| I did see the Hytner production. It was 25 years ago (!), but I remember it was thrilling and felt entirely new. The opening, as many here have noted, was transporting. The stage design was expansive and very beautiful. And still the show felt intimate and almost naturalistic; the various relationships between characters registered as more honest and sincere, stripped as they largely were of their musical comedy gloss. There really is no comparing the Hytner production with the present one. This one has its moments, but it isn’t cohesive; it lacks a point of view. And, as I mentioned, the design elements are peculiarly bad, unaccomplished as verisimilitude or as poetry. The current production is worth seeing for the performers but it isn’t nearly as expressive, as feelingful as the Hytner which blew by like a crisp, invigorating wind. |
