I love Amy Herzog's plays and am really interested in the buzz on this one. I did a search, but couldn't find anything. Has anyone seen it? What'd you think??
It's odd because there was a previous thread, but I can't find it either. I really disliked this play. It was totally implausible, with a huge plot hole that swallows the whole thing up. The ending is unsatisfying. The only redeeming aspect for me was the performances, which were terrific and riveting, especially in such a small theater.
mac, can you post the plot hole that undoes the show with a SPOILER tag? I’m curious to hear what you have to say, as I didn’t catch anything that big. Or PM it to me?
I thought it was an excellent play. It takes a long time getting where it’s going, but that time is necessary. It’s a slow burn moving towards a big explosion. It’s difficult to discuss the plot without giving too much away because, though it doesn’t seem like it for the first hour and 15 minutes, ultimately it’s a sort of psychological thriller, and I found its payoffs very rewarding, as well as the way it toys with the conventions of the genre. Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller are terrific as the central couple slowly unraveling in the face of not One Big Secret, as is often the way in these plays, but the accumulation of many little secrets and dishonesties. The leading characters’ psychologies are very complex and sparked a couple of good post-show discussions the night I saw it.
The only Herzog play I’ve missed so far is 4000 MILES, and, continuing to love her work, I’m kicking myself tenfold for that.
Supposedly, he attended medical school for one year and flunked out, but he managed to convince her that he's doing well and completed his studies? How clueless would she have to be to fall for that? To never speak to her in-laws about it either?
Oh. Hmm… okay. That’s not a “plot hole,” though. It certainly raises questions about how complex his web of deceit has grown and the possibility of her willingness to self-delude. You don’t accept the given circumstances because you don’t find veracity in them – and that’s cool, totally fair – but it’s not a “plot hole.”
The play is not good. The characters speak in ways I have never heard human beings speak and they also happen to be wildly unlikable. Incredibly unrealistic. Some may justify the characters as being "complex" but I just found them to be confusing and stupid. The play has some well acted moments, but feels very long, especially with no intermission.
As After Eight mentioned, there is a "Black Swan" moment where I finally thought the claims of the play being a "thriller" would really take off and the plot would start exploding. Sadly, this never happened. The play fizzles off into more unrealistic and boring nothingness. There were no discussions among friends when we left, except one question: Why??
I figured that he's dead, although we don't see it, but is she dead too? Or did her father fly to Paris to rescue her? And the final scene is...in French? Come on!
I saw it about two weeks ago and am still haunted by these characters and the all-too-realistic way their relationship unravels...only a few minor events can separate a functional couple from a severely dysfunctional one. I've heard a few people now refer to Amy Herzog's dialogue as unrealistic, which completely baffles me. Having seen 3 of the 4 Herzog plays produced off-broadway, I find her scene writing to be some of the most realistic I've ever encountered. And the way she sequences and shapes these realistic conversations into fleshed out characters and plot is, to me, nothing short of brilliant.
Kidmanboy, what was your reaction to the ending? Did you find it a satisfying conclusion?
Another problem I had with the play is that the character of the husband is very vaguely written, and I couldn't figure out what makes him tick. What is there in his background or upbringing or makeup that would cause him to behave that way? In the case of the wife, she's grieving for her mother and is homesick, so I didn't have as much of a problem with her.
Yes, that final scene was a real corker, truly one for the books. The French bit was priceless. I love how the author tried to solve the problem of the audience's lack of understanding of French by having the characters converse with an absolute minimum of words, and those that the audience might be able to decipher, like "désolé," "incroyable!," "ce n'est pas une catastrophe." The scene, entirely unnecessary, was beyond ridiculous.
Seeing this Sunday afternoon (hi, April). Very intrigued. Ending the play seems to be something of a problem-I think this is the third major production of the play and also the third ending.
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Posted: 3/5/13 at 06:49pm