I went to the fifth preview, and there was no standing. I was in mezz row C, a great seat, and saw no one on their feet across the expanse of the mezz or in the orchestra below. At BWW I was scolded, told that "no one stands at straight plays." Yet I've seen people leap up only last week at both "Fat Ham" and "Sidney Brustein," in each case, with enthusiasm.
The non-standing here perhaps reflects that ambivalence you mention, which I share. I posted about it two days ago in another thread. I'm neither steering people away nor calling this anything close to a must-see. The production is so exquisitely realized, state of the art designs across the board, and so elegantly staged, it almost camouflages the, um, missing pieces in the text it illuminates. Not a new phenom, but here, raising a question: can style be content? |
