Friday, April 08, 2005
Should Denzel Take the Red-Eye Back Home?
Nice re-review written today on the ModFab Blog. The blogger hips us to a review of the new broadway play Julius Caesar at the Belasco Theater.
Writes Brendan Lemon in FT.com, "The production, which gains momentum in its second half, suffers from the same problem, and sometimes Washington does, too; his Brutus dominates the production nonetheless. Superbly professional, and handsomer at 50 than at 30, he is catnip to the public," writes Lemon. "If the insincerity that sometimes mars his screen acting is even more pronounced here, and if he speaks his lines with practised fervour rather than lived-in effortlessness, these are the prices we pay to have him back on Broadway after a 17-year absence."
Ouch.
Back to the ModFab brother's view on things, "... it's dull as dishwater, Denzel is passable but not great, the direction is dismayingly erratic, and the only thing worth your time is the gorgeous and talented Eamonn Walker as Marc Antony."
Reading on, this candid soul continues, "... the whole mess is waaaay too expensive. Perhaps that's why it's so refreshing to read about legendary director Peter Brook's latest magnum opus, Tierno Bokar. The piece is based on the life of an African muslim sage, and its timely mix of war, religious fanaticism, and social struggle makes it a must-see. However, the real news is its prices. From today's article in the Observer: "Wishing to make theater accessible to all, he’s the first internationally known director to lead the way by insisting that ticket prices must come down. Mr. Brook is saying, in urgent effect, if so many people can no longer afford to go to the theater, what’s the point of theater? It’s the most pressing question of all. The cost of tickets is killing the audience. They’re also killing the future."
Writes Brendan Lemon in FT.com, "The production, which gains momentum in its second half, suffers from the same problem, and sometimes Washington does, too; his Brutus dominates the production nonetheless. Superbly professional, and handsomer at 50 than at 30, he is catnip to the public," writes Lemon. "If the insincerity that sometimes mars his screen acting is even more pronounced here, and if he speaks his lines with practised fervour rather than lived-in effortlessness, these are the prices we pay to have him back on Broadway after a 17-year absence."
Ouch.
Back to the ModFab brother's view on things, "... it's dull as dishwater, Denzel is passable but not great, the direction is dismayingly erratic, and the only thing worth your time is the gorgeous and talented Eamonn Walker as Marc Antony."
Reading on, this candid soul continues, "... the whole mess is waaaay too expensive. Perhaps that's why it's so refreshing to read about legendary director Peter Brook's latest magnum opus, Tierno Bokar. The piece is based on the life of an African muslim sage, and its timely mix of war, religious fanaticism, and social struggle makes it a must-see. However, the real news is its prices. From today's article in the Observer: "Wishing to make theater accessible to all, he’s the first internationally known director to lead the way by insisting that ticket prices must come down. Mr. Brook is saying, in urgent effect, if so many people can no longer afford to go to the theater, what’s the point of theater? It’s the most pressing question of all. The cost of tickets is killing the audience. They’re also killing the future."
