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| re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption | |
| Posted by: mikem 05:17 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption - schlepper 05:03 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| I understand the writer's instinct. I really hate it when something on stage is supposed to be spontaneous and it isn't. I think I've mentioned before that it feels to me like the play is breaking its contract with the audience by pretending that something is unique to that performance when it isn't. I've seen many things on stage where I am unclear about whether they are truly spontaneous or not. But in this case, it seems pretty clear that it essentially is unscripted. Cell phones go off all the time, so it's not that surprising that it has come up at several performances, and that, after doing the show for several weeks, Sturridge has found a way of responding to it that fits with the production. The author seems to think there is more to it than that, but there probably isn't. |
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| re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 08:36 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption - mikem 05:17 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| Ideally, theatre at its best should always feel spontaneous, even though every moment has been meticulously rehearsed. If a moment is truly real-life spontaneous (i.e. not a planned part of the show), it shouldn't feel any different than the rest of the performance in that regard. We shouldn't really know what is rehearsed and what isn't. | |
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| re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption | |
| Posted by: davei2000 08:08 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption - mikem 05:17 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| What seems to have struck Collins-Hughes is that the ring came at a climactic moment in the "final seconds" (not the beginning as the OP says) and still Sturridge maintained his control...It probably wouldn't have had such an impact early in the monologue. While she was at it I wish Collins-Hughes had asked if an audience member always shouts it out when Sturridge "forgets" a word at one point. I know the forgetting is in the script but the help from the audience came so quickly when I saw it, as if the audience member knew it would be welcome. For what it's worth we had a phone ring early on in Gyllenhall's piece, and I'm pretty sure he ignored it. I'm curious that you find the illusion of spontaneity bothersome. To me it nearly defines the mystery of the theater. I wouldn't sign that contract. (If you're thinking of attending the upcoming Derren Brown show Secret on Broadway, don't.) |
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| re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption | |
| Posted by: mikem 10:40 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption - davei2000 08:08 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| I guess I should clarify the "spontaneity" that bothers me is the rehearsed breaking of the fourth wall. Things like breaking character that happens at the same place every night, a planted audience cell phone going off, stuff like that. Stuff that seems like it's the actor who's being spontaneous, not the character. Some shows, like What the Constitution Means to Me, blur the line between the actor and the character. I saw Derren Brown's Secret at the Atlantic, and that show, like most magic shows, blurs that line as well. (I actually don't think that show does any more pretending than any magic show, which almost by definition is full of misdirection and misleading behavior.) But in a show that has a clear dividing line, I personally don't think the show should pretend it's the actor talking when it's actually a character. (I realize others will not agree.) |
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| Off subject but | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 08:11 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Sea Wall Cell Phone Interruption - davei2000 08:08 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| I'm really enjoying "Sweetbitter," in which Sturridge has a recurring role. I really loved the novel and the series is beautifully cast and directed. Sorry, this is video, not theater. | |
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| re: Off subject but | |
| Posted by: davei2000 09:09 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
| In reply to: Off subject but - tmdonahue 08:11 pm EDT 08/28/19 | |
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| I was very surprised that Sturridge does not mention Sweetbitter in his Playbill bio. I hope it's not an unhappy experience for him. | |
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