My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#1My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/19/10 at 11:51pm
In short, it's a really lovely, well-paced production, with some very fine performances and incredibly detrimental blocking. And I liked it a lot more than VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE.
Abigail Breslin does an excellent job in an extraordinarily difficult role; most importantly, she's convincing. Alison Pill, whose dialect fluctuates from, I guess Boston by way of New York, to, I guess England by way of Boston, also has some nice moments, but this is by no means her best work.
Matthew Modine is the big unsung hero of the production. Watching him is captivating. Jennifer Morrison is nothing particularly special.
The biggest flaw is the way Kate Whoriskey blocked the piece. She's virtually staged it as a proscenium piece, and everything is played towards a small chunk of audience. The people "behind" (the area where they stage was) had a great view of everyone's back for a solid 80% of the show. Do not sit in the 500s. Otherwise, she's staged a nice, bells-and-whistles free production. And I think it could become a sleeper hit.
Cat2
Chorus Member Joined: 4/29/05
#2My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 12:10amI enjoyed the performances, but the show didn't move me in any particular way. I think I was too distracted by the seating arrangement. The seats in the 400's are terrible. For most of the show, the actors were facing away from me. Doors were also blocking my view. Try not to sit in these seats.
#2My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 12:15amHow are the 100s out of curiosity, since I'll be sitting there on Wednesday?
#3My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 12:22am
Was sitting in the last row in the 200s (evens) tonight, don't sit there either. The entire section leaning forward to be able to see the key scene at the pump, no clue what was happening in the end of the Annie leaving Boston scene (can't see what the Doctor handed her), etc.
LOVED the performances, but found myself thinking "I want to come back and sit on the other side, to see the stuff I'm missing," and that shouldn't be what the staging invokes.
And mine was a TDF seat, for those who like to know about that sort of thing.
Updated On: 2/20/10 at 12:22 AM
WiCkEDrOcKS
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/13/04
#4My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 1:35amJust bought a ticket via TDF for next week. I hope I can see everything...
#5My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 1:49amI sat in the 100's first preview and there was no moments where I was taken out of the show because I had backs toward me. It was great for me and i was completely engaged the entire show.
#6My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 8:07amGoing today through TDF. I hope the seats are decent.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#7My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 9:30am
Saw the show last night and must echo the thoughts about the blocking of the play. We had the misfortune of sitting in the 500's as well. 80% of the play looking at the actors backs is accurate. Totally ruined the entire experience.
It was additionally frustrating when one of the characters does not speak. I was longing to see Helen's facial expressions. The entire scene where Annie and Helen battle at the dining table was lost.
Luckily my tix came from TDF, but I would have been pretty aggrivated if I had paid $117 to stare at backs all night. It is hard to believe they are charging the same price for every seat when your experience absolutely depends on where you sit. It's a shame because I was so looking forward to this production, especially Ms. Pill who was very good...when I could see her face. This is the first time I can ever say I truly had a "bad" seat.
Bwayfan4
Broadway Star Joined: 10/11/06
#8My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 9:36amSo which seats are "good" seats in this theatre? Isn't this where Spelling Bee was? It didn't seem like any of the seats were bad there, but I guess it all has to do with the blocking. On the Broadway Box seating chart, there are no seats in the 500s listed...???
Broadway Star Joined: 12/31/69
#9My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 9:40am
OOPS!
My seats were in the 400's.
Thanks Bway fan!
My wife and I were talking about our disappointment with the show this morning and she also brought up Spelling Bee and also Metamorphoses, both of which played in the same theater. We don't remember there being anyone seated in that section of the theater for either of those productions. Does anyone know if those seats are not usually sold?
Just wondering if our memory is correct.
Updated On: 2/20/10 at 09:40 AM
Bwayfan4
Broadway Star Joined: 10/11/06
#10My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 4:54pmThanks Sciguy...I want to get tickets but wasn't sure if the seating chart I saw was accurate. For Spelling Bee, I sat facing the stage...only a row or two from the stage. There was nobody "behind" the stage...just to the front and sides. Is this where you sat..."behind" the stage?
#11My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 5:08pmCircle in the Square was reconfigured prior to THE NORMAN CONQUESTS last season.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#12My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 5:17pmThe area where the stage was is now considered the 400 and 500 rows. The "sides" are 200 and 300. The "front" is 100.
#13My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 8:27pm
I sat in the center of the 200s about 4 rows back with my tdf ticket for the first preview. I missed a few things happening on the edge of the stage on my end of the theatre, but I suppose it could have been worse.
I loved, loved, loved the show, but wished it was staged in a different theatre with a proscenium stage.
"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)
Roscoe
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#14My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 11:07pm
Saw the show this evening from a seat in the 200s, second row from the top. Fine performances from Breslin and Pill in particular. I wish I had seen a bit more of Ms. Pill's face -- I got a lot of the back of her head.
