rOcKS @ 'Road Show'- Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 12:12am

Oh my God, yes! When the front of that box came crashing down and out popped Michael... I loved it.

Doyle was trained by someone who worked with Brecht, and you can see the pervasive influence.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 12:14am

Exactly, so the reviews saying it was "cold" are exactly right. Even the make-up made some of the actors just look sort of dead. I loved the lighting. It was so stark and perfect. I enjoyed how Hollis was creepily walking around and not singing as well. Not quite sure what Doyle was trying to say with that, but I still enjoyed it. But damn, those costumes need some work!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 12:19am

Well, Company was undoubtedly cold, too. And Sweeney, of course. I didn't find Road Show *as* cold as the previous two, but it did have that element to it, to a degree. That's one of the things I worry about with Road Show's reception, actually. I think people are going to complain that Doyle is employing too many of his "usual" devices... but really, those devices fit so, so well with the things that Sondheim writes about over and over again -- and those themes are certainly present in Road Show, so it works. That's why they're such a perfect team, IMO.

[binau]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 6:03am

What is ATC?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 8:35am

All That Chat, the message board at talkinbroadway.com.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 11:25am

So with Cerveris doing "Hedda..." does that mean that there's no chance of a transfer?

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 12:45pm

I think one of the underlying problems with the concept, no matter what the show's title is or who the director is, is that there's just not much to make the audience care about the brothers for most of the show. I saw the Kennedy Center incarnation of Bounce and I left not giving a damn about the Mizner brothers. I love Sondheim, so I bought the CD, but I couldn't tell you one song that really stuck with me lyrically, much less emotionally. So reading some of the reviews of Road Show so far don't really surprise me. I just wish I understood better what it is about this concept that keeps Sondheim interested in trying to make it work after all of these years.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 12:58pm

Well my problem with the show being so cold was that it was so cold that it never invited the audience in to it. And I understand, and enjoy every now and then, Brechtian productions of shows but it just didn't work for this material for me...and I actually found this to be Doyle's least Brechtian directorial job ever...maybe it's because the theater is so intimate? I don't know...

I'm very glad people disagree with me though and I truly wish nothing but the best for this show. Like I said, the potential is there.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 7:50pm

---- Spoilers Ahead -----

Less Brechtian? The actors were visibly waiting in the wings and using common objects as other things - like the "snow." I found it interesting, to say the least. I actually think there is plenty of "drama" within the characters it just hasn't been tapped upon yet byt he cast/director. No one seems the least be surprised that Addy is gay, which surprised me - given the time period. Also, they never really touch upon the drug habits of the two brothers. They sort of give it a tongue-in-cheek sort of wink at the idea of an addiction. They both do coke, yet nothing is really said about Addy doing it. I never saw his downward spiral that led to Hollis wanting to leave. I think it will get there, but right now the actors (mostly Addy) haven't tapped into all its potential. The book def. doesn't help out, but I don't think it's awful.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 7:53pm

I think, in comparison with his shows where the actors play the instruments, this is less Brechtian. Although both efforts are highly Brechtian obviously. I just found the productions of SWEENEY and COMPANY to be both Brechtian in approach taken to a new level. It wasn't even classical Brechtian, it was the next step past Brechtian. And it worked in both productions. It did here too but on a different level. Again, Doyle's direction was the best thing about the production and I'm not trying to slight his work at all.

And I agree about the awkwardness of the coke addiction in the book...it's not mentioned really unless we see them doing it. And ditto to Addy's homosexuality.
Updated On: 10/29/08 at 07:53 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 8:00pm

Well, in those shows, you were also seeing a distinct lack of realistic props (i.e. the empty glasses and empty plates), and they were very classically Brechtian in the sense that there was a lot going on that constantly reminded you that you were in a theater, watching a play. Like, with the instruments, you were looking at something that you simply do not see in real life -- a constant reminder that you were watching a play. Those kinds of things are still definitely present in Road Show. It's very theatrical, and continually reminds you that you're watching a play, but kind of... in a toned down way, almost, comparatively speaking. For example, the use of props is still minimal, since one of Doyle's big things is to toss out anything that isn't absolutely necessary to the telling of the story in the way he's chosen to tell it, but it's look certainly errs a little bit more toward visual realism than Company did.

I hope that was semi-coherent.

It could still transfer. The show isn't dependent on Michael, as great as he is.

Updated On: 10/30/08 at 08:00 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/29/08 at 8:01pm

Yeah, I don't think Michael's decision to join GABBLER will affect a transfer. It could happen if the reviews are strong, regardless. And I truly hope they are...I hope the show improves.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 12:06am

Really? I mean, I thought he gave a great performance. I was in awe of how he developed such a monster of a character. I mean, he really is an awful guy, and I loved seeing him transform into that. He was just so in the moment the entire time, and I loved seeing that.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 12:34pm

I just wish I understood better what it is about this concept that keeps Sondheim interested in trying to make it work after all of these years.

I said exactly this after seeing the show yesterday. I thought, "I'm going to have to do some research on these people to see what drew Sondheim so strongly to this story." Because I don't get it. None of the characters in the show are remotely sympathetic, but nor is it presented as a completely cautionary tale. Who are we supposed to root for? Sondheim usually does a great job of writing protagonists that the audience will root for despite very great flaws, but the Mizner brothers aren't like that. I wasn't inspired to revile them, either. It was just hard to care either way.

That's the chief flaw of the show. It could just be that I don't get it, but I have thought about it. I didn't understand what point Sondheim is trying to make or why I was watching this particular story. The actual production is very strong, though (although I agree with WickedRoCkS that the money motif gets overbearing).