tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post116455792864237505..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: Coast of huh???Playgoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164594945842152362006-11-26T21:35:00.000-05:002006-11-26T21:35:00.000-05:00My sense of the Grimes piece is that it's not tryi...My sense of the Grimes piece is that it's not trying to sell the plays, but quite the opposite: telling people to it's commie egg-head stuff. And a mean-spirited article, to boot.<BR/> I'm eager to see the plays, but didn't plan ahead for cheaper preview seats and can't spring $300. I have purchased the playtexts (published in the US by Grove) for $13 each -- $39 plus tax.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164591584534399142006-11-26T20:39:00.000-05:002006-11-26T20:39:00.000-05:00There must be a vast conspiracy between the LCT, N...There must be a vast conspiracy between the LCT, NYT and Barnes & Noble.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164568704395583072006-11-26T14:18:00.000-05:002006-11-26T14:18:00.000-05:00I second what Jaime says. No homework is required...I second what Jaime says. No homework is required. Not to mention that William Grimes's piece was filled with factual errors, and the somewhat strange insertion of Vikram Seth's "The Golden Gate" on his ridiculous syllabus. "The Golden Gate" is a delightful book which has nothing to do with 19th Century Russia; what it does have in common with Eugene Onegin is a through-the-keyhole glimpse of a social class and a specific time; Pushkin trumps Seth with a healthy dose of "Oh-no-she-didn't!" melodrama. And there is a damned good translation by Charles Johnston. I don't read Russian, but what I mean by "good translation" is that it is immensely readable. Is it close to the original? I don't know. But it's immensely entertaining and is like popcorn or peanuts...you can't put it down.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164561942756851512006-11-26T12:25:00.000-05:002006-11-26T12:25:00.000-05:00I was really bothered by the Times article and its...I was really bothered by the Times article and its idea that you need to do homework in order to get the plays. I know *nothing* about Russian history and almost as little about philosophy, and I loved the first play. People who get turned off by all the philosophy are entirely missing the point - you don't need to know what all the philosophies are to understand how they're affecting the characters. You're not going to catch every reference, or know where all the scenes in Act II fit into Act I, but you don't need to - struggling to parse it all takes you out of the play, and unnecessarily. I also just think it's insulting to Stoppard and every artist working on this project to say that their work can't stand on its own. Any play that can't be understood as it is is a bad play. Sure, some people might enjoy the added historical context, but it's far from required - it's a testament to Stoppard's skill, and that of everyone involved, that the plays can be, and are, effective for an audience without a scholarly background.Jaimehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08963931779920699803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164559519435890952006-11-26T11:45:00.000-05:002006-11-26T11:45:00.000-05:00I'd just like to point out that the show isn't rea...I'd just like to point out that the show isn't really that expensive, it's only that expensive if you try to buy tickets for it now, or if you're not a member of Lincoln Center. Before all the hype, I bought tickets for each show at $40 bucks a pop, and I'm sitting seven rows back from the center. I'm seeing the show on the last night of previews (all three times, although I wound up seeing "Voyage" much earlier because of the push-back in opening), and so the grand total (if you count membership) is $160 for three shows, which isn't *TERRIBLE*.Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.com