They haven't solved any of the problems of performing in the round, and the terrible set design only creates more problems. I never felt that the actors really were able to let loose in any satisfying way, mainly, I felt, because of the wires attached to all of the furniture so that the set elements could be flown into the ceiling. Another solution is clearly, desperately, needed. The big breakfast fight scene was terribly tentative, not the big brawl that the script calls for. Things went much better when they simply resorted to having furniture carried on and off, or even better, during the selected scenes where there was nothing on stage but the actors.
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick
My blog: http://www.roscoewrites.blogspot.com/
#15My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/20/10 at 11:28pm
I thought Abagail gave an AMAZING, realistic performance. Not once did I think I was watching a girl "act" like she had those disabilities. BRAVA!
The only problem I had (besides people's backs to me a few times) was the father (forgot his name). He was the only one that, to me, seemed like he was "acting." Everyone else made their roles come alive but not him. I mean, there were moments where he surprised me but overall, I was not impressed by him.
And I must give a shout-out to the boy that plays Annie's little brother. He only shows up about 3 times, but my God did he play the s**t out of that part (and it was basically just body movements). He broke my heart and creeped me out at the same time.
Again, Abagail stole the show for me.
"They're eating her and then they're going to eat me. OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!" -Troll 2
Updated On: 2/20/10 at 11:28 PM
romgitsean
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/08
#16My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/21/10 at 12:47amI really want to see this show, but Theatre in the Rounds suck. They're just hard to block things in.
Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
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#18My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 2/25/10 at 11:03pm
I sat in the front row of the center of the 200 section and thought I had a perfect view. For me, the theatre in the round really brought a feeling of intimacy to it. But I suppose it could be a whole different experience depending on where you're sitting. I loved the show, especially Breslin and Pill's performances; Abigail Breslin really, really impressed me.
Random note: they were filming it tonight.
#19My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 3/2/10 at 12:17am
I saw this tonight, with ljay and alightinthedark.
Lovely production, with some great performances. Breslin makes a strong Broadway debut, though I'm not sure I can adequately evaluate her performance, since I spent most of the show looking at the back of her head (more on that in a second). Morrison and Modine are both quite good in stereotypical roles as overprotective parents. Elizabeth Franz and her considerable talents are sadly wasted in a throwaway role. I thought Allison Pill was sensational and the star of the evening.
The main problem with this production, as almost everyone else has noted, lies in the direction. This director simply does not have a clue as to how to stage a show in the round. We were seated in the second row of the 400 section, and for at least half the play, I was either peering around someone, or looking at the back of heads. It was incredibly frustrating to not be able to see either Pill or Breslin during the breakfast scene. The people who could see it seemed quite into it, but it fell flat for me, given the horrible sight lines. There are numerous other instances where I felt I was "missing" something, since I couldn't actually see the faces of the actors. It was frustrating and something that it seems like they're not interested in addressing or fixing. To be honest, the horrendous staging was the only thing preventing me from becoming completely swept up in the play.
Interestingly enough, I just read over on ATC that a closing notice has been posted backstage, pending reviews on Wednesday. From what I could see, the house was heavily papered this evening (with a number of Broadway actors present), and there were still a good deal of empty seats. It would be a shame to see it close, as the performances are all excellent. They just really needed a better director.
Updated On: 3/2/10 at 12:17 AM
#20My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 3/2/10 at 12:21am
I agree Adamgreer. I thought the show was fantastic. Allison Pill and Abigail Breslin were spot on. The blocking was annoying and I also spent a lot of time staring at the back of heads. The whole cast was awesome.
I'm a big House fan so I was happy to see Jennifer Morrison portray Kate Keller so well.
I really hope the show gets great reviews because it really is a production that should be seen. If you get the chance to see it, please do!
*Spoiler*
The little brother was really awkward for me. I was actually kind of scared when he would randomly come on. Just thought I would throw that out there.
"It's about the Benjamins, not the Bernsteins."-CapnHook
Updated On: 3/2/10 at 12:21 AM
#21My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 3/2/10 at 12:36amIf that's true about the closing notice, Scottsboro Boys may have just found their house...
#22My thoughts on THE MIRACLE WORKER
Posted: 3/2/10 at 8:21am
Just my two cents: it's a perfectly fine/adequate production, with two very strong central performance (all actors besides them seem to be doing more shouting/projecting than nuanced acting)... of one of the more dull plays ever written.
Yes, it's a very nice true story, but we all know it.
Most of us have seen some incarnation, whether the movie or a community theatre production, and for a play with such a simple premise that isn't terribly engaging on a narrative level, this production doesn't do a whole hell of a lot to breath new life into it.
I'd been dragging my feet on seeing the new Barrow Street production of "Our Town," simply because I didn't want to watch "Our Town" again, but I finally got around to it this weekend -- coincidentally, the night before I saw "Miracle Worker" -- and was so glad I did. That production does something that this production needed to do: take a play we've seen a million times, and make it actually interesting to watch again.
I don't have any ill will towards this production, I just wish it actually had a reason to exist other than being a star vehicle for Abigail Breslin.
