Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 26, 2022 10:21:07 GMT
I saw it last night and despite some real issues I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's set in Sicily at the very end of WW2, which made for a particularly touching moment last night, as April 25th is the anniversary of Italian liberation. Antonio and Leonato are women, which works quite well and, together with the different timeframe, it's the only noticeable change in a fairly traditional production.
The real issue was the actors' projection (or lack thereof): I think I easily missed at least 25% of what they were saying, and the constant harmonium music and the (unnecessary) noisy fountain didn't help. It's very clear that most of the actors are not used to performing unmiked in such a big venue, and I'd swear Lucy Phelps frequently forgot she wasn't wearing one: some of her asides must have been audible only to the person standing exactly in front of her. Ralph Davis's Benedick is the clear winner here, he is both sharp and endearing, and has an easy chemistry with Beatrice, Claudio and everyone else. It's a funny production without being overtly comical, and by the time the interval started I was quite in awe.
The second act literally fell apart. After an almost uncomprehensible opening scene there was a long stop because the actor playing Borachio had injured himself while jumping off the stage: he managed to limp backstage at the end of his scene, but apparently they had to take him to the hospital. After the long pause they decided to go ahead and they announced they'd simply cut the two scenes in which he was supposed to be in. This was a mistake, because while the character is fairly marginal he appears in two pivotal moments of the play. The second half of MAAN tends to be weaker than the first even in the best productions, and without the framing of Hero Claudio's anger seemed to be coming out of nowhere, and without a proper confession the resolution came quickly and randomly. Partly because of the running time of over 3 hours (including the interval and the break), I think the second act was dragging more than a bit, and some of the concepts that worked well in act 1 (eg, the use of music) became tiresome and repetitive.
Overall, I think it's a solid and fun production, and I think I might revisit it in a few weeks. It was only a second preview, so I'm sure it will get tighter and obviously the medical emergency was an exception and not the rule. Still, they really must get the actors to speak up because too much of the text was just inaudible.
The real issue was the actors' projection (or lack thereof): I think I easily missed at least 25% of what they were saying, and the constant harmonium music and the (unnecessary) noisy fountain didn't help. It's very clear that most of the actors are not used to performing unmiked in such a big venue, and I'd swear Lucy Phelps frequently forgot she wasn't wearing one: some of her asides must have been audible only to the person standing exactly in front of her. Ralph Davis's Benedick is the clear winner here, he is both sharp and endearing, and has an easy chemistry with Beatrice, Claudio and everyone else. It's a funny production without being overtly comical, and by the time the interval started I was quite in awe.
The second act literally fell apart. After an almost uncomprehensible opening scene there was a long stop because the actor playing Borachio had injured himself while jumping off the stage: he managed to limp backstage at the end of his scene, but apparently they had to take him to the hospital. After the long pause they decided to go ahead and they announced they'd simply cut the two scenes in which he was supposed to be in. This was a mistake, because while the character is fairly marginal he appears in two pivotal moments of the play. The second half of MAAN tends to be weaker than the first even in the best productions, and without the framing of Hero Claudio's anger seemed to be coming out of nowhere, and without a proper confession the resolution came quickly and randomly. Partly because of the running time of over 3 hours (including the interval and the break), I think the second act was dragging more than a bit, and some of the concepts that worked well in act 1 (eg, the use of music) became tiresome and repetitive.
Overall, I think it's a solid and fun production, and I think I might revisit it in a few weeks. It was only a second preview, so I'm sure it will get tighter and obviously the medical emergency was an exception and not the rule. Still, they really must get the actors to speak up because too much of the text was just inaudible.
