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Seminar: A Review of the Broadway Show
Dec. 6th, 2011 10:45 amPeter went and saw Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar on a TKTS ticket the day before Thanksgiving when he was in the city. He came out of the show and bought me a ticket to the show knowing that it was one of those plays that I needed to see.
He was right. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I laughed and occasionally felt a little uncomfortable when some of the words hit a little close to home. There were a couple of things that as a writer, the wife of a writer, a book editor, and a stage manager that I may have ‘got’ just because of my background.
From the Seminar Website
In SEMINAR, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with Leonard (Alan Rickman), an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this biting new comedy. copyright 2011 Seminar on Broadway/Theresa Rebeck
And that’s pretty much a good summery of what the play is about.
The acting is wonderful through out. It was so nice to see Alan Rickman on stage again. Yes, he is impressive on screen but he is one of those actors with stage presence. There is an energy there that is almost palatable. The young writers were a mix of Broadway’s young blood and movie/TV faces that have you asking yourself where you had seen them before.
Lily Rabe has probably the hardest role in the whole thing as Kate which she does a lovely job with. Hettienne Park as Izzy does a lot with what she is given to work with and knows how to give the space to another actor without looking like she is doing it. Hamish Linklater as Martin looks like that guy you see at Starbucks or a coffee house frantically typing on their computer that looks like a writer with a purpose. His character takes an interesting journey that the actor does a good job bring the audience along for the ride. Jerry O’Connell as Douglas has created that character that you know at least one of during your life and they alternate between driving you crazy and being your best bud at the same time.
The set works well over all. The direction is solid. The costumes look like they came out of the actors’ own closets. Honestly they could wear the clothes that they walked in to the theater with. And that is some good costuming to look so effortless.
One of the nice things about this play is that, with the exception of about two jokes that are New York centric, could be set in any city at almost anytime. The story is one that people can relate to even if they aren’t writers.
I hope that this play does get produced in regional theater down the road. I think it would be a solid play with minimal sets and costumes that would speak to audiences on so many levels. My only caveat is that you need a very strong older actor in the role of the teacher Leonard to make it work well.
I am grateful that I saw Seminar with the original cast.
He was right. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I laughed and occasionally felt a little uncomfortable when some of the words hit a little close to home. There were a couple of things that as a writer, the wife of a writer, a book editor, and a stage manager that I may have ‘got’ just because of my background.
From the Seminar Website
In SEMINAR, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with Leonard (Alan Rickman), an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this biting new comedy. copyright 2011 Seminar on Broadway/Theresa Rebeck
And that’s pretty much a good summery of what the play is about.
The acting is wonderful through out. It was so nice to see Alan Rickman on stage again. Yes, he is impressive on screen but he is one of those actors with stage presence. There is an energy there that is almost palatable. The young writers were a mix of Broadway’s young blood and movie/TV faces that have you asking yourself where you had seen them before.
Lily Rabe has probably the hardest role in the whole thing as Kate which she does a lovely job with. Hettienne Park as Izzy does a lot with what she is given to work with and knows how to give the space to another actor without looking like she is doing it. Hamish Linklater as Martin looks like that guy you see at Starbucks or a coffee house frantically typing on their computer that looks like a writer with a purpose. His character takes an interesting journey that the actor does a good job bring the audience along for the ride. Jerry O’Connell as Douglas has created that character that you know at least one of during your life and they alternate between driving you crazy and being your best bud at the same time.
The set works well over all. The direction is solid. The costumes look like they came out of the actors’ own closets. Honestly they could wear the clothes that they walked in to the theater with. And that is some good costuming to look so effortless.
One of the nice things about this play is that, with the exception of about two jokes that are New York centric, could be set in any city at almost anytime. The story is one that people can relate to even if they aren’t writers.
I hope that this play does get produced in regional theater down the road. I think it would be a solid play with minimal sets and costumes that would speak to audiences on so many levels. My only caveat is that you need a very strong older actor in the role of the teacher Leonard to make it work well.
I am grateful that I saw Seminar with the original cast.
