airplane in if/then
airplane in if/then
ethan231h
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/5/11
#1airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 7:58pm
***********CONTAINS SPOILERS********
why is the airplane crash in if/then? I love the show but the crash doesn't really do anything to the story. Thoughts?
#2airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 8:08pmWas thinking about that today. Not sure what I was missing but it almost seemed left over for a revision.
#2airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 8:55pm
SPOILER
Each track of Elizabeth's story has a life altering moment. Liz loses Josh and Beth is almost in a fatal crash. This leads both of them to reassess their respective paths and make an attempt at "starting over."
"I shall stay until the wind changes."
Updated On: 7/20/14 at 08:55 PM
#3airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 9:18pmBecause Liz's story line is wildly more interesting and developed, and they needed something to spice up Beth's storyline
nasty_khakis
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/15/07
#4airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 9:22pmBecause they needed yet another heavy-handed cliche to make a character stop and examine their live and agree (once again) to live in the moment and choose each moment and relish each moment.
#5airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 9:58pm
It was meant to be a "My life flashed before my eyes" moment that (could) happen(s) to all of us some point.
It could have been her being in a bank when it was held up by robbers... a car accident.
One of those moments that makes you think and remember your life.
What if...? ... I died in plane crash... I almost died in a plane crash...
IF this happened, IF I did this, THEN that would (or would not have) happened.
That's the whole point of the show.
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES---
"THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
Updated On: 7/20/14 at 09:58 PM
#7airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 10:27pmIt's also shoe-horned in and staged very poorly so its not very impactful. Oh gee, yet another horrible thing to happen to the lady.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
mjohnson2
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/13
#8airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 10:50pmI know, I feel so sorry for Elizabeth. He life just kinda sucks no matter what she does. That being said, I actually like the plane crash and think that it is important to the plot, though I would have preferred something less far-fetched than a plane crash where people actually live.
Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.
#9airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 11:29pm
I love this show unapologetically but will admit this is by far my least favorite scene. It's just so trite. I get that they needed some sort of life altering incident for Beth, but it just isn't all that effective, especially when in contrast to Liz's just a few scenes prior. Also, the song which accompanies it "the moment explodes" is the weakest of the entire score, in my opinion.
Updated On: 7/21/14 at 11:29 PM
#10airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 11:54pmAll of you who can remember what events happen in which half of her story are mysterious to me. I don't even remember which alter ego had the sudden, degenerative eye condition and which one didn't.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
Jazzinator
Swing Joined: 5/19/14
#11airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/20/14 at 11:59pm
Agree TFMH18.
The two storyline thing doesn't really work if you only care about one. And the airplane scene is the worst part of the less interesting story.
PeterPan2
Chorus Member Joined: 3/14/14
#12airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/21/14 at 12:13amI get that it acts as a life changing moment but a car crash would have been more relatable and realistic
VotePeron
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/13
#13airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/21/14 at 12:18amThe engine thrashes. The car crashes. The moment explodes.
delongpre
Featured Actor Joined: 12/12/12
#14airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/21/14 at 12:26am
SPOILERS
I think I read that the crash was originally more violent where there were injuries but they tamed it down. Anyone else remember reading that?
Also, "the moment explodes" can also refer to how Josh died in the other storyline. There really isn't much in this play that cannot apply to both storylines in some way. Have seen it multiple times and notice something new every time.
carolinaguy
Broadway Star Joined: 10/13/06
#15airplane in if/then
Posted: 7/21/14 at 8:31amUnless something changed since DC, it's not really a plane "crash". There's engine trouble over the Atlantic and some scary moments. But it does seem a long way to go to make a point that could have been done in a simpler way. Though I do think moving the scene to later in the second act during the Broadway revisions helps it make a little more sense.
Just remembering you've had an "and"
When you're back to "or"
Makes the "or" mean more than it did before
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