As Peterquennell suggested, here is The Crucible reviews thread.
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Poetswan — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 05:39 PM)
I saw the show last night and am overall on the fence about it. There was certainly a lot to like in the performances and some really smart, chilling moments of staging, but I just didn't connect with or understand other elements of van Hove's vision.
Unlike some of the previous comments here, I thought the performances were strong across the board.
Saoirse Ronan is terrific in an integral but fairly small role. Even going into the production knowing that Abigal does not have as much stage time as the Proctors or even other supporting characters, I really wanted to see more of Ronan, which is a credit to her performance.
Whishaw is a very good Proctor and he has some truly terrific moments, particularly in Act 4. I do understand the criticism of Okonedo's performance because Elizabeth does come off as less than a "real" character than many, if not all, of the others, but I was somehow won over by her performance. Other standouts include Ciaran Hinds, who is perfectly cast as the Deputy-Governor, and Jim Norton. I could easily see either or both of them nominated for Featured Actor come May. Tavi Gevinson made a strong impression, too.
To the elements of the production that I didn't like: My biggest qualm is van Hove's use of the entire stage. There was so much dead space in between all of the characters at all times that the production sacrificed a lot of the necessary intimacy. To me, The Crucible should feel claustrophobic, and the paranoia and rage in such confines, with characters on top of each other, should ignite the show like a tinderbox. How do you capture that intimacy, though, when most of the character deliver their lines to each other standing ten feet apart? I know they're tremendously different works, but van Hove captured that tight, constricted feeling to brilliant effect in A View from the Bridge, where that box felt like a powder keg. I certainly don't wish that he replicated the same staging here, but everything is too expansively staged, and even moments of intimacy between John and Elizabeth are swallowed up by the sheer size and emptiness of the set. I also didn't understand the classroom setting at all or how it enhanced van Hove's vision. Sure, there are simple, perhaps reductive interpretations, i.e. school as a representation of childhood innocence and how this text subverts that trope, but I have to imagine van Hove had something more in mind. Despite these issues, there are some really great moments, and the deposition scenes of Act 3 were very successful.
On a side note, has anyone sat in the right mezzanine for this production yet? I was in row D on the side and throughout the whole evening there was a really loud and annoying metallic clanging, almost like the sound of the jangling of keys, that really distracted me from the proceedings. It's a very quiet show, at times difficult to hear, so that was a hugely irritating distraction. I did mention it to an usher at intermission, but there was obviously not much he could have anyone do with the show midway through.
I'd be interested in revisiting the production much later in the run to see what has changed and how the actors have grown into their roles. I think it's certainly worth checking out, just for the performances alone, through the lottery or rush.
by:PianoMann -
Steve7216 — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 06:48 PM)
I read it today Poetswan but didn't have the time to post it. She's getting fine reviews from the posters. I've seen the film at least three times with DDL and W. Ryder. Not being familiar with the original work, I'd thought it was a lead role, but it sounds like an true supporting one.
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zorrodvd — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 08:22 PM)
I think she is a lead. Her face (and character) are displayed on a giant marquee outside the theatre.
And this site agrees
http://stageagent.com/shows/play/1389/the-crucible -
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Poetswan — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 07:13 PM)
People are saying Lupita Nyongo could win the tony for, what looks like, a much smaller role than Saoirse's in this thread:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php5b4?thread=1090723&dt=46
so, why couldn't Saoirse get at least nominated?Lets hope. -
peterquennell — 10 years ago(March 14, 2016 03:08 AM)
Wednesday I'll know better! She's young and has a following and the Tony broadcast sure could use that. And serious movie actors with a big name often get nominated seemingly on the theory that they draw more crowds into theaters which helps everyone (though they dont always win which can cancel that out).
Any actor from the UK and Ireland has an edge - ask Mark Rylance from London who has 3 Tony's now (and is back in town) or Helen Mirren etc etc. Keira Knightly should get a nomination this year. In fact there's a funny satirical musical ("Its only a play") with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in which the Nathan Lane character suggests the Tony awards show be moved to London "to save everybody the fare". See UK actors in recent lists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Actor_in_a_Play
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Actress_in_a_Play
Voters will want to honor van Hove and could do this for "Bridge" and "Crucible" in separate years. See this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/broadways-man-of-the-moment-ivo-van-hove/2016/03/10/facf1940-e52d-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html -
jjabbey — 10 years ago(March 04, 2016 08:07 PM)
going off from the crucible thread over there, the Abigail character isn't really something you'd win awards for. (i knew she'd be supporting since she's billed 4th) But Maybe Lupita's role is more sentimental, even if it's a smaller role maybe she has more impact than Saoirse's character.
