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| Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol | |
| Posted by: MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Years ago, when I saw "I Am My Own Wife," in NY, I found myself among the ingrates (or maybe just the one and only ingrate) who was just not moved, nor was a lasting impression made. I wondered if it was the construction of the piece, the "PERFORMANCE," which withdrew me from the character's human experience - I'm not quite certain, but years later, the empty response to all aspects of the piece stayed with me, and I simply accepted that I was not bright enough, or just a plain ingrate. So, I jumped at the chance to view the new Solo Christmas Carol, certain that these years later, I am less log-headed and would "get it." Or get him. Or be moved. None of the above happened. I wanted to be joyously off-put by Dickens and Scrooge, instead I was just put off. I was never quite certain why I was being yelled at, which for me sublimated getting to the core of the characters. I had a hard time connecting to shots that arbitrarily had this angle, that angle, master shots, and every moment I was threatened to be allowed into the story - I, for some reason, felt pushed away. Even the credits touted fifty or so characters played by Jefferson Mays, but I had a hard time believing that any such thing took place. The effects such as they were, certainly indicated a sack-full of gold was spent, but I so wanted to be "in" the story, yet found myself itchy for things to end. I wonder if I am alone in this? I'll return now to my dumb ingrate corner. |
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| re: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 04:14 pm EST 12/02/20 | |
| In reply to: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| "I had a hard time connecting to shots that arbitrarily had this angle, that angle, master shots, and every moment I was threatened to be allowed into the story" Sadly, that's the way almost everything is done nowadays, which is at least part of the reason why I simply have to turn off so much of it. If anything, some of what has been shown during the pandemic has been much simpler due to limited resources, and I've been grateful for that. Sounds like it's not the case with this Christmas Carol. |
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| re: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol | |
| Posted by: bicoastal 01:33 pm EST 12/01/20 | |
| In reply to: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| While I haven't watched this filmed version, I did see it live two years ago. It was stunning, an evening of beautifully written words and the exquisite performance of them. Maybe it doesn't translate, and that would be very disappointing, but in person it was a delight from start to finish. The use of Dickens' prose, which of course is not used in film adaptations as they are dialogue driven, added to the unexpected depth of the evening. | |
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| re: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol | |
| Posted by: MisterIng 04:33 pm EST 12/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - bicoastal 01:33 pm EST 12/01/20 | |
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| As someone who did not see the live performance (at the Geffen in Los Angeles, if I am not mistaken) I would be very much interested in hearing from someone who has seen both and whether they feel this translated, as I simply could not engage much as I wanted to, much as I tried. If you do happen to see the filmed version, I hope you'll ring in. All best! | |
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| re: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol | |
| Posted by: marshvale60 10:17 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Sadly, I had the same experience watching this version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I was excited to watch. Pretty quckly I felt put off. Then disconnected. Ultimately I was bored. A significant disappointment. I admire the effort and obvious commitment--but sadly it didn't work for me. | |
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| Doug Wright, Emlyn Williams and Henry Higgins | |
| Posted by: aleck 04:25 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Finally, someone admitted they were unmoved by "I Am My Own Wife." I walked out of that one during intermission -- as I did for "Quills" and "Hands on a Hard Body." Not a Doug Wright fan? I saw Emlyn Williams do his one-man production as Charles Dickens. This was a few years ago . . . I thought it was mesmerizing. As I recall, he did a portion of Christmas Carol -- very effectively. I thought Mays' interpretation of Henry HIggins was the most interesting (and maybe the best) I'd ever seen. Gentleman's Guide, not so much. But I'm willing to stick with him for future work. But do I have another Christmas Carol in me? I don't think so. |
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| Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: dramedy 12:30 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Jefferson Mays, Xmas Carol - MisterIng 11:39 am EST 11/29/20 | |
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| You just don’t like one person shows. I’m not a huge fan of them. And one person playing 50 characters just puts me off. I am my own wife worked for me and there were a few characters played in that one. Some one person plays can be moving and powerful, but I am apprehensive when buying a ticket. | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: MisterIng 01:23 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Or maybe... - dramedy 12:30 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Quite the contrary. I adore one person shows. In fact, I adore watching the craft of an individual and getting both the individual's craft, and the character or characters that might be addressed more fully given the nature of the beast. I also enjoy gifted people. Not that I think that Mr. Mays is not gifted. I just have a very difficult time believing that he is who he says he is when he is saying so. Instead I