Woman in White - Saturday 11/12 (Sorry - Long)

[speihei]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 11:38am

Saw the show Saturday night and it met my high expectations. I've read so many comments, positive and negative and, at the risk of being repetitive here are my thoughts.

The Story - I think you have to be willing to let yourself get drawn into the story to really enjoy the full flavor of the show. Is it melodramatic? Yes. Can it be "figured out" before the twists are finally revealed? Yes. But I sat next to a gentleman who did not know the story and he didn't figure it out and loved it beginning to end. With due respect to those who think every twist is telegraphed, I suspect that many of you knew the twists before you sat down. This story doesn't get better every time you hear it, but the first time is a pleasure.

The Performances - There are three or four "shiver" moments in this show that overwhelm you and make the show worth the price of admission. I won't spoil them here but when they come, the relevant performers exude such emotion, especially the gut-wrenching sadness that exists throughout the show, that they make you feel their emotions along with them.

Maria Friedman gives an outstanding performance as Marian and, contrary to some of the comments here, is powerful and on key the entire time. She is far funnier that I would have expected. Having not seen the show, I didn't expect those comic moments to be as important as they were to me. She breaks up the melodrama with her wit and timing, but not so much as to detract from the show. This is an incredibly talented actress who performs to her ability. The only reason she doesn't steal the show is because of ...

Michael Ball who is downright hysterical as Fosco. His sense of comic timing is impecable and his sensitivity to the unpredictablility of his animal kingdom co-stars was on display when the co-star of "You Can Get Away with Anything" was not as cooperative as he could have been. When he bellowed "old maid!" (if you know the show, you know what I am talking about here), one of the birds was geniuinely startled.

Adam Brazier was outstanding as Walter. "Evermore Without You" was powerful and he clearly understands the depth of emotion required for this role. He is excellent now and I suspect will improve as he evokes a maturity that portends improvement each time he plays the role.

Angela Christian should have her photo next to the word "ethereal" in the dictionary. I've seen how some have characterized her as annoying in her performance but she is playing a role that frightens the other characters who initially perceive as a deeply disturbed ghost; the role is disturbing and the audience should be disturbed by it. The range of her performance from the sweetness of "Somehow You Complete Me" to her rage in the Act I finale is all right on. Those who are critical of her performance seem not to understand her character and how true she is to it.

Jill Paice (Laura) also displays the range of emotion required to pull off the role in a convincing manner. Her voice is outstanding and her treatment of her relationship with Glyde makes the latter more sinister than he can make himself. Jill plays the supporting role as such and doesn't distract from the story by trying to overplay the role.

Ron Bohmer is a sinister figure as Glyde and shows his character's numerous flaws very well. He plays both his sense of entitlement and his heavy handedness to the hilt. At the wedding his momentary reaction to Laura's rebuff demonstrates his understanding of a character that is so self-absorbed that he cannot possibly comprehend how reviled he truly is.

The music is something short of vinatge Webber but still compelling at the right times. The conductor and orchestra are ready and polished for opening night. The lyrics are slightly different from the OLC and in some cases an improvement. There is still too much forcing done with the lyrics however and it definitely shows.

The scenery/projections have been the source of some controversey here and in other places. I liked it and was not at all distracted by the projections. They did have a somewhat IMAX feel to them at times and, using my wife who is sometimes has motion sickness issues as a barometer, I can see how they could have detracted from her enjoyment of the show.

Stage door afterwards - The cast couldn't have been nicer or more friendly. I was fortunate to be able to have a short conversation with Sonia Friedman (the producer and Maria's sister) and she reported that Maria is doing well and is upbeat about her chances of recovery. She will be in my thoughts and prayers and she battles her illness.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 11:49am

So why were some people reporting that Maria was out of the show yesterday? I guess someone was lying....

[mysterychix]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 11:56am

I think Maria was just out of the matinee, but my understanding was that she did perform last night...

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 12:01pm

I see. Probably just to rest up for Thursday (?).

