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| There were cameras at POTUS tonight (and some of y'all undersold it!) | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 12:36 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 12:34 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| Some of y'all undersold POTUS. I'm so glad that a slot in my brief NY trip opened up unexpectedly and that I decided to get a last minute ticket to POTUS. What unbridled joy. I can't remember the last time I laughed that consistently. And the packed house seemed to be aligned. I went in expecting to be mildly amused and occasionally chuckle. Instead my face was *literally* hurting from laughing by the end. And that communal experience of not only laughing -- but laughing hard -- feels so good. People were walking on air leaving the theatre. And, while I love Rachel Dratch, I'm not sure I'd agree that she steals the show. In fact, I was impressed with how well balanced everything was -- every single one of these brilliantly funny actresses got to shine, which is not an easy thing to pull off -- no doubt thanks to Selina Fillinger's crackling dialogue and Susan Stroman's smart direction. I'd love to see them reunited for another show in the future. If any actress might have "run away" with the show, it might have been Julie White who was in fine form. She received the loudest ovation of the night. It's a shame the show is closing, as WONDERFUL as this cast is, I'm not sure that they're entirely irreplaceable. I could imagine it being such a treat to see again with a new cast of gifted comedic actresses. If you've been sitting on the fence about this one -- don't! Get to the Shubert! For those who can't make it, I noticed two things tonight... one that Selina Fillinger's bio noted that she's developing a feature film for Netflix AND I saw several video cameras capturing the show tonight. This is total speculation on my part, but I wonder if those cameras belong to Netflix, too. Have there been any rumblings about future productions? I imagine this cast would make a mint for the producers in a sit-down production in LA. Any rumblings about a tour? (Oh, and I know that several of you DID enthusiastically recommend this show, and thank you for those recommendations! Between POTUS, Fat Ham and Into the Woods, I've laughed a lot this week and it has felt SO GOOD!) |
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| Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) | |
| Posted by: mikem 01:04 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: There were cameras at POTUS tonight (and some of y'all undersold it!) - DistantDrumming 12:34 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| (major spoilers for Fat Ham) DistantDrumming, thank you for bringing up Fat Ham, which I wanted to talk about. It seems a bunch of people here have seen the show, but I don't think there's been a lot of conversation about it. I think Fat Ham was a worthy Pulitzer winner, chock full of ideas as many of the recent winners have been, but it seemed less overstuffed than some others. I was very struck by the ending, which admittedly does not really seem to develop completely organically from what came before. It seemed like the playwright needed to end the show, but his decision to move the show into a celebration of joy was exactly what I needed, both after seeing a lot of ominous plays like The Minutes but also after dealing with all the wackiness and dysfunction of our recent real-life world. Like DistantDrumming says, it felt so good to have a fun time in the theater. "We tragic," our protagonist says about his family, and he is right. But rather than resign themselves to tragedy and wallow in it, they decide to move beyond that and celebrate themselves as much as they can. And by watching them celebrate and give each other joy, we can celebrate too for a few minutes, and we can remind ourselves that, even when surrounded by tragedy, we can still choose to let joy and celebration in as much as we can. |
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| re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 03:40 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) - mikem 01:04 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| mikem, the Fat Ham ending was totally bonkers and, yes, I agree, at the same time, just felt right for the work. It was one of those "only in the theatre" moments which probably couldn't work in film or TV and felt like a triumphant, defiant and wonderfully irreverent final push against toxic masculinity. | |
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| re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:26 am EDT 08/04/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) - DistantDrumming 03:40 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| DistantDrumming, that's a great way of putting it: bonkers yet just right. And you're also right that the ending wouldn't work at all outside of the theater. I've said before that my big attraction to the theater is the communal aspect between the actor and the audience, and that joyful intermingling at the end of the show, where everyone in the room is celebrating together, is what makes it work. | |
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| re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) | |
| Posted by: stgmgr 01:21 am EDT 08/06/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) - mikem 11:26 am EDT 08/04/22 | |
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| For what it's worth, when I saw Fat Ham, I found to my surprise that my eyes began to leak at the reveal of the final scene. Actual tears of joy. | |
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| re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 08:13 pm EDT 08/06/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Fat Ham and joy (major spoilers for Fat Ham) - stgmgr 01:21 am EDT 08/06/22 | |
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| I don't find that surprising at all. Something can be funny, surprising, even a bit silly... AND moving all at once. | |
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| re: There were cameras at POTUS tonight | |
| Posted by: wmorrow 05:48 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: There were cameras at POTUS tonight (and some of y'all undersold it!) - DistantDrumming 12:34 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| The cameras did not belong to Netflix. POTUS was recorded last night for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), the video collection held at the Performing Arts Library, at Lincoln Center. | |
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| How long till shows become available at the Lincoln Center Archive | |
| Posted by: Glamourboy 02:00 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: re: There were cameras at POTUS tonight - wmorrow 05:48 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| I've often wondered.... | |
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| re: How long till shows become available at the Lincoln Center Archive | |
| Posted by: wmorrow 03:25 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: How long till shows become available at the Lincoln Center Archive - Glamourboy 02:00 pm EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| It varies. Usually within a few days after the show closes, but there are exceptions. | |
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| re: There were cameras at POTUS tonight | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 11:06 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
| In reply to: re: There were cameras at POTUS tonight - wmorrow 05:48 am EDT 08/03/22 | |
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| Ah, good to know! Well, I hope this show has some life after this Broadway run. Unlike a lot of plays, I could imagine it doing well on the road. | |
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