Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:38 pm
Hi, just a peek back into this thread which has closed its curtains along with the play... What a financial success (and for the two of them - that's 2/3 of the stars depositing their salaries into the same asset account) and Broadway success. If anyone was disappointed, they could only be disappointed with Nichols' direction as was already identified. They play had a lot of humor, and it seems that the reviewers who were most critical wanted it to be as dark and tension-filled as the original Broadway play. Or something. This was obviously a fresh interpretation.
From seeing the play several times throughout the run, from the first preview to opening night to the closing night, it was like a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. I saw both shows on the 5th, but there was a marked difference in the two. There was no doubt that they gave the last one that extra 'umph.' It's difficult to explain but I guess it's giving the afternoon student a solid A to giving that night student an A+ along with a scholarship. All of them. The audience broke out into applause at the end of several, not all, acts. I hadn't seen that since opening night although it certainly could have happened before. The applause at certain but not all acts was appropriate. There were some acts that were outstanding - R&W's together, the restaurant scene, etc., just because the dialogue called for intense acting. Some other acts that were merely excellent didn't receive the applause. D, R, and Rafe were the characters and I had to remind myself that I was watching a play. I certainly wasn't able to say that early in the run. As I've said, I think Rafe was always great. I think Rachel was great (her one gaffe, a critical one, was the over-the-top eardrum-piercing shriek she gave on opening night when she spotted Rafe/Jerry in her bedroom in the final scene.) She was called out for it in the NYTs review and didn't do it again. All the other screams varied, but none were unbelievable after that. But Rachel was awesome. Daniel went from 'hmmm....and he's the stage actor, huh?' to superb. As much as Rafe was great throughout, and he was, Daniel overcame him as the more memorable and stronger actor. I can't say that Rafe wouldn't have been as good in the Robert role as Daniel, but given the two roles, side by side, Daniel's Robert was the more powerful one. He was the stronger male (no pun intended), the alfa male, and really, it was the better part. Exception being that it was not the better part when Daniel wasn't playing it that well. It was the weaker part, the co-star of the play. But when Daniel got it together and stopped 'acting', timed his lines more naturally, said his lines as if they came from his heart and head, the role - and Daniel's performance - were what people would remember. I can say that Rafe has amazing comedic timing and excelled with his character. He played a weaker man. There really is something to what my friend said about how the play was great but she couldn't buy that Rachel would want to have an affair with Rafe when she has Daniel. She didn't find Rafe at all attractive. I would say that if her husband hit her like he did, she may find a less manly-man attractive and safe, so I get it.
There were a lot of differences from night to night. Sometimes Daniel would fall flat on the bed face down as though he were drunk in the last scene after he walks in on Jerry trying to kiss his wife. But then the next time he fell face up as though he wasn't that drunk. It just changed. The lines changed just a bit. Nothing important, but it wasn't always the same. In the same day, Rachel said she went to the bedroom to brush her hair and the next performance she went to comb her hair. Rafe responds to her comment and says he knew she would come in to brush her hair - or when she said, "Comb", he said he knew she would come in to comb her hair. Just little nuance things, but it shows they were engaged in the interactions of their characters and not just spewing lines they had memorized.
As for all of us in the audience who were interested to see R&D together, they did not disappoint. I know they were in their roles (I'm assuming so, anyway, and that they are over their honeymoon period), but seeing her stroke his back, seeing them look at each other before they kiss, seeing him hold her head in his hands as he pulls in for a long kiss, and then seeing the different ways they portray them right before having sex was just hot. Regarding the pre-sex scene (oh why couldn't they have continued that scene????!!!!), on opening night he just kissed her standing up - as is what the playwright calls out for, to him getting on top of her as she's on the sofa (mind you, she is sitting up), to him going through the motions of pulling her pants down before the lights go out, to no longer doing that and just making out with him on top (her still sitting on the sofa) to these last two shows of her stretched out on the sofa and he is on top of her lying down. That's hot. A real takeaway for me, which I've already written about, was how during opening night, Daniel continued to make out with Rachel after the stage had revolved out of stage sight and they were in the dark. They stayed there making out. It just seemed so sensual/sexual and it was obvious that they were a real-life couple in love. Not everyone had visibility into where they were in the darkness. Without a doubt they thought no one could see them. Other performances they got up and changed for their next scene as they have very little time to do so.
.
Wallace Shawn, the little cute guy from 'My Dinner with Andre' was sitting a few rows behind me at the final performance. He had been at an earlier show I was at 6 weeks ago or so. Mike Nichols came down from his seat to speak with him. Mike sat back where he did during previews Center Orchestra, probably 12 rows back or so.
