May 21, 2010

Prelude Review, Interview, Slideshow

Here's a slideshow courtesy of BU Today with Cassie Beck and Brian Sgambati.

Watch this video on YouTube

And a review from the Boston Globe

And a great interview with Peter DuBois on Edge Boston

Have you seen the show? Did you stay afterward for post show conversation? What did you talk about on the way home. Please leave your thoughts about the play, performances, and production right here on our blog for others to respond to.

Click here to comment!

8 comments:

Jim Feldman said...

Great sets, well acted, but the play left the 8 of us cold. We could remember parts that were special -- where Peter kisses the old man with the soul of his wife -- but, though I readily suspend disbelief, this script's underlying premise was so unsupported and the resolution so obvious that the play as a whole went nowhere.

Jack said...

Hmm, I was actually expecting a far more tragic ending. I was half-expecting that the soul of the young woman (Rita) was going to remain in the body of the old man, particularly when it was revealed that the old man had lung cancer (or something similar if I remember right). I think that kind of tragic ending would have driven home the point that what matters isn't the physical body, which will change, but the immutable soul that, for the most part, remains the same. Probably a tragic ending would have turned off most audiences, however.

Reminded me of Yeat's poem "When You Are Old".

Anonymous said...

I loved the sets (and changes) and Rita's Father was fantastic. The script itself was very weak, however.

Dan said...

My wife and I attended Saturday's performance of Prelude to a Kiss.

[We had been interested in seeing a play.]

The use of exposition to fill in back story was interesting, particularly in the first ten minutes.

[Specifically, Peter's exposition breaks.]

However, after a while it became a bit annoying.

[It became a bit annoying, particularly when it added nothing that we hadn't already figured out.]

Have you ever heard the direction, "show, don't tell"?

[Peter telling us that Rita was acting strangely on the honeymoon was as crucial to the show as this sentence is to this post.]

In summary, the execution was poor and the script really needed a good editor.

Anonymous said...

Agree with everything that has been said. Great sets, well acted, but it dragged and left us cold. The script was weak and we couldn't wait to get out of there. Have seen far better at Huntington; have also seen far worse there. It had enough that we stayed beyond intermission but would have been as happy leaving.

Anonymous said...

I love the sets. The characters, Rita and Peter, were well acted. Peter clearly loved Rita for her true soul. Not sure about the ending tho.. Did the exchange of souls change Rita and the old man's perspectives on their lives? I don't think this was addressed, but I guess many scenes in the play were meant for open interpretations.

Anonymous said...

Very disappointing. Great sets. Decent acting, except for the lead male character, who seemed unnatural and forced. It could have been the writing for his character that gave him such bad lines. Exposition was definitely annoying. Kudos to the set designer. As for the rest, I am considering cancelling my subscription after this spotty season.

Anonymous said...

No..sorry. not decent acting. no moments. no time taken. no chemistry. you can't fill it up with good scenery. the supporting cast was very good and that's it. The leads could not hold either the humor or the pathos of the piece. Speeding through the play will not cover up the emptiness that was palpably felt by the audience.

The actor playing Peter looked about as thrilled to have Rita's soul come back into her body as he might if his dead car took a jump start. And, If you don't have chemistry between the two men, then the kiss is boring- in the same way it was pretty boring to watch the leads cuddle up in bed. nothing sexy between these two even when they are talking about their fantasies. Sorry but the directing did not help them. The script is a gem but you actually have to treat it as such and not toss it around like a piece of hard candy. It has more than that and Mr. Lucas' work deserved a much deeper approach.

I believe my date turned to me and said at intermission: "Let's start drinking and maybe it will get better."