Therese Raquin Previews- Page 2

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:28am

dave1606 said: "

I saw the movie of this earlier this year with Jessica Lange and am starting to think that it is just the material that doesn't work. Neither of these were satisfying adaptations. 

 

"

I had to study the novel in a French lit class and came away thinking the novel was amazing.  In Secret (the film with Lange,) was a plodding, horrible adaptation.  It sounds like this is similar...  I assume this is a brand new adaptation of the book and not a translation of Zola's own play (which admittedly I don't know, but has had success...)  So I wouldn't blame the material, though I guess it's proving to be hard to adapt...

Updated On: 10/2/15 at 12:28 AM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:34am

I didn't change my name! I noticed for the first time this morning that it suddenly had been shortened.  Maybe there is a new character limit on names and Trina, Jason and Mendel got the boot. :/

 

From what I can tell this is not a translation of Zola's play version, but simply a new adaption by Helen Edmundson of the novel. I think LaChiusa should adapt the novel into a musical. Or they could always just revive Thou Shalt Not...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:46am

Whizzer

 

Your version seems to be what happened but you can see how I was mistaken about him going back to his seat as that is the way it looked from our vantage point. Thanks for clearing it up.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:47am

Ha!  But the LaChiusa idea is pretty inspired (although obviously wouldn't win over any of his detractors, but at this point nothing will.)

[Tag]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:51am

Despite the drama, this should be a nice bit of publicity for the show when the national media picks up the story tomorrow.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:00am

Since this is a new adaptation, would this qualify as a new play or will it still be a revival?

[sondmon]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:03am

Sas there ever any other therese raquin to play on broadway? If not, I don't think it could be a revival.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:05am

Roxy,

Yeah, I had a great vantage point to see the whole thing unfold. I wouldn't have gone near him if I were an usher. This is an instance where you call security/the police and let them handle it because to confront him would put yourself in too much potential danger.

 

Eric,

To be fair, I think LaChiusa should adapt as much as possible, but Therese Raquin feels particularly well suited for his talents.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:08am

Now I have to go back and listen to Connick's score for Thou Shalt Not. I recalled we enjoyed it when we saw it on Broadway.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:15am

Well, the disturbance in the audience was definitely the highlight of the evening for me. I have never witnessed anything like that in the theatre before. It was pretty crazy! 

The rest of the evening was a mixed bag for me. I thought the performances were great all around. The play itself just is not very engaging. At all. I found myself more intrigued by the scenery (more on that later) than the actual events unfolding onstage. The run time was almost three hours tonight, and I felt every minute of it. I'm sure they will get it down to two thirty by opening night, but that's still pretty long for this play.

As Whizzer said, many scenes, especially in the second act, are pretty much exactly the same. I mean, how many domino games can they play? A lot of the scenes did nothing to advance the plot whatsoever and just made the play even more sluggish.

The best part of the show for me was the massive set. As previously mentioned on this thread, the entire back half of the stage is a pool of water. It is visually striking and beautiful, and it is well used at the end of the first act (one of the most exciting moments in the play). HUGE entire sets (including furniture) are flown in from the ceiling, which I found to be quite impressive and visually striking, especially the first time it happened. 

Overall, I thought this was just okay. Even though the acting and scenic elements are great in my opinion, I don't think they're enough for me to recommend sitting through this.

Updated On: 10/2/15 at 01:15 AM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:33am

sondmon said: "Sas there ever any other therese raquin to play on broadway? If not, I don't think it could be a revival.

 

"

There was a 1945 different adaptation of the play apparently (but also not a translation of the Zola play for what that's worth.)  http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1731

 

 

[Jshan05]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 9:24am

Really bummed to hear it isn't off to a great start. I'm still going to see it, however, I hope it gets a little tighter/cleaner in the next couple of weeks...still shocked about that guy! What a crazy situation!

[mamaleh]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:04am

Was there an intermission?  What was the running time, please?

[newintown]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:14am

That old tart Thérèse Raquin has been adapted so many times, even she has lost count. There have probably been 10 different plays or musicals, and twice as many movies/TV adaptations. It's the most basic of triangle stories, and it can even be argued that The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and other such cheating wife narratives owe their existence to it.

 

For my money, I'll take Charles Ludlam's Artificial Jungle as the best adaptation, because it's the only one with any sense of humor.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:14am

There was an intermission. The running time is around 2:40  or thereabouts .

[Jshan05]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:15am

bwayphreak said: "The run time was almost three hours tonight"

[sondmon]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:24am

I'm seeing this next Sunday so I don't have a full perspective but I had an inkling that this was going to be extremely difficult to adapt. Zola is a master of scientific analysis of personality and the book is very much about understanding the divergent personalities of the four main characters. There is no real plot here but there is a ton of insight into understanding the human condition. The Thursday nights at the shop, Therese and Laurent alone in their room etc..... all repeat themselves constantly. However in each scene the same issues intensify leading to the climax at the end of the novel. They kill Camille and nothing plotwise happens until the end of the novel. How do you depict that on stage? It takes a lot of acting and directing nuance to capture Zola's ability to scientifically study the human condition. The same scenes are not boring in the novel because of Zola's writing but visually it becomes difficult to truly differentiate scene repetition unless you are very skilled 

The story in itself is a 10 minute story. Woman has an affair, they kill her husband and it haunts them for the rest of their lives. To make it 2 and a half hours is extremely difficult. 

 

Hope this makes sense.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:25am

Based on photos I saw posted online, it appears she signed autographs after the performance. I guess she brushed off the bit of business that occurred. Good for her. 

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:28am

sondmon said: "...They kill Camille and nothing plotwise happens until the end of the novel....

 

The story in itself is a 10 minute story. Woman has an affair, they kill her husband and it haunts them for the rest of their lives. To make it 2 and a half hours is extremely difficult. 

 

This message could have used spoiler tags! I'm seeing this tomorrow. I know it's an old novel, but I wasn't familiar with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 10/2/15 at 11:28 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:32am

Oh, no, we're going to get spoiler complaints about Thérèse Raquin...

 

Also on the spoiler list: Oedipus' eyes, who won the Trojan War, Julius Caesar and the Senate, Romeo and Juliet and some poison and a knife, Rosebud, and anything in the Bible.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:53am

It should be taken for granted that plot details are going to be discussed in a thread dedicated to a show.

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 11:56am

Kad said: "It should be taken for granted that plot details are going to be discussed in a thread dedicated to a show. "

 

How hard is it to add the word SPOILER?

 

[newintown]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 12:04pm

It might be just me, but I think it's pretty much ridiculous to demand that people call the basic story of a classic novel a spoiler.

Updated On: 10/2/15 at 12:04 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:01pm

Hard to believe Thou Shalt Not was 14 years ago.

 

Cast

Camille - Norbert Leo Butz

Madame - Debra Monk

Laurent -  Craig Bierko

Therese - Kate Levering

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 10/2/15 at 1:07pm

"Sas there ever any other therese raquin to play on broadway? If not, I don't think it could be a revival"

That's not how it works. We have a classics rule. It's a revival.