| Last weekend for The Niceties with Lisa Banes (small spoilers such that you would see in a review) | |
| Last Edit: mikem 08:45 am EDT 06/26/21 | |
| Posted by: mikem 08:42 am EDT 06/26/21 | |
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| Manhattan Theatre Club extended its free streaming of The Niceties with Lisa Banes until the end of the day on Sunday. She is so, so good in this role. Within just a few minutes, you feel like you know this character. (small spoilers coming that are similar to what you might read in a review) The play is a two-hander that originally took place in a professor's office. Here, it's a Zoom-like chat that is supposed to take place over break, which works extremely well. The playwright was an active participant and changed some of the dialogue to reflect that they are not in the same room. The play is supposed to take place in 2016 (while Obama is still President) and premiered in 2018. One striking thing to me is that the play is already dated in that, in today's "ivory playgrounds" (a term used in the play), no white professor would continue to have a provocative and pushing conversation with a Black student centered on race after the student starts saying that the professor doesn't understand race issues and isn't listening. The professor would apologize, stop talking, and listen, or just find a reason to end the conversation. There is a short chat with the playwright, actors, and director at the bottom of the same linked page, and the playwright acknowledges this. She says that the play has to remain in 2016 because that type of lengthy arguing wouldn't take place nowadays. As for the play itself, I enjoyed the play and particularly the performances. But the characters are not as well-rounded as they could be. Also, I don't really like the seemingly increasing trend that many newer plays have of containing lengthy scenes of flawed and not particularly likable people having an increasingly heated argument that goes on for way, way too long. Here, basically the entire play is that lengthy argument between two people I would never want to hang around with in real life. But the acting is extremely strong and, particularly with Lisa Banes, something to savor. The format really allows you to watch her subtle reactions to what her student says. One thing I found surprising is that the NY Times review says in the first sentence that the student is the "heroine" of the play and implies later that the professor is the "villain." But I think the script and the production are trying to be balanced, and I don't think the playwright or the director would call either of them a "heroine" or a "villain." I'm curious what others thought. |
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