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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: Commopics 12:13 am EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - bobby2 10:59 pm EDT 04/08/23 | |
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| The Promenade was a traditional proscenium, wider than most Off-Bwy houses. The original star-studded production was hobbled by Shepard's slack direction. The LA premiere at the Taper, helmed by Shepard specialist Robert Woodruff redeemed the material by providing focus and drive. The more comfortable cast led by an indelible Holly Hunter, featured Arliss Howard, Amy Madigan, Rae Allen, Louise Latham, James Gammon, and John Diehl - all wonderful. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 01:50 am EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - Commopics 12:13 am EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| My memory is that the Promenade had something of a thrust stage, although not to the degree of the Beaumont. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: ryhog 12:09 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - AlanScott 01:50 am EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| The side sections at the Promenade were angled in relation to the center, creating something I would probably call an extended apron rather than a thrust but it was definitely a hybrid. I think the effect is relatively similar to what you would have at the Beaumont if it only had the 200-400 sections. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 06:51 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - ryhog 12:09 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| "Extended apron" is a good way to put it. Definitely a hybrid. Some great shows played there. Power Plays, The Road to Mecca, The Waverly Gallery stand out in my memory. |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Last Edit: ryhog 09:46 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| Posted by: ryhog 09:42 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - AlanScott 06:51 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| I think Waverly was the last play with much heft unless I am forgetting something. (I also believe I recall that it was Heckart's last performance.) It is the place my mind goes to when someone mentions commercial off-Broadway that no longer really exists. There were some very important plays, some transferring there from other off Broadway theatres in the way that they now go to Broadway. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 10:29 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - ryhog 09:42 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| Yes, The Waverly Gallery was Heckart's last stage performance, announced as such. I was at the last performance. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: ryhog 12:54 am EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - AlanScott 10:29 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| I saw the first performance in Williamstown the summer before so we bookended that production. I also of course saw it during the Promenade run which was quite a bit more fleet of foot. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Last Edit: JereNYC 01:34 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:34 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - ryhog 12:54 am EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| If you saw Heckart at Williamstown, you were very lucky. I think she only did a performance or two before bowing out due to illness. Joanne Woodward took over and played the role on book for the remainder of the run. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: ryhog 06:39 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - JereNYC 01:34 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I don't think I knew that, but if I did I had forgotten. As I said above, I do know I saw the first performance. Every once in a while, I guess even I get lucky. :-) | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 11:35 am EDT 04/11/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - ryhog 06:39 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| For what it's worth, Joanne Woodward gave about as terrific a performance as possible with minimal rehearsal time and carrying her script. It was not in any way a "reading." She gave it her all. I was both very pleased to see her (it would be the only time I'd get to see her onstage) and so glad to get to see Heckart do the role later in New York. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 09:18 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - AlanScott 06:51 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| Yes, and you can add The Common Pursuit and Three Tall Women to that list. Many others as well over the years, of course. So good to see Alan Bates and Eileen Atkins there in The Unexpected Man, too. I always hate losing theaters, but as a former UWS resident this particular loss hit hard. (Not that the theatre had anything to do with this, but I didn't think the Broadway revival of The Waverly Gallery was nearly as good as the original NY production at the Promenade.) |
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| Two more productions spring to mind at the Promenade. | |
| Posted by: Charlie_Baker 09:19 am EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - TheOtherOne 09:18 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| And they couldn't be more different from each other. A fine revival (Maybe a transfer?) of Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class, with Kathy Bates, Eddie Jones, and Bradley Whitford. Then there was James Naughton basically doing a very engaging cabaret act. i'm another UWS resident who misses the Promenade, still. |
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| re: Two more productions spring to mind at the Promenade. | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:09 am EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: Two more productions spring to mind at the Promenade. - Charlie_Baker 09:19 am EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| And one more: Hurlyburly with the star-studded cast (save for Walken who was replaced by Silver) that rode the transfer to Broadway. I am pretty sure it was my first time at the Promenade. | |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 10:32 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - TheOtherOne 09:18 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| I forgot about Three Tall Women because I saw it at the Vineyard and then, even though I liked it a lot, didn't see it again. I may be in the minority but I preferred the Broadway Waverly Gallery, which hit me very hard, but that may have had to do with being older. |
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| re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:44 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Was the Promenade Theater a traditional proscenium or in the round? nm - AlanScott 10:32 pm EDT 04/09/23 | |
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| Among other things, I saw a truly terrible "comedy" at the Promenade called HIGH INFIDELITY that starred John Davidson and Morgan Fairchild. He played a philandering US Senator in the midst of a presidental run and she played his wife. The set up was that their relationship was starting to bread down and that they were attending a marriage counseling retreat on the day of the action in an effort to patch things up and save his bid for the White House. Clearly inspired by the Clintons, but the play was so awful that I found it incredible that it had gotten produced, even with the headliners involved. It was like something you'd expect to have seen touring dinner theatres in the 1970's. | |
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