There's nothing more to report, really. I will miss the daily videos and tweets and just knowing his whereabouts. I imagine his hair is cut but to a nice length. I can't thank SG, Alina, Cass, GG, etc. enough for their postings. I wish I could some way. Where would we be without them?? Depressed - that's where I'd be!! Oh, another takeaway, as I've already expressed, is just how beautiful (add every positive adjective available to that - strikingly, unusually, unworldly) Rachel is. I didn't think real people could look like that except in magazines when they are all Photoshopped out. And what's important to the play is that she is that beautiful. That's what started Jerry's advancements toward her. Her beauty overwhelmed him. He had a long dialogue telling her about her beauty saying he would be in the state of catatonia without her. He was bowled over by her beauty. So whoever played the part had to be a beautiful woman, and who better than Rachel. Too, I was surprised how uneasy she was at the stage door. It was surely not her thing at all. I thought she would like the attention, but clearly she didn't. She didn't appear rude at all, just very uncomfortable. When she did stage door it early on she was very quiet and very shy-like. I get the feeling that she is more of a 'regular' person who isn't used to and doesn't understand the kind of attention she was getting behind the barricades. Too, she'd be looking at doing that for 14 weeks, so she was smart to cut it off early on.
The only negative experience I walked away with is this whole bodyguard thing. CC did a good job grabbing Playbills from the back and handing them to Daniel to sign, but his aura and bodyguard purpose is is a real turn off to me. Daniel has put up a wall between regular people and himself. I know he may be tired of people approaching him, but I dislike people who put themselves on pedestals and think they are better than everyone else, and this relationship with CC (and his staff) foster that. Maybe Daniel has death threats, I don't know, but CC looks at everyone like they are packing heat and ready to fire. Just check out the videos. His eyes dart around into people's eyes like he is protecting our President, but he's protecting a celebrity from fans behind a barricade. I don't know...it just turns me off. I don't need anyone to presume I'm a dangerous person - and around a celebrity - come on. Especially to see that he is no more than 2 feet from Daniel at any time. Obviously that 's what someone thinks is required for Daniel, but it's a turn off for me. It's as though Daniel doesn't go anywhere without him anymore. I prefer the Daniel that pulled his own luggage off the carousel and had to take his shoes off through airport security like everyone else. But if I could pay to avoid that like he can, I would, so I don't blame him for that. He's still gorgeous and still seems to be a wonderful person, but that moat between regular people and his movie star self has become huge. The riches or spoils of success. To end, I think if CC had stood back, let Daniel do his thing and then help him get into the car, etc., that would have been fine. It was how if Daniel took a step, CC took a step. The secret service stuff was way too much for me to understand, especially since there were NYPD officers there anyway for crowd control, etc.
From seeing the play several times throughout the run, from the first preview to opening night to the closing night, it was like a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. I saw both shows on the 5th, but there was a marked difference in the two. There was no doubt that they gave the last one that extra 'umph.' It's difficult to explain but I guess it's giving the afternoon student a solid A to giving that night student an A+ along with a scholarship. All of them. The audience broke out into applause at the end of several, not all, acts. I hadn't seen that since opening night although it certainly could have happened before. The applause at certain but not all acts was appropriate. There were some acts that were outstanding - R&W's together, the restaurant scene, etc., just because the dialogue called for intense acting. Some other acts that were merely excellent didn't receive the applause. D, R, and Rafe were the characters and I had to remind myself that I was watching a play. I certainly wasn't able to say that early in the run. As I've said, I think Rafe was always great. I think Rachel was great (her one gaffe, a critical one, was the over-the-top eardrum-piercing shriek she gave on opening night when she spotted Rafe/Jerry in her bedroom in the final scene.) She was called out for it in the NYTs review and didn't do it again. All the other screams varied, but none were unbelievable after that. But Rachel was awesome. Daniel went from 'hmmm....and he's the stage actor, huh?' to superb. As much as Rafe was great throughout, and he was, Daniel overcame him as the more memorable and stronger actor. I can't say that Rafe wouldn't have been as good in the Robert role as Daniel, but given the two roles, side by side, Daniel's Robert was the more powerful one. He was the stronger male (no pun intended), the alfa male, and really, it was the better part. Exception being that it was not the better part when Daniel wasn't playing it that well. It was the weaker part, the co-star of the play. But when Daniel got it together and stopped 'acting', timed his lines more naturally, said his lines as if they came from his heart and head, the role - and Daniel's performance - were what people would remember. I can say that Rafe has amazing comedic timing and excelled with his character. He played a weaker man. There really is something to what my friend said about how the play was great but she couldn't buy that Rachel would want to have an affair with Rafe when she has Daniel. She didn't find Rafe at all attractive. I would say that if her husband hit her like he did, she may find a less manly-man attractive and safe, so I get it.
