Posted: 4/7/15 at 11:41pm
Curious to hear about A. R. Gurney's What I Did Last Summer at Signature Theatre.
Anyone see this or have seen a prior production? Really interested to hear some thoughts.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 1:19pm
BUMP, now that it's started previews :)
Posted: 5/5/15 at 1:42pm
I saw it over the weekend. It's a sweet, well-crafted coming of age story that, like most of Gurney's work, also deftly chronicles what went on beneath the surface of the American leisure class during the war era. The young actor Noah Galvin is giving a superb performance as the young Gurney stand-in, here called Charlie, and his scenes with Kristine Nielsen are lively and moving. Nielsen is the wonder that she always is, ably mixing humor and pathos to craft a portrait of a woman misunderstood by society who is fully in control of her own mind. All of the acting is wonderful, actually, with Carolyn McCormick notably fine as Charlie's mother.
The production is not as successful as it could be--particularly the use of an on-stage drummer who provides a lot of needless underscoring--but it's worth seeing for the performances, especially at $25.
Updated On: 5/5/15 at 01:42 PM
Posted: 5/8/15 at 12:06pm
I saw this the other night and am very mixed. The play itself is pretty good but the production is abysmal.
I found the acting to be pretty dreadful with the exception of Carolyn McCormick and Kristine Nielsen (whom I LOVE but I think her schtick is beginning to wear thin). I really enjoyed Noah Galvin in BURNT PART BOYS but here he is playing the comedy very broad and hokey. Honestly no one really made me think this play was set in 1945.
LarryD2 mentioned how the onstage drummer was unsuccessful and I'm going to second that plus a lot more. I actually HATED the drummer. I go to plays all the time and hardly any of them rely on the use of sound effects and a constant underscoring during every scene. Even though there isn't a car there, I'm pretty sure I understand that they're getting in one based on the actions and props.
That leads me to the biggest fault of all...the scenic design. The stage is pretty much bare except for a white wall and floor with a bench. This is because all of the scenic design is done through everyone's favorite: PROJECTIONS. These aren't your usual projections though, it's a litany of typed words/letters/lines from the script. It's all very distracting because I spent time trying to decipher what was written on the wall during the show. Another misstep was having stage directions projected onto the wall. I don't know if this is something written in the play itself but it's all wrong. If Ted is going to walk on set singing a song then just have him do it, don't tell me it's going to happen and then have me watch it.
All in all, I'd say you wouldn't miss much if you skipped this and just read the play yourself.
Posted: 5/8/15 at 12:58pm
I saw this last weekend, and my friend and I both enjoyed it. I'm in LarryD2's camp, rather than Clyde's on this one. I enjoyed Noah Galvin's performance and the others' as well. The drummer didn't bother me, but I think I'm in the minority, from what I have read online. It's not a profound or groundbreaking work, but a nice slice of life.
Posted: 5/8/15 at 1:06pm
I didn't care for this at all, and found it a huge bore. It felt like a disjointed dated play and I couldn't really "get into" it. As others mentioned, the choice to have a drummer was quite bizarre. Also everything seems to happen in excruciatingly slow motion. Also, typing inane boring stage directions on the screen started to give me a headache and I simply stopped reading after a while. Maybe 1 or 2 stage directions, but after a while the gimmick quickly wears thin.
I overheard others say how they usually love A.R. Gurney's plays (and find them fast-paced and funny). Unfortunately, this was a total misfire. Nothing like the fun zany 90 minute shows of A.R. Gurney I've seen at The Flea.
Updated On: 5/8/15 at 01:06 PM
Posted: 5/11/15 at 10:49pm
I don't know what play most of you all saw here - but I have nothing but praise for this one. Thought the set, drums, cast, direction was spot-on. I can maybe see where Noah Galvin's "Charlie" could strike some as a bit overplayed & not totally period - but felt everyone else conjured up another place & time. I was charmed & moved & so may many others who give this one an open-hearted go.
