I was able to score twofer tickets for No Man’s Land yesterday for my daughter and me.
It was wonderful theater. I knew nothing about the play going in, and I can see how that it requires superb actors or else it can be dull. What makes it pop is the acting; lots of the dialog is pretty flat, but the actors have to know how to use it (and to use the silences). The entire cast was definitely on yesterday.
There was little of Stewart’s or McKellan’s best-known roles in it. The characters were old, slightly shabby (not Godot shabby, but had seen better days), and somewhat hard to fathom. McKellan had the slightly bigger role, but they both managed to underplay perfectly. There were plenty of laughs, not so much in the writing, but in the way the actors said the lines (or were silent – Pinter was famous for his silences).
Beckett wanted Godot to be funny. That no one expects it to be funny is sort of a mini tragedy. Most Godot productions are…bad (heck, most Beckett productions are bad). It’s good to hear that this one is getting it right.
It’s exciting that so many people are going to see these shows because of the cast and, therefore, getting to see some really well done theater that they might not otherwise get to see. I am bummed that I am not able to swing tickets.
As I noted, twofers are available if you want to risk it (they may be harder to get for Godot, though).
I walked up to the “plays only” line.* They first said they only had restricted views, but as the guy checked, good tickets just were added. This was about 10:30 am for the matinee.
*One of the best-kept secrets of the TKTS booth. It’s on the left side as you look north; ask the attendants. Despite the fact that it was a mob scene on the Saturday after Christmas, I was able to get tickets and be out of there in five minutes.
I took my good friend and her two teenage daughters. I knew it would appeal more to the teenagers than it would to their mother (definitely not mom’s cup of tea) but we all enjoyed it in our own way.
The girls’ mom kept a positive attitude and was able to see aspects of the actors performances that she liked, but her two teenage daughters were very excited to intellectualize the action (and lack thereof) of the play. Afterward, the girls and I had a lot of fun picking apart what might and might not be true (in the reality of the play) in the characters’ interactions. As well as discussing the possibilities of the characters representing different aspects of one person’s psyche (although I studied some Pinter in college, I never studied this play. The girls and I were all just pulling these ideas out of our asses as we discussed after the performance).
It was exactly the kind of production you would never hope to get to see done at Broadway level professionalism. Truly a rare treat. It was the kind of play you’d like to be able to watch once, then think about it, then watch it again. We don’t have the opportunity to watch it again, but the girls and I are excited to read about literary critiques of the play, then read through the play itself think back on the performance.
I treated myself to a birthday trip to NY back in November and saw both plays. Simply a fantastic experience to see two such talented actors on stage. Mckellan in particular fascinated me - his roles in the movies don’t begin to show his depth of skill I think.
I also saw Twelfth Night while I was in Manhattan. (And got Stephen Fry’s autograph!) Mark Rylance and the whole cast are incredible. Easily the most enjoyable night of theater I’ve ever experienced. So much so that I’m trying to arrange a trip back in February before their run ends! I’d love to catch Godot again too… man, I need to win the lottery or something.