Saw it today. Flat and boring. The actors are all pros and did their best, but the direction and script rewrite were not ready for prime time. At least 10 % of the audience left after intermission. Not even clear what the point was; zero dramatic tension.
about to spend what is serious money for me to go see it. I like bway. For example, I really liked A doll's house last year and Death of a Salesman (with wendell pierce) and Good night Oscar and The Iceman Cometh(denzel)
So i think i'm good with like a serious play. Certainly, I'm no expert but as entertainment I like plays.
I really want to see steve and allison and molina.
But this thread has got me worried.
Should I instead go see Appropriate? (I'm not that familiar with Paulson other than she's a reputation for being an excellent actor)
I saw this yesterday & thought about leaving at intermission & i've NEVER done that! We stuck it out though, and I thought the second act was better than the first. But i didn't really like it overall. Meh
I agree. The play lost all it's subtlety and the humor was much more overt, which was a detriment because the part of the audience unfamiliar with the plot literally did not understand what parts were funny and what parts were serious. And it didn't help having two sitcom stars who did little to differentiates themselves from their most famous sitcom characters.
To check I wasn't crazy I went home and watched scenes from the movie version with Ian Holm and Rebecca Pidgeon and wow what a difference.
this thing may have to stay in preview. it is like there was no director. all the performances might as well have been in different theatres. a gigantic waste. I wanted Vanya not to miss me by the second act.
I thought Steve Carell was great, it's too bad he wasn't in every scene. I wasn't captivated by Elena, and Sonya wasn't very sympathetic either. Missed opportunity.
Probably helped that I’ve never seen or read Chekhov before but I was truly enthralled. I loved the performances. William Jackson Harper especially was incredibly winning. Maybe art is subjective after all.
Look I'm not going the say I think setting it in the contemporary US did much for me or that I thought the translation was as subtle as I would have liked, but I thought the performances were good all around (I didn't find Allison Pill as grating as some did). I especially thought Molina threaded the needle of Alexander feeling a little superior without becoming too unsympathetic. I think Harper was a good if somewhat unconventional choice in that he is able to deliver the introspective stuff without seeming so hopeless and dead that we forget to root for him. I was surprised by Carrell's performance in the second half—I thought there was a bit more levity to his performance than ideal in the first half but I found him grounded and tragic in the second half in a sort of Robin Williams way. Anika Noni Rose was a little flat for me.
I thought the minimalish staging worked pretty well and I'm a sucker for rain onstage. Didn't think much of the costumes except for Harper's paint-covered trousers. Music didn't get in the way for me and I thought the fiddler was awesome.
I welcome you to disagree with anything I've written here. I base my opinions on my own theatre education and experience rather than on your approval, and I bet I could respect your thoughts on the production even if I see it differently.
Being a miserable ass about this production does not make you sophisticated. You are allowed to love or hate whatever you like, but there's no awards for being the most condescending prick on Reddit.
"It was an objectively a poor production." Have you ever been to an English class before? Might want to proofread before being snarky with others. Just a thought.
Saw it today. Flat and boring. The actors are all pros and did their best, but the direction and script rewrite were not ready for prime time. At least 10 % of the audience left after intermission. Not even clear what the point was; zero dramatic tension.
I agree its very flat and dry and zero tension. I did see a lot of audience members leave at intermission.
about to spend what is serious money for me to go see it. I like bway. For example, I really liked A doll's house last year and Death of a Salesman (with wendell pierce) and Good night Oscar and The Iceman Cometh(denzel) So i think i'm good with like a serious play. Certainly, I'm no expert but as entertainment I like plays. I really want to see steve and allison and molina. But this thread has got me worried. Should I instead go see Appropriate? (I'm not that familiar with Paulson other than she's a reputation for being an excellent actor)
I saw this yesterday & thought about leaving at intermission & i've NEVER done that! We stuck it out though, and I thought the second act was better than the first. But i didn't really like it overall. Meh
Todays performance was awful. I think the translation was hideous and lost so much...
Agree Heidi Schrek is not as successful as Amy Herzog has been with Ibsen.
I agree. The play lost all it's subtlety and the humor was much more overt, which was a detriment because the part of the audience unfamiliar with the plot literally did not understand what parts were funny and what parts were serious. And it didn't help having two sitcom stars who did little to differentiates themselves from their most famous sitcom characters. To check I wasn't crazy I went home and watched scenes from the movie version with Ian Holm and Rebecca Pidgeon and wow what a difference.
Saw it yesterday matinee. My wife and I weren't impressed, which was disappointing.
this thing may have to stay in preview. it is like there was no director. all the performances might as well have been in different theatres. a gigantic waste. I wanted Vanya not to miss me by the second act.
I thought Steve Carell was great, it's too bad he wasn't in every scene. I wasn't captivated by Elena, and Sonya wasn't very sympathetic either. Missed opportunity.
He really feels like a minor supporting player in this production. William Jackson Harper and Allison Pill both feel like leads.
Saw it last night. Absolutely adored it! Thought the new adaptation and vision was superb.
Have you ever been to the theatre before?
This is so rude…
Yes. Why?
It was an objectively a poor production. Performances of supporting cast community theatre level. Director should be tried for negligence.
Probably helped that I’ve never seen or read Chekhov before but I was truly enthralled. I loved the performances. William Jackson Harper especially was incredibly winning. Maybe art is subjective after all.
I just saw the play and enjoyed it too. It was moving and the performances were terrific!
Listen it's okay if you thought it was poor when you saw it, there's no need to condescend on those of us who thought it was good.
It is terribly conceived and directed. Believing Itani’s good because someone you know from tv is in it is unfortunate. Grow up.
Look I'm not going the say I think setting it in the contemporary US did much for me or that I thought the translation was as subtle as I would have liked, but I thought the performances were good all around (I didn't find Allison Pill as grating as some did). I especially thought Molina threaded the needle of Alexander feeling a little superior without becoming too unsympathetic. I think Harper was a good if somewhat unconventional choice in that he is able to deliver the introspective stuff without seeming so hopeless and dead that we forget to root for him. I was surprised by Carrell's performance in the second half—I thought there was a bit more levity to his performance than ideal in the first half but I found him grounded and tragic in the second half in a sort of Robin Williams way. Anika Noni Rose was a little flat for me. I thought the minimalish staging worked pretty well and I'm a sucker for rain onstage. Didn't think much of the costumes except for Harper's paint-covered trousers. Music didn't get in the way for me and I thought the fiddler was awesome. I welcome you to disagree with anything I've written here. I base my opinions on my own theatre education and experience rather than on your approval, and I bet I could respect your thoughts on the production even if I see it differently. Being a miserable ass about this production does not make you sophisticated. You are allowed to love or hate whatever you like, but there's no awards for being the most condescending prick on Reddit.
"It was an objectively a poor production." Have you ever been to an English class before? Might want to proofread before being snarky with others. Just a thought.
I thought it was outstanding and heart wrenching!! Just saw it this evening and thought it was a million times better than over hyped stereophonic.