find myself watching the many things he does - and does well, I just find myself watching and hearing arch in the voice, a distance or lack of presence in the eyes. Interestingly - there was one moment where he actually looked into the lens, it seemed to be without purpose or reason because no beat or idea or text was attached to it - it was almost as if it was a moment, with so much to remember, so unbelievably much to do, that he - for that one split second - stopped doing it. And suddenly there was a human being there. It was so fleeting, barely a split second, but for a minute second it fulfilled the wish for me - to see the soul of Scrooge. It didn't happen before nor did it happen after and as I mentioned, it was not linked to any moment per se and it was in the middle of text between words. I wished for much more of that. But alas, it didn't happen. In the end, and I speak only for myself, it felt performed, it felt executed, but for me, never did it feel human. | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: mikem 12:45 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Or maybe... - dramedy 12:30 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| I'm curious if you've seen Jefferson Mays in other shows, and if so, whether you liked him in those shows. I personally enjoy his work, but he has a certain sensibility and may not click with everyone. I haven't seen Christmas Carol, but I have to say I'm not a fan of the "arty" camera shot when it comes to theater streaming. Part of what I like about theater is that I can look at what I want to look at, rather than having some auteur perspective thrust upon me by whoever is wielding the camera. A filmed performance means framing decisions, but sometimes, the director goes for "look at my direction" shots rather than "look at the performer" shots, if you know what I mean. |
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| IAMOW, Gentleman's Guide and Oslo | |
| Posted by: dramedy 02:34 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - mikem 12:45 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| I don't remember his performance in Oslo, but very much liked him in GG and IAMOW. He's not someone I consider must-see when picking shows, but I have liked his performances. | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:32 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - mikem 12:45 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Anne Bogart's fingerprints are all over Mays, and that's going to annoy some and please others. Regarding putting a stage show on film, in the first instance, it is NEVER as good as the real thing. Having said that, it is also impossible to say in the abstract whether the filming of THIS performance gets in the way of the live show or not. I will say that when a live show depends, as I assume this one does, on quick changes and a suspension of belief, watching it on screen has a particular deficit because screen audiences do not have the same things to marvel at: watching something filmed we are conditioned to expect an editor (as well as a director). | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 04:14 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - ryhog 01:32 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| His performance in Bogart's "Culture of Desire" is still one of the greatest I've seen. | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 05:13 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - Singapore/Fling 04:14 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| indeed. Moisés really got out of his way in IAMOW, another great performance grounded in Viewpoints. [And I can't pass up repeating my favorite bit of trivia about that show: Mays's real life wife was credited as an artistic advisor.] |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 12:44 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - ryhog 05:13 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| That is a little like saying "another great performance grounded in plosive consonants, diphthongs, and fricatives." Every actor uses them. Some study them. But no one escapes them. |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 02:35 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - whereismikeyfl 12:44 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
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| maybe you might benefit from a little studying. lol | |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 08:10 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - ryhog 02:35 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
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| I just wanted to clarify because so many people lately have described the Viewpoints as an acting technique when like speech training it is simply a technique to provide conscious control and understanding of external elements that every performer already is dealing with. No offense meant. |
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| re: Or maybe... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 09:01 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - whereismikeyfl 08:10 pm EST 11/30/20 | |
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| definitely no offense. I think you could say that about any method of training which I think does highlight the fact that there are no "right" answers. But you really can see Anne's imprint on Jeff. :-) | |
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| I saw this on stage two years ago | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 01:13 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Or maybe... - mikem 12:45 pm EST 11/29/20 | |
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| Haven’t seen the streaming version, I plan to watch it this week. But the live performance was one of the most amazing nights in the theatre I’ve ever spent. Absolutely mesmerizing. I was ready to buy another ticket, right then, and that hardly ever happens. And I say this as one who is not a Dickens fan (I like Trollope better), and one who doesn’t even celebrate Christmas. I loved it. Laura |
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