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| The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 10:10 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 10:09 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I re-read all of Angels in September, and noted anew that Kushner allows cuts in Perestroika, the elimination of chunks of Act 5. Are they used? Did any cuts go into the NT iteration? After all these years, seeing and being besotted with the original production, I still find Perestroika the more challenging of the two halves. At least on the page. It seemed to work best for me in the HBO mini-series, if memory serves, where the tightening paid off. I still find the more esoteric riffs harder to stay with at times, and on paper find myself wanting to get back to the central characters I care about so deeply. I know this sounds like theatrical heresy, and it's not a criticism. Likely a subjective reaction, a personal preference, even knowing the play as well as I do. Millennium is just a page-turner, one that still wrings tears on the page. Maybe the anticipation of the Angel alone is simply more theatrically exciting that listening to her, and watching her turn somersaults, as she did in the Wolfe staging. Not a fault of the play, but again, a personal response to that thrill of anticipation. |
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| I grew up in east coast where Mormon knowledge is limited | |
| Posted by: dramedy 03:02 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - Delvino 10:09 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I was surprised seeing the ntl how much it relies on the knowledge of Mormon religion, which I completely missed in 1993. Having lived in California for decades and learning a lot of the Mormon beliefs, the second play was more understandable to me now in 2017. For example, the whole diorama went over my head. Having been to Salt Lake City, I've seen the actual diorama and now the wife hiding there and projecting joes face on them makes a lot more sense to me. And I didn't know anything about the Mormon belief of the angel bringing the book down from heaven that could only be read with special,glasses. Now I get that in the plays when Pryor puts on the glasses and that Angels calls him a prophet has more importance than catholic religion where angels are more guardians than actively changing lives. The Jewish references apwerent as hard for me to grasp in1993 since I had Jewish friends and understood more aspects of that religion. |
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| re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 11:07 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - Delvino 10:09 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| AFAIK the NT production uses the Signature revisions. Definitely omits the optional/usually deleted scenes. My scripts are at home, but I don't think they took any other optional cuts. | |
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| re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 11:03 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - Delvino 10:09 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I prefer "Perestroika", which is where all of the delicious drama takes place - but I didn't fully love it until the revised version, which includes Kushner's cuts but also a great many other changes as well (including using some of the structure from the miniseries, though not, alas, including the miniseries-only final scene between Hannah and Joe). And while Prior going to heaven could still be shortened, his final scene with the Angel is breathtaking. I'm in the minority, but I find "Millenium" a bit dull; it's a nice, tidy build-up to the chaos, and while it does its job well, it doesn't excite me in the same way as the back half. |
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| re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 11:51 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - Singapore/Fling 11:03 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I saw the tv transmission of the NT staging and the second part is much improved from my memory of the Broadway production. In fact, I thought that there were not just cuts but a whole new scene. (I'd describe it now but it could be a spoiler.) At least, I didn't remember it. | |
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| re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 01:48 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - tmdonahue 11:51 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| Which scene are you thinking of? The current script is actually the second revision of "Perestroika". Kushner made his first revision a few years after the Broadway production, and there are two different editions of the original published "Perestroika" with the Broadway-era art work. The first revision is published in the HBO tie-in edition that collected the two parts into a complete text (and was still in the version on sale in the UK as of 2015). |
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| The combined version, but with original artwork -- new revision? | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 04:06 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 04:05 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: The Kushner approved cuts to "Perestroika" -- are they used? - Singapore/Fling 01:48 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I wanted to buy the double edition, but wondered if it's just the two (original) halves in one volume. Which I've had since they were first printed. Thanks to this thread, I want to read Perestroika again, with all changed done by Kushner. Glad I brought this up. I was truly in the dark about the changes. |
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| re: The combined version, but with original artwork -- new revision? | |
| Posted by: dlevy 04:20 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: The combined version, but with original artwork -- new revision? - Delvino 04:05 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| You want the one published in 2013 with the words "revised and complete edition" on the cover. | |
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