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TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES

Posted by: T.B._Admin. 11:57 am EST 12/15/13

We welcome reviewer Terry Morgan, who will be helping Sharon with L.A. reviews. Terry starts with a review of Parfumerie, which runs through December 22 at the Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts.

Link TALKIN' BROADWAY REGIONAL REVIEWS: LOS ANGELES

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re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES

Posted by: bicoastal 06:36 pm EST 12/18/13
In reply to: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES - T.B._Admin. 11:57 am EST 12/15/13

Saw the play last night and can't say I agree with your enthusiasm for the play itself. While I appreciated the chance to see this play (and being very familiar with the movies and musical it spawned), I'm not sure this specific play was worthy of such a lavish production.

Contrary to your comments, this is Hammerschmitt's show, not Amalia and Horvath's (whose relationship is the "B" story here). The play was incredibly wordy and I sat there wondering why no one trimmed down the very repetitive dialogue. True to the period of the writing, almost all of the major action happened offstage and characters were then stuck on stage discussing what the audience didn't get to see. More than anything, I came away with a great appreciation for producer/director Ernst Lubitsch who understood that the story's greatest asset was its mismatched romantic couple, and moved them front and center for the film THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.

I do agree that the performances were all very strong and also that the theater itself is very nice. Decent legroom, good sightlines.


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re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES

Posted by: showtunetrivia 10:45 pm EST 12/18/13
In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES - bicoastal 06:36 pm EST 12/18/13

Hey, bicoastal, I was there last night, too, with my daughter, and our views match yours closely. Lovely theatre, absolutely gorgeous set, solid performances, but there's a reason THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER is in the National Film Registry and SHE LOVES ME is cherished and regularly performed nearly fifty years later--they're much tighter works, with the focus on the lovers. And the credit goes to Ben Hecht and Samson Raphaelson, as well as Lubitsch, and to Joe Masteroff, for his brilliant libretto for SHE LOVES ME.

The other key improvement they made was in showing the shop owner's good relationship with his chief clerk, and how it suddenly goes sour when he suspects him of the affair. In PARFUMERIE, Hammerschimdt is screaming at Georg from the start, and the characters have to tell the audience, "gee, he's not usually like that. What's his beef?"

And rather than introducing Amalia as a new employee, PARFUMERIE has the pair working together almost as long as they've been corresponding. I couldn't' help but wonder why neither one recognized the other's handwriting at work, given the period.

Did you find it weird that there was no gunshot at the end of the first act? Rebecca and I exchanged looks when the house lights came up and wondered if maybe he tried hanging himself. But they did confirm a gun in act two.

Hungarian silencer?

Laura


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re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES

Posted by: bicoastal 08:02 pm EST 12/23/13
In reply to: re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES - showtunetrivia 10:45 pm EST 12/18/13

I was actually dreading the gunshot, it would have been so cliched. (I was having very little patience with that first act.) I guess I appreciated that they didn't do it and I was kept wondering what exactly happened. Given the nature of the play, I knew they'd get around to telling us!


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re: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES

Posted by: Pir8Jenny 01:23 am EST 12/16/13
In reply to: TB REGIONAL REVIEW: "PARFUMERIE" in LOS ANGELES - T.B._Admin. 11:57 am EST 12/15/13

Yay! So glad to have Terry aboard. Welcome!


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