[VinnieTheIceman]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 12:54pm

numfag, just because someone doesn't post which performance she missed doesn't make someone a liar. Now listen teenager, you've got a science test tomorrow so start studying. The reviews on WIW (a show you haven't seen!!!!) will be out this week and it's gonna be ugly. Get your homework done early on Thursday.

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 12:55pm

I also saw the show Saturday night and agree pretty much with all you said. The performances here by all the cast are wonderful - very Victorian and very Gothic. (If it's possible to be both at the same time.) I won't go into detail over Friedman's and Ball's performances. They were just as wonderful as everyone has been saying.

I did think that Ron Bohmer's performance was far more effective and powerful - particularly the voice - than Brazier's. Brazier just didn't register very strongly with me. I was also disappointed in Angela Christian's voice. It seemed so high pitched and had so much vibrato that I was unable to understand everything she was singing. In truth I remember feeling pretty much the same way about her voice in "Millie" so it may just be me. Aside from the problems I had with the voice, her performance was flawless.

After all I'd heard, I was prepared to dislike the projections completely. In truth - for the most part it was great! You really felt like you were in a big, old mansion or out on the moors or in a woods. They would never have gotten that kind of detail in so many scenes had they used actual sets. Still, I agree with ddtruitt's wife that occasionally the movement made me seasick too! I had spent the afternoon at DRS and it was wonderful watching the actors and dancers maneuvering around those moving sets on the turntable there. This was different in that the views are actually blurred while the sets are turning. You feel sometimes like you're sitting in the middle of a spinning turntable. It took a moment after they stopped to get your head (and stomach) settled!

There were large cameras in the audience Saturday night, filming the show. (This was not for Lincoln Center. I got the impression from one of the cameramen that these films would be seen in bits and pieces for the reviews and ads for the show.) At any rate - I was sitting dead center in the orchestra, next to one of these cameras. As quiet and unobtrusive as he tried to be, I was still aware that he was there and filming the entire time. This show deserves (and needs) total immersion in the story at hand. I guess I just have to go back! LOL.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 1:17pm

Glad you enjoyed!

Posted: 11/13/05 at 1:21pm

Very glad you warned me that the projections started to make you seasick. I can't even sit thro' "Body Wars" or "Back to the Future" at Epcot----so, I'll just have to sit back and read (and enjoy) the reviews on this production. (When I read the description in the Times about the projections---I wondered about the seasick effect) :)

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 1:25pm

They have toned the projections down. They have even cut some of them from the show. And, apparantly, you only feel "seasick" if you are in the first few rows. At this point it is probably near impossible to buy seats that close for the foreseeable future. Farther back however, the projections are not as dizzying. It shouldn't dissuade you from seeing the show!

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 1:36pm

I was sitting in L110 - which is really a perfect location for this show. You definitely don't want to be too close or you'll miss the full effect. I also don't want to overstate this 'seasick' effect. It was only once or twice that I noticed it and then it only lasted for a minute. I remember feeling that if they would just slow the rotation a tiny bit then the feeling would go away.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:00pm

good review! i wanna see this...
so does angela play the woman in white, or the crazy woman with the "secret" and is like put in an asylum/killed, or something?

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:01pm

Yes. You are the only one who feels that way DD.

You are usually the only one.

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:01pm

Please be sensitive to the rhetoric you may use.

"No personal attacks. We all have different opinions. Disagree with the view, not with the person."



Updated On: 11/13/05 at 02:01 PM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:02pm

good review! i wanna see this...
so does angela play the woman in white, or the crazy woman with the "secret" and is like put in an asylum/killed, or something?

[chernjam]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:06pm

From the range of opinions, you're not alone.

I do think to fully appreciate WIW, you do need to stay with it through the second act. A few people around me on Friday were complaining they didn't like it at intermission, but seemed to have been "converted" by the second act (that did seem kind of peculiar to me, but these were just people sitting around me, not anyone I knew).

