show so far -the quality is not great and it's far away but it's still worth it - this is what i meant - i'll be sure to clarify next time
i also know that producers/directors writers often film rehearsals or that at least in ny websites may often do video report segments. i'm more familiar with ny, because as i said i'm on the wrong coast so i was curious about what kind of archiving if any goes on. thank you
jwsel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/2/05
#10re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/31/06 at 1:46am
I just saw The Black Rider tonight and it was the worst theater experience of my life. I have a pretty open mind about theater, and am not put off by different. I have enjoyed a lot of avant garde and experimental theater, but avant garde or, as the program says, "genre-bending" is no excuse for just plain bad.
This show had no redeeming features. The music was bland and uninteresting, the book was non-existent, the characters were utterly unlikable, and only a couple of the actors could actually sing (and they could rarely be heard over the shrieking of the music and other characters).
For those of you who have not seen it, imagine a production in which every character appears like the Joel Grey emcee from Cabaret, but even more grotesque and exaggerated. Wilhelm, the character who makes the pact with the devil, does not walk, but steps sideways into a crouch as he moves across the stage. The father, who bears a strong resemblance to Beetlejuice, stutters half his lines. Some characters seem to exist only to cackle and shriek. The music is deliberately dissonant (and headache-inducing). The plot, a Faustian tale, is so thin that, at one point, they tell the story of Georg -- who went insane because of the Magic Bullets -- twice. The first time is recited by one character and then, as if you didn't catch it that time, they have another character play Georg while repeating the exact same lines. And then there is a number where characters dance on the stage with the corpses of deer, with their entrails exposed.
What an astonishing waste of talent. This wouldn't even be worth the cost if it were playing in a small experimental theater off-off-broadway for $10 a ticket. It was truly wretched.
Updated On: 5/31/06 at 01:46 AM
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#11re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/31/06 at 1:53amjwsel...I couldn't agree with you more.
SueleenGay
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/9/03
#12re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/31/06 at 1:54amHas this been reviewed yet? And are the Waits songs written specifically for this show or do they use his old songs?
jwsel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/2/05
#13re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 5/31/06 at 1:55am
The music is written specifically for the show, although a few songs sound like they were written for Waits' voice, which unfortunately none of the singers possess.
Updated On: 5/31/06 at 01:55 AM
TicketMediaGuy
Understudy Joined: 12/13/05
#14re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 6/1/06 at 10:57am
I know that there are TONS of reviews for this show - and interestingly enough, there's no middle ground with the critics. They either love it, or hate it.
I also know that the producers of the show have put up audience comments on their web page: http://www.taperahmanson.com/custom/m-FeedbackBlackRider.asp
It's worth a look. Again, I found that there really isn't any middle ground. People are either loving it or hating it. I loved it so much I'm going to see it again on Saturday night.
TimeSuckage
Stand-by Joined: 10/18/05
#15re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:48am
I'm in the hate category, and I love Tom Waits. Weird just for the sake of weird is an insult to the audience. There's an interview with Robert Wilson on laweekly.com where he can't even speak coherently about the show, which makes perfect sense now that I have seen it.
For those of you who liked it, could you elaborate as to why?
#16re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 6/1/06 at 11:57amIt was horrifyingly bad. My friend and I left at intermission.
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#17re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:48pmi'm going this Friday! i've never been more excited and worried about going to a show... luckily i got the $20 hot tix so i won't be too upset if i hated it... and if i did hate it.. i'd never walk out of a show... never have... never will
jwsel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/2/05
#18re: The Black Rider at the Ahmanson
Posted: 6/1/06 at 3:35pm
"For those of you who liked it, could you elaborate as to why?"
I was going to post the same thing earlier. Most of the positive reviews I've seen have commented on the stagecraft (LA Times) or have been things like reader reviews that mainly comment on how "different" it is (as if "different" = "art"). But I don't recall much more, i.e., very little comment on the music, the book, the performances, etc. I actually have been a bit annoyed by the positive reader comments on the LA Times website and by the way the official website posts comments. I came away with the impression that they were saying that if you don't like The Black Rider, it's because you don't "get" it or are simply an uneducated boob who doesn't appreciate "art" that's different. I found that pretty offensive. I "got" The Black Rider, but I still thought it was terrible.
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