Public Playhouse
February 29 - March 15, 2008
Review by peanutduck
Another messy stage - peanuts and bananas. Add a grain of salt: this mediocre script deadens its conceit. This in mind, production peaks prematurely, plateaus into predictable levels, rhythms; Hecht and Fleming become whiny serfs of uninspiring Selznick, resulting in a threesome that would never conceivably get this job done.
2 comments:
Sometimes, you just need to have fun and this show is just that...fun. Lots of laughs (albeit a few are of the cheep variety). A witty script wonderfully performed in a difficult venue. At times, the some of the site-lines were cluttered by what I can only guess was due to actors missing their marks. On top of being fun, the script does address the dangers of stereotypes and prejudice. This show is a gem and this company just keeps getting better. What is on tap for next season? I can hardly wait.
It is a farce, which must be distinctly understood or you will miss the entire journey. Of course it is predictable; it is "Gone with the Wind" after all.
I agree with you that Victor Fleming was a "serf." If you do the research, he really was owned by the studios and subject to their every whim. I would certainly be whiny if my life were owned by anyone. However, I take umbrage with that view applying to Hecht. He was a man of principal and from what I saw Mendelson's performance delicately walked the balance between making a living and sticking to one's principals. Being Jewish, I appreciated the portrayal and found it to be a very real interpretation of a man who stood for so much that is important to me.
All of this said, the beautiful thing about art is that it is subjective. It is all opinion after all. I encourage everyone to see this show.
I saw the show this weekend and think the Oregonian was pretty close to the mark with their review.
http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2008/03/theater_review_making_gone_wit.html
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