In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel (New World Stages)

[Play Esq.]

Going to this out of pure intrigue for a Williams rarity next weekend, but heard NOTHING about this production happening in NYC until today. Anyone know anything about this revival?




Media at Large (In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel)

[EricMontreal22]

I try to follow any major Williams' revival, particularly his rare, later work (whatever happened for the planned revival of Small Craft Warnings?). I'm a big fan of Tokyo Hotel--on paper, having never seen it. It's maybe his most self pitying play, but it also has some of his most strikingly poetic dialogue. Look forward to hearing what you think of this production--or if you do find more details.

[EricMontreal22]

(And please tell me this isn't some sort of "remixed" take on the play like the bizarre multimedia Vieux Care that was in New York two or so years back, or Goodman's production of Camino Real last Spring--I guess some directors find it hard not to add their own material to Williams' arguably more problematic plays, but IMHO it takes away from their strengths).

[Play Esq.]

Though I would have DIED to see Bieto's production "Camino" (mostly because I am infatuated with his opera work in Europe), I quite loathed the Wooster Group's "Vieux Carre."

That said, I think a thoughtful interpretation of Williams that doesn't slavishly stick to the text can work. I hope this production, if esoteric, makes considerate choices towards Williams' words.

[EricMontreal22]

I think you were the one who, on here, made me a bit more open minded towards Bieto's Camino--and I admit, at least he was doing clearly his own version, with all the changes, interpolations, etc. I probably would have been less annoyed if Camino were given more credit, and staged more often (that said, hypocrite that I am, if I had been there at the time, I would have gone in a heartbeat).

With Vieux Carre (which, along with Small Craft is my fave of those later "flop" Williams plays), I had the bad luck of convincing a friend in New York to go to it, because I liked the play so much--not looking into anything about the production, just to be horrified when he told me about it, and feeling kinda guilty. LOL

I tend to be a tradtionalist, but I do agree with you to an extent--and certainly Tokyo Hotel, like many of his later plays, is done in such a stylized, fragmented way that I'm sure Williams intended people to play around with it to some extent.

[Play Esq.]

Bad luck indeed.

I went back to a blog post I wrote (I no longer commit the sin of blogging...) and realized how appalled I was with the production, and I actually like regie productions!!

I believe then as I do now: the Wooster Group deserves a certain amount of credit for reviving VC. I just found that the production was so concerned with creating something different that it neglected any attention to its source material. Ugh...I'm still disgusted with such obvious symbolism as a horny, lecherous, neighbor walking around with a di!do attached to hs waist.

Profound!

Again: praying Tokyo Hotel is light years better!

[someone.else's.story2]

Agreed! I took my boyfriend to see VC when it came to Los Angeles and then felt so awful that I had taken him to see something so terrible.


However, I've always loved the script to Tokyo Hotel and I hope that this production does it justice. I will be eager to hear reviews.

[TheresaG]

Going to see this next Saturday.

[sinister teashop]

I didn't much like "In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel" when I read it. I love "The Mutilated", Williams' play from the same period. But I'd be curious to see what people think about this production.

[Play Esq.]

Going to shoot someone...they "cancelled" the performance but showed two scenes so, I suppose, to prevent people from getting refunds.

As far as the box office is concerned - they're just renting so they can't do anything about it. I get that - but someone should be held responsible.

[uncageg]

Play Esq. They weren't trying to prevent refunds.

[EricMontreal22]

Wha? For such a short run, that's disappointing. How were the scenes? (I can't even imagine what scenes they'd excerpt from the play).

[Play Esq.]

Rather mediocre. The staging had potential, but the directors comments (on stage) indicated that she has no idea what she's doing. She came out and made some VERY general statements about Williams and the play. I felt as though I were listening to a college student who read their first Williams play and decided they were capable of putting on a good show.

Epic fail.

[stevenycguy]

For anyone who has tickets for the Sunday 3pm show, it has now disappeared from Telecharge.com and the next scheduled performance (according to Telecharge) is Sunday 7:30pm. So the big question is if the 3pm show will actually go on !!

[EricMontreal22]

Play Esq, that's disappointing. It all sounds like a huge loss...

[uncageg]

Steven, the Sunday matinee is cancelled.

[Scarywarhol]

I saw the first half of this tonight. And it was the first time I've ever walked out of anything at intermission, which I once swore I'd never do. I felt so awful for the actors, although only one of them had evidently learned all of his lines. (Lots of calling for "line" and prompting from the wings. To be fair, the lead actress was an understudy. Wonder if somebody quit...) The dancers are talented but hilariously out of place. I have no idea what the director was/is thinking. The play's actual scenes are staged so stagnantly, you'll think you're watching a middle school production. I also have no idea how this got into such a major venue. The playbills are just paper, so maybe they were able to simply rent out the space? If there's any value to this rarely-performed WIlliams work, it is untapped.

[EricMontreal22]

This whole thing just seems moe and more bizarre to me.

[themysteriousgrowl]

This sounds almost fun.

[Wilmingtom]

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=2099573

[Scarywarhol]

You'd think that, but mostly it was just really, deeply uncomfortable. Maybe would have been funny with a larger crowd.

[EricMontreal22]

Once again, just wow. http://upstage-downstage.blogspot.ca/2012/10/a-sucker-born-every-minute.html Does anyone know more about these people?

[Playbilly]

People just left quietly?!? THAT seems amazing. I would have been enraged and asked for my money back.

[themysteriousgrowl]

This, to me, is way more entertaining than the REBECCA drama.

[RippedMan]

What's the theater company?

[EricMontreal22]

That's the thing nobody seems to have said... Has anyone else seen anything else by this Maria Torres?