Frankenstein Part Deux
I was lucky enough to get to see the play Frankenstein again last week, as well as meet the lovely badapplebettie. I was hoping to get a brief write-up done but work scheduling and the cold from hell told me no. So here we go.
Last time around, it was a 4 hour drive to get to the only theater in the general area to show Frankenstein. Fortunately, this time around two theaters in Raleigh (a slightly less than 2 hour drive) were doing it. I got tickets to see the first showing and made plans to meet up with badapplebettie pre-show, to make up for the fact that we missed each other at the showing last year. I had wanted to see the version with Benedict as Victor, since I'd seen him as the Creature last time, but after emailing the theater chain, I was given the wrong dates. A week after I got the tickets they alerted me to their mistake, but rather than deal with returns (and due to time issues), I decided to go ahead and go to the Original casting version. It's not like it would be a hardship or anything, right? It's Ben acting his cute (and unfortunately for me, slightly clad) tushie off and earning every bit of that Olivier.
So the whole thing ended up being great. We had a small snafu when we briefly got lost on the way (I'm from a small town and driving through Raleigh can be a nightmare) but got there in time to do some window shopping before meeting badapplebettie. She ended up being as great in person as online, and we had a nice little convo about Ben, the fandom and crazy neighbors before we had to go to the show.
As for the show itself, it was as amazing as I'd remembered, even upon a second viewing. I had been afraid that knowing what was coming would spoil the emotion of it, but it really didn't. There were a few moments where I was aware of what would be next, but it's easy to get swept up in it and forget the rest. It's such a moving piece, you'd have to be stone hearted to not leave without a tear in the eye.
I also had been curious as to how full it would be and was really pleased to see the stadium seating around three-quarters full. I wish I had the balls to stand up and ask how many people had seen the show last year, versus those who only recently joined the fandom or couldn't attend last year's showings due to travel constraints. I did get a chance to speak to a few people who had seen it and agreed that it lost nothing in a second viewing. There was also a good mix of ages. I admit I like seeing how spread out the fandom is. I sat behind a row of teenagers, one of whom, upon seeing a close up behind the scenes pic of Benedict, just sighed and said "That face is just unfair." After the show, in the bathroom, a woman around my age shared my regret that they had to put that 'diaper' on him for the birthing scene.
The one not so good thing that stood out was something that badapplebettie had mentioned, which was some of the performances by the supporting cast. The bit parts, like Elizabeth's maid and the guys on the Scottish island where Victor goes to to work on the Creature's bride, come off as very.. well, not amateurish, but very ham-handed. Like parodies, I guess. I know they're supposed to offer some comic relief, but in the midst of all that drama, it sometimes comes off odd. Also, neither of us could figure out why such a fine actor as George Harris delivers such a flat performance. Sometimes it seems like he's just reciting the lines, and it's an unfortunate draw from the drama. I think seeing it a second time only cemented that belief.
So, all in all, a good day, and it was totally worth the drama it took to get there. I hope even half of this makes sense, as I'm half asleep.
Last time around, it was a 4 hour drive to get to the only theater in the general area to show Frankenstein. Fortunately, this time around two theaters in Raleigh (a slightly less than 2 hour drive) were doing it. I got tickets to see the first showing and made plans to meet up with badapplebettie pre-show, to make up for the fact that we missed each other at the showing last year. I had wanted to see the version with Benedict as Victor, since I'd seen him as the Creature last time, but after emailing the theater chain, I was given the wrong dates. A week after I got the tickets they alerted me to their mistake, but rather than deal with returns (and due to time issues), I decided to go ahead and go to the Original casting version. It's not like it would be a hardship or anything, right? It's Ben acting his cute (and unfortunately for me, slightly clad) tushie off and earning every bit of that Olivier.
So the whole thing ended up being great. We had a small snafu when we briefly got lost on the way (I'm from a small town and driving through Raleigh can be a nightmare) but got there in time to do some window shopping before meeting badapplebettie. She ended up being as great in person as online, and we had a nice little convo about Ben, the fandom and crazy neighbors before we had to go to the show.
As for the show itself, it was as amazing as I'd remembered, even upon a second viewing. I had been afraid that knowing what was coming would spoil the emotion of it, but it really didn't. There were a few moments where I was aware of what would be next, but it's easy to get swept up in it and forget the rest. It's such a moving piece, you'd have to be stone hearted to not leave without a tear in the eye.
I also had been curious as to how full it would be and was really pleased to see the stadium seating around three-quarters full. I wish I had the balls to stand up and ask how many people had seen the show last year, versus those who only recently joined the fandom or couldn't attend last year's showings due to travel constraints. I did get a chance to speak to a few people who had seen it and agreed that it lost nothing in a second viewing. There was also a good mix of ages. I admit I like seeing how spread out the fandom is. I sat behind a row of teenagers, one of whom, upon seeing a close up behind the scenes pic of Benedict, just sighed and said "That face is just unfair." After the show, in the bathroom, a woman around my age shared my regret that they had to put that 'diaper' on him for the birthing scene.
The one not so good thing that stood out was something that badapplebettie had mentioned, which was some of the performances by the supporting cast. The bit parts, like Elizabeth's maid and the guys on the Scottish island where Victor goes to to work on the Creature's bride, come off as very.. well, not amateurish, but very ham-handed. Like parodies, I guess. I know they're supposed to offer some comic relief, but in the midst of all that drama, it sometimes comes off odd. Also, neither of us could figure out why such a fine actor as George Harris delivers such a flat performance. Sometimes it seems like he's just reciting the lines, and it's an unfortunate draw from the drama. I think seeing it a second time only cemented that belief.
So, all in all, a good day, and it was totally worth the drama it took to get there. I hope even half of this makes sense, as I'm half asleep.