I saw the show Saturday Night. Thanks Scott for saving us seats front and center. While I had some problems with some costuming details (surprise) and set decoration. I thought the show was brillant!!!! Laura and Susan, Brilliant simply Brilliant!!! Congrats to Buckcreek on a great production. As Edie would say, Mother would be proud. It will be a tough year for Encores this year . How exciting!!!
I, too, saw the show Saturday evening. I thought the set was incredible, the casting superb, the acting/singing spot on and the entire experience thought provoking. While some apparently found the production "a downer", the story line ran me from fascination to being deeply disturbed. And you know what? That's what theater is supposed to do - cause you to feel, and boy did I! Every musical can't and shouldn't be "Sound of Music", and I applaud Buck Creek for stepping out on the precipice of "Bold" to bring a production of this quality and genre to Indianapolis community theater. Thanks to the cast for a job well done with difficult subject matter......Hats off to you all. Oh, and by the way, major props to whoever was responsible for the program.
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I'm so disappointed, I had planned on seeing this production this afternoon, only to learn that it was sold out! DRATS! I'm so sorry I missed this one!
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Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
Phyllis Munro
Next upcoming production:
Jessie Mae Watts In "The Trip To Bountiful"
Center Stage Productions
April 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 2010 - 7:30 p.m., Matinee April 10, 2 p.m.
Where: Southport Presbyterian Church
Southview Campus: 1427 Southview Drive Indianapolis, In 46227
You said it all Bill. I really enjoyed this performance even though it left you wondering at the end what really became of the two women. I hadn't researched the history of the two, so I was asking others after the show. The plot was much like a foreign film in that you get snapshot life without having everything wrapped up with a bow at the end. If you like that sort of story then you would like this show; otherwise, it could leave you feeling a little frustrated at end. Needless to say, I thought the cast did a stellar job with this production.
You said it all Bill. I really enjoyed this performance even though it left you wondering at the end what really became of the two women. I hadn't researched the history of the two, so I was asking others after the show. The plot was much like a foreign film in that you get snapshot life without having everything wrapped up with a bow at the end. If you like that sort of story then you would like this show; otherwise, it could leave you feeling a little frustrated at end. Needless to say, I thought the cast did a stellar job with this production.
There are moments when watching a play that I’m keenly aware that it’s make-believe. My thoughts drift to the rhythm of the lines and how they seem like give and take between characters in a play rather than an actual conversation. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with “Grey Gardens.” During the performance, it seemed as though I was watching an actual bit of history, rather than actors on a stage. It was natural, with voices overlapping and natural responses, rather than set-ups for the next line or joke or song.
Everything was “just right” with this presentation. It was perfectly cast, the actors had terrific singing voices, the costumes were amazing (especially the military costumes and the Edie’s white gown), the actor’s timing was “spot on,” and the set on three levels was visually appealing and inspired.
I liked the changes in the times and values as well. The first half, set in 1941, showed the characters rambling on about superficial things that some of the “moneyed” social strata held important, such as “marrying well” and the right career path. As humorous as it was to look at the wealthy characters deal with those choices, it was a reminder how all of us consider them, regardless of our financial situation.
The second half was the more down-to-earth part of the show with the disturbing realization that mental illness had crept in without the residents of Grey Gardens seeming to know it, but powerless to stop it.
All the cast did a terrific job, but Laura Duvall-Whitson deserves major kudos for tackling the two roles of first “Big Edie” (1941) and then “Little Edie” (1973) that spanned the length of the show. I’m sure it’s challenging not only to have two different roles in a show, but to memorize dialogue and music for the entire show is an achievement. Of course, Susan Freeman was terrific, as Big Edie (1973) and Erin Rettig was sexy as Little Edie in her prime. Trevor Fanning as Gould and Ken Ganza as Major Bouvier added the necessary humor and atmosphere of the early ‘40s.
In the beginning, I enjoyed the fun, but vacuous, conversations of the wealthy elite. At the end, I could feel the torment of Little Edie wanting to escape, but not having the courage, nor the resources, to do so, and settling for what was least uncomfortable. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to see Grey Gardens at Buck Creek Players and credit goes to director D. Scott Robinson for following his passion in bringing this to the local stage.
Despite the differences in budgets, this was every bit as entertaining to me as “Wicked” and the similarity of the two was the talent displayed on stage for both plays.
__________________ Sooo, how's that whole "hopey-changey" thing working for you?
Last edited by Phototiger; 06-14-2009 at 11:09 PM.
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