tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195102361160836342.post2747316898181602263..comments2023-12-24T01:50:35.779-05:00Comments on The Fifth Wall: MN visit: Kushner at the GuthrieAaron Grunfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984978554994244178noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3195102361160836342.post-37390225864582577002009-06-05T21:05:56.436-04:002009-06-05T21:05:56.436-04:00Interesting! A couple of my strongest impressions...Interesting! A couple of my strongest impressions were just the opposite of yours. Caroline, Nick & I saw it Wednesday. I thought some members of the cast were the weak bits, and that the script & direction carried the show. Gus in particular I found forced until at least the middle of the second act. There were a lot of scenes where the whole family would be on stage arguing at once, and I didn't think those worked during the first act either. Something warmed up and I enjoyed that dynamic in the second and third - maybe just because there was more tension towards the end of the show so more energy on stage.<br /><br />I got a lot out of the love-triangle sub-plot. I thought it dovetailed well with the remaining themes of commitment and abandonment, boredom and excitement, and selfishness and generosity. I thought the play articulated how those themes play out in romance, familial relationships, careers or commitments to a cause. I got a general sense that the play's message, if any, was pro commitment, pro marriage, pro reformist and anti radical. Mostly I enjoyed watching 3 hours of riffs on those themes. <br /><br />For me, the show went by fast. Granted, I think Caroline & I both had quite a bit of coffee to get us through, but I certainly didn't get bored.<br /><br />The younger son did fade away. I was partly disturbed by that, but on the other hand, his role in the family was to be shielded from the father's insanity but also from his passions, and I think therefore somewhat neglected. I was disturbed that we didn't get to see the effect of his father's final lie, but I wasn't otherwise upset with how well I knew him.<br /><br />I dug the set, and I liked the daughter.dubetesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02912399222557788015noreply@blogger.com