Post by evie on Sept 8, 2012 12:13:18 GMT -5
***SPOILER ALERT***
If you are going to see the play, don’t read this.
Jake
He was wonderful! What a joy to see him working live. I think he was born for the stage. He’s very dynamic there, very comfortable, totally free. Film doesn't capture the impact of his energy and passion. It’s easy to believe he’s having a glorious time playing this role. The character of Terry is for me one of the best things Jake has ever done. Terry made me think of Tommy in Brothers, because both are a bit of a mess and do stupid and reckless things, but are also sensitive, loving, needy. But where Tommy is quiet and uncertain, Terry is all over the place, handing out advice and reliving his own misadventures.
Jake’s physicality alone is worth the ticket. His natural quickness and flexibility serve the staging of the play, but he has also developed gestures and postures for Terry that reveal his inner self. Above all, Jake is genuine and truthful. The part of Terry could be played superficially, with a lot of bluster and cute tricks. Jake transforms himself into Terry with such commitment that, after the initial distraction of actually seeing him in the flesh, I forgot it was Jake. His British accent sounds perfect to my American ear. I’d like to know what a native Brit thinks of it. And he never loses the accent; it stays in place throughout. The down side of this is that I sometimes had trouble understanding what Jake was saying, and thus missed some of his funny dialogue.
The Play
I hate to say it, but I disliked the play. My first thought, after it ended, was that the critics would cut this production to ribbons. I hope I am wrong, as this will be hurtful to all who worked so hard. But this performance was a preview, and there’s still time to make improvements before the official opening. I have tickets to another performance in late October, and I expect to see differences, hopefully for the better. The applause at the end of the show was polite but not enthusiastic. Near me, two young women were enjoying Jake enormously. At the end they stood up and were all set to really cheer for him, but the actors took only one bow and then walked offstage (there’s no curtain); the house lights came up and the chance to show appreciation was gone.
It’s a four-character play: mother, father, daughter, and visiting uncle. As the uncle, Jake dominates the stage when he’s on; however, he’s absent for a longish stretch toward the end, and then the play sags. I believe the casting is part of the problem. The two women are weak, the weakest player being the actress portraying the mother. She brings no personality, no juice, to the role, though I think the part is written weakly as well. The girl is decent enough but nothing special; I think she’s helped significantly by having most of her scenes with Jake. Brian F. O’Byrne, who plays the father, is strong and solid. He creates a character who gets trapped by his own obsession, which of course spells disaster for his family. O’Byrne projects his voice successfully, as you would expect of a classically trained actor. Jake and the two women should take speaking lessons from him.
The actors change the scenes themselves by shifting and placing the furniture, and the stage set is inventive. But the play has special effects that are puzzling. They seemed to be a device to convey information that wasn’t in the script but should have been, or was there but the actors couldn’t nail it. On the whole the emotional fire the play needs is lacking, except when Jake is rolling.
If you are going to see the play, don’t read this.
Jake
He was wonderful! What a joy to see him working live. I think he was born for the stage. He’s very dynamic there, very comfortable, totally free. Film doesn't capture the impact of his energy and passion. It’s easy to believe he’s having a glorious time playing this role. The character of Terry is for me one of the best things Jake has ever done. Terry made me think of Tommy in Brothers, because both are a bit of a mess and do stupid and reckless things, but are also sensitive, loving, needy. But where Tommy is quiet and uncertain, Terry is all over the place, handing out advice and reliving his own misadventures.
Jake’s physicality alone is worth the ticket. His natural quickness and flexibility serve the staging of the play, but he has also developed gestures and postures for Terry that reveal his inner self. Above all, Jake is genuine and truthful. The part of Terry could be played superficially, with a lot of bluster and cute tricks. Jake transforms himself into Terry with such commitment that, after the initial distraction of actually seeing him in the flesh, I forgot it was Jake. His British accent sounds perfect to my American ear. I’d like to know what a native Brit thinks of it. And he never loses the accent; it stays in place throughout. The down side of this is that I sometimes had trouble understanding what Jake was saying, and thus missed some of his funny dialogue.
The Play
I hate to say it, but I disliked the play. My first thought, after it ended, was that the critics would cut this production to ribbons. I hope I am wrong, as this will be hurtful to all who worked so hard. But this performance was a preview, and there’s still time to make improvements before the official opening. I have tickets to another performance in late October, and I expect to see differences, hopefully for the better. The applause at the end of the show was polite but not enthusiastic. Near me, two young women were enjoying Jake enormously. At the end they stood up and were all set to really cheer for him, but the actors took only one bow and then walked offstage (there’s no curtain); the house lights came up and the chance to show appreciation was gone.
It’s a four-character play: mother, father, daughter, and visiting uncle. As the uncle, Jake dominates the stage when he’s on; however, he’s absent for a longish stretch toward the end, and then the play sags. I believe the casting is part of the problem. The two women are weak, the weakest player being the actress portraying the mother. She brings no personality, no juice, to the role, though I think the part is written weakly as well. The girl is decent enough but nothing special; I think she’s helped significantly by having most of her scenes with Jake. Brian F. O’Byrne, who plays the father, is strong and solid. He creates a character who gets trapped by his own obsession, which of course spells disaster for his family. O’Byrne projects his voice successfully, as you would expect of a classically trained actor. Jake and the two women should take speaking lessons from him.
The actors change the scenes themselves by shifting and placing the furniture, and the stage set is inventive. But the play has special effects that are puzzling. They seemed to be a device to convey information that wasn’t in the script but should have been, or was there but the actors couldn’t nail it. On the whole the emotional fire the play needs is lacking, except when Jake is rolling.