Abigail is quite unlikable (if you compare it toda0 Elizabeth and Mary Warren), plus the worrying fact that Saoirse is underused probably contributes to their hesitance in a nomination. there's also a bunch of other plays in contention this year, but hopefully she can somehow sneak in. -
DCI77 — 10 years ago(March 08, 2016 08:17 PM)
How many plays are out this season on Broadway? Sometimes nominations are by sheer spots being open (which is why I don't see industry awards/noms as prestigious as some do). If there's only 3 female roles that are "for sure" nominations by stage time, and two spots are left, some actress is going to get that 4th or 5th spot because they need bodies to fill the spots.
As for Lupita possible win - maybe it's a really moving performance. Or politics. -
Poetswan — 10 years ago(March 09, 2016 10:34 AM)
You can have an idea about the plays in this thread:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1083766&page=8
A guy posted in his predictions for the Tony:
Best Revival of a Play
Whats In:
Blackbird
Noises Off
A View from the Bridge
What Could Sneak In:
Fool for Love
The Gin Game
Lookout For:
The Crucible
Long Days Journey Into Night
Longshots:
Fully Committed
Hughie
Old Times
Sylvia -
Steve7216 — 10 years ago(March 14, 2016 05:25 AM)
I'm not on Tumbir, but I'll be checking out the responses in the days to come. If anyone is a member of the site, perhaps you might post reviews as you probable have complete access compared to me. This is from "Daniel:"
For those like jlent and Peter who will actually see The Crucible, the writer states there are
spoilers
ahead:
Ben Whishaw in The Crucible at The Walter Kerr Theatre
These are my thoughts on the brand new Broadway production of The Crucible, starring Ben Whishaw, Sophie Okonedo, and Saoirse Ronan.
This is not a professional review, just what I wanted to share with those interested in this show. This may contain spoilers for those that have never seen The Crucible, or that have yet to see this specific production.
It wasnt until two days ago that I found out Ben was doing The Crucible on Broadway, but the second I did I ordered myself a ticket for the matinee the next day. So, yesterday at 11:30am I was standing in line at the Walter Kerr Theatre, waiting for them to open the doors.
Firstly, I was blown away by how close my seat turned out to be. I often forget how small Broadway theaters are, and the seat that I had in the sixth row was so close I swore I would feel the actors breath as it left their bodies. Then the show began.
I thought it such an interesting choice, having it set in an old schoolroom. It is something that we have not seen before, and it is done so well that this seemingly innocent environment soon proves a terrifying backdrop for the story. If you look closely at the blackboard, you can see that the Ten Commandments are written on it. However, if you look even closer, you can see that one which should read Thou shalt hate not has been partly erased, leaving only Thou shalt hate. It gave me chills.
Jason Butler Harner, who begins the play as Reverend Parris, was truly terrific. His emotion and his delivery was very real, and very raw. He brings a level to Parris that many do nothe made him a flawed man, not just a self-righteous villain who is responsible for the death of many good people. Then came Abbie.
From the moment Saoirse Ronan entered the show as Abigail Williams, I knew I would love her. I had heard nothing but great things about her performance, and she did not disappoint. You could see the hate and the envy in her eyes, as she owned the stagebringing life to the bitter fangirl who wants their baes wife dead.
Obviously, from the moment Ben Whishaw stepped on stage I was silently screaming in my head. Though, I was still very curious to see what he would bring to the piece. John Proctor is a timeless role that has been filled by many a great actor time and time again. Would his portrayal be a noteworthy one? Would he add anything new and exciting to the Miller classic?
I have to say, though I have seen John Proctor live and die in many productions of The Crucible, none of these portrayals have shown him to be quite so lost, so flawed, and so broken as Mr. Ben Whishaws. I dont think any other actor has been able to make me feel even remotely as connected to John as Ben did.
In the beginning of the play, his relationship with Elizabeth is, as always, a strained one. However, not many John/Elizabeth pairings do true justice toironicallyhow close these witch trials bring them together. By the end, the love that they had once felt for each other long before the play began has truly been brought back to life, and we can feel the chemistry between them.
Ben and Sophie did something I have never seen before: they painted the love that these two characters felt for one another so vividly that, come the end of the play, it was no longer a story about foolish little girls who lied. It was, very suddenly, a story about real people battling real-world afflictionsthose of lust, hatred, vengeance, pride, and lost love.
The Crucible is currently in previews at The Walter Kerr Theatre in New York. -
Steve7216 — 10 years ago(March 14, 2016 08:32 AM)
Some images from the curtain call presumably from the last show:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdgIWHRUEAAuxcs.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdgILlKUYAI5tvl.jpg -
Steve7216 — 10 years ago(March 14, 2016 09:44 AM)
Here is an extremely detailed, partial review from an individual who happens to be a very fine and observant writer.
Please note that he gives very specific details about the play.
There will be a followup covering Saoirse and other performers.
http://tinyurl.com/j3592jk
