Another show I was quite eager to see (based partially on good reviews) was After Miss Julie. Yet again, I met disappointment. More precisely, my theatre-loving friend and I both left going, "Huuhhhh?"
At first, I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the production, the time so generously spared by the director for stage business of various kinds, furthering the reality of the characters. Once the show ended abruptly after an intermission-less 90 minutes, it felt more like he was just trying to find a way to fill the time.
My main source of anticipation for this play was its playwright, Patrick Marber, who previously penned the incredibly potent Closer (for those not in the know, this was a play before it was a movie starring lots of famous sexy people). While I liked the writing in After Miss Julie, I would not say it compared.
Onto the acting: Marin Ireland is amazing. She was amazing in Reasons to be Pretty, she was amazing in this, and I imagine she is amazing at various other life functions apart from acting, such as brushing her teeth and decorating Christmas trees. I want to be her friend.
Jonny Lee Miller is also quite good. His demeanor and tone are always perfectly drawn from the life his character has led, and he has marvelous control of his emotions.
Onto the other Miller, Miss Sienna. Sienna, Sienna, Sienna....Sienna was a hot mess. It wasn't that it was physically painful to watch her act, as is sometimes the case with Hollywood actresses making their Broadway debuts (not naming names, Katie Holmes in All My Sons). As my friend so concisely put it, Sienna's entire performance was laden with an affect. "I'm being emotionally unstable!" she seemed to cry. Except that she never really cried.
Her character is supposed to be a hot mess, so the fact that she comes across as such (on multiple levels) leaves the audience with a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg scenario: where does the lame acting stop and the poor direction begin? An interesting topic for debate, but ultimately a moot point. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen to Miss Julie at the end of the play, and I didn't particularly care. Her poor-little-rich-girl failed to garner any sympathy, or empathy, or respect. I'm not sure what comes after Miss Julie, but I hope it's Christine (Ireland) kicking ass and taking names.
If you want to see a sexy movie star on Broadway, Hamlet is still running. Jude Law was clearly the talented (if disloyal) half of that ex-power couple.
At first, I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the production, the time so generously spared by the director for stage business of various kinds, furthering the reality of the characters. Once the show ended abruptly after an intermission-less 90 minutes, it felt more like he was just trying to find a way to fill the time.
My main source of anticipation for this play was its playwright, Patrick Marber, who previously penned the incredibly potent Closer (for those not in the know, this was a play before it was a movie starring lots of famous sexy people). While I liked the writing in After Miss Julie, I would not say it compared.
Onto the acting: Marin Ireland is amazing. She was amazing in Reasons to be Pretty, she was amazing in this, and I imagine she is amazing at various other life functions apart from acting, such as brushing her teeth and decorating Christmas trees. I want to be her friend.
Jonny Lee Miller is also quite good. His demeanor and tone are always perfectly drawn from the life his character has led, and he has marvelous control of his emotions.
Onto the other Miller, Miss Sienna. Sienna, Sienna, Sienna....Sienna was a hot mess. It wasn't that it was physically painful to watch her act, as is sometimes the case with Hollywood actresses making their Broadway debuts (not naming names, Katie Holmes in All My Sons). As my friend so concisely put it, Sienna's entire performance was laden with an affect. "I'm being emotionally unstable!" she seemed to cry. Except that she never really cried.
Her character is supposed to be a hot mess, so the fact that she comes across as such (on multiple levels) leaves the audience with a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg scenario: where does the lame acting stop and the poor direction begin? An interesting topic for debate, but ultimately a moot point. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen to Miss Julie at the end of the play, and I didn't particularly care. Her poor-little-rich-girl failed to garner any sympathy, or empathy, or respect. I'm not sure what comes after Miss Julie, but I hope it's Christine (Ireland) kicking ass and taking names.
If you want to see a sexy movie star on Broadway, Hamlet is still running. Jude Law was clearly the talented (if disloyal) half of that ex-power couple.
@ the American Airlines Theatre, 227 W 42nd St