As to saying there's not a song in the first act, I don't know what to tell you -- "Trying Not to Notice" has been in my head since Friday Night, "I Believe my heart"; "A Gift For Living Well" and most haunting Friedman's riveting "All for Laura" and that act one finale when the three sisters are singing was truly hypnotic -

Not trying to convince you - just one man's opinion. Loved WIW. Will see it again (and am interested to see Light in the Piazza)

Jim

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:11pm

Thanks for the great review!

[mysterychix]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 2:54pm

I would second the fact that you really need to stay through Act II to appreciate the show. I was one of those that thought the whole "falling in love thing" went a little long, but the second act (both times I've seen the show) just blows me away...

Oh I long for the day when a show has two equally good and well-balanced acts -- most shows definitely seem to me to have one act that is always better than the other. In this case ALW saved the best for last.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 3:07pm

Absolutely. The second act is much better than the first. You've gotta stay with it.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 3:13pm

to clarify, Maria was out of the matinee yesterday....I have the understudy slip to prove it.

[speihei]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 3:20pm

dd-

you're not crazy but I respectfully disagree...

All for Laura

I Believe My Heart

both qualify for me

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 3:37pm

DD-

I understand what you're saying about the lack of song songs. I haven't seen the show, just litsned to the OLC...I've found more than 2 songs, but there are fewer songs that one is used to in a musical. I, personally, don't have a problem with it. I enjoy hearing dialogueish singing, which is what WIW has A LOT of. It could also be how one perceives how a song should be.

BWAYONDABRAIN: The woman in white and the crazy asylum lady are one and the same.

[442namffug]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 4:13pm

So, your definition of a musical is "flashy, BIG upbeat songs that may have some tap dancing and 'tada' moments that encourage the actors to 'hold' at the end of the song while the audience applauds at after the final orchestra hit"?

That's what you seem to be saying.

You are saying that there are no "songs". A "song" is anytime dialogue is sung to a tune and often accompanied by instruments. Just because it isn't "Thoroughly Modern Millie!" or "Defying Gravity!" doesn't mean it's not a "song".

There is no such thing as a "set in stone MUSICAL". WIW seems to take a different approach and, much in the same way as Les Miserables etc., doesn't present itself as a stereotypical musical. It attempts to be more mature and "real" than something like 42nd Street or Show Boat or Spamalot which are stereotypical "musicals".

Updated On: 11/13/05 at 04:13 PM

[jo]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 7:03pm

I like sung-through musicals ( ASPECTS OF LOVE and LES MISERABLES are two of my favourites) as I think they allow the story to flow more smoothly. In some cases ( as in ASPECTS) I found some of the recitatives surprisingly even more appealing than some of the songs in the show ( and ASPECTS has a pretty good number of excellent standalone songs). I have enjoyed the musicals of ALWebber which are composed in this format more than his earlier ones.

I think as one sees this show another time ( and finally leave the sets to the background, not as an eye-popping distraction) and listen to the CD a few more instances, one finds the show growing in appeal more and more, musically- and visually-speaking.

Re the sets -- I remember that when I first saw the show in London I was so worried being seated on the fifth row ( I don't have excellent eyesight) that I kept wondering in the whole first 10 minutes or so when I was going to become dizzy or disoriented. It never happened! When I saw it again, I looked at the sets as actually a means of moving the story along fast and very effectively.

Overall, the show's appeal grows - I expect to find it even more appealing when I see the Broadway version ( a few more times ) soon!

[Lori]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 7:08pm

It's amazing that Maria is back, period. If she has to skip the matinee so be it. She's one gutsy lady.

I'd add "Evermore Without You" to the list of memorable songs. I think it's lovely.

"I Believe My Heart" was obviously intended to be the signature song...it was released as a single in the UK...but "All For Laura" is the one that leaves the greatest impression on me.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/13/05 at 9:19pm

"Evermore Without You" is a gorgeous song.

I will say that I think Marian needs a big act 2, 11 o'clock, "Look how I've come" number. The character needs something flashy in the second act (the reprise of All For Laura is too sbort to serve this purpose)