There were a lot of differences from night to night. Sometimes Daniel would fall flat on the bed face down as though he were drunk in the last scene after he walks in on Jerry trying to kiss his wife. But then the next time he fell face up as though he wasn't that drunk. It just changed. The lines changed just a bit. Nothing important, but it wasn't always the same. In the same day, Rachel said she went to the bedroom to brush her hair and the next performance she went to comb her hair. Rafe responds to her comment and says he knew she would come in to brush her hair - or when she said, "Comb", he said he knew she would come in to comb her hair. Just little nuance things, but it shows they were engaged in the interactions of their characters and not just spewing lines they had memorized.
As for all of us in the audience who were interested to see R&D together, they did not disappoint. I know they were in their roles (I'm assuming so, anyway, and that they are over their honeymoon period), but seeing her stroke his back, seeing them look at each other before they kiss, seeing him hold her head in his hands as he pulls in for a long kiss, and then seeing the different ways they portray them right before having sex was just hot. Regarding the pre-sex scene (oh why couldn't they have continued that scene????!!!!), on opening night he just kissed her standing up - as is what the playwright calls out for, to him getting on top of her as she's on the sofa (mind you, she is sitting up), to him going through the motions of pulling her pants down before the lights go out, to no longer doing that and just making out with him on top (her still sitting on the sofa) to these last two shows of her stretched out on the sofa and he is on top of her lying down. That's hot. A real takeaway for me, which I've already written about, was how during opening night, Daniel continued to make out with Rachel after the stage had revolved out of stage sight and they were in the dark. They stayed there making out. It just seemed so sensual/sexual and it was obvious that they were a real-life couple in love. Not everyone had visibility into where they were in the darkness. Without a doubt they thought no one could see them. Other performances they got up and changed for their next scene as they have very little time to do so.
.
Wallace Shawn, the little cute guy from 'My Dinner with Andre' was sitting a few rows behind me at the final performance. He had been at an earlier show I was at 6 weeks ago or so. Mike Nichols came down from his seat to speak with him. Mike sat back where he did during previews Center Orchestra, probably 12 rows back or so.
There's nothing more to report, really. I will miss the daily videos and tweets and just knowing his whereabouts. I imagine his hair is cut but to a nice length. I can't thank SG, Alina, Cass, GG, etc. enough for their postings. I wish I could some way. Where would we be without them?? Depressed - that's where I'd be!! Oh, another takeaway, as I've already expressed, is just how beautiful (add every positive adjective available to that - strikingly, unusually, unworldly) Rachel is. I didn't think real people could look like that except in magazines when they are all Photoshopped out. And what's important to the play is that she is that beautiful. That's what started Jerry's advancements toward her. Her beauty overwhelmed him. He had a long dialogue telling her about her beauty saying he would be in the state of catatonia without her. He was bowled over by her beauty. So whoever played the part had to be a beautiful woman, and who better than Rachel. Too, I was surprised how uneasy she was at the stage door. It was surely not her thing at all. I thought she would like the attention, but clearly she didn't. She didn't appear rude at all, just very uncomfortable. When she did stage door it early on she was very quiet and very shy-like. I get the feeling that she is more of a 'regular' person who isn't used to and doesn't understand the kind of attention she was getting behind the barricades. Too, she'd be looking at doing that for 14 weeks, so she was smart to cut it off early on.
The only negative experience I walked away with is this whole bodyguard thing. CC did a good job grabbing Playbills from the back and handing them to Daniel to sign, but his aura and bodyguard purpose is is a real turn off to me. Daniel has put up a wall between regular people and himself. I know he may be tired of people approaching him, but I dislike people who put themselves on pedestals and think they are better than everyone else, and this relationship with CC (and his staff) foster that. Maybe Daniel has death threats, I don't know, but CC looks at everyone like they are packing heat and ready to fire. Just check out the videos. His eyes dart around into people's eyes like he is protecting our President, but he's protecting a celebrity from fans behind a barricade. I don't know...it just turns me off. I don't need anyone to presume I'm a dangerous person - and around a celebrity - come on. Especially to see that he is no more than 2 feet from Daniel at any time. Obviously that 's what someone thinks is required for Daniel, but it's a turn off for me. It's as though Daniel doesn't go anywhere without him anymore. I prefer the Daniel that pulled his own luggage off the carousel and had to take his shoes off through airport security like everyone else. But if I could pay to avoid that like he can, I would, so I don't blame him for that. He's still gorgeous and still seems to be a wonderful person, but that moat between regular people and his movie star self has become huge. The riches or spoils of success. To end, I think if CC had stood back, let Daniel do his thing and then help him get into the car, etc., that would have been fine. It was how if Daniel took a step, CC took a step. The secret service stuff was way too much for me to understand, especially since there were NYPD officers there anyway for crowd control, etc.