So count me among those who loved this small little show, though I went into it fearing I'd be doomed by the expectations game created by its incredible reviews. On the other hand, I had seen enough comments about the show to also fear that I'd find it excruciatingly slow. A friend had seen it a few weeks ago and wrote a full out pan on line right under Brantley's comments, wondering if he and Brantley lived in a parallel universe.
The show had me from the opening scene. I felt the isolation of this small little town, where everyday was the same and nothing "important" ever happened. For me, every transition was seamless and well crafted. And of course, the music was wonderful and was brilliantly integrated into the book.
Katrina Lenk was flat out sensational, and it was interesting that she (and Shaloub) did not receive an individual curtain call, though it reinforced what an ensemble piece the show is. I think the audience was expecting the two of them to be individually acknowledged and was a bit disappointed that they didn't have the chance to express their appreciation in a way they were anticipating.
By the way, perhaps it was the fact that we had great seats, but I didn't miss any of the dialogue due to the accents of the characters, Israeli or Egyptian. |
