Saturday, February 17, 2007

Utopia: An experience of life

Today's New York Times definitely advocates a visit to the LCT. Describing Utopia it says:

Unforgettable and unmissable! An experience of life as much an experience of art.

Well I think we'd agree wholeheartedly with that. (And is it me, or could that last line be straight out of the show?? Or maybe it's just Natalie's brilliant Shipwreck monologue, which includes the word 'art' five times and 'artist' twice...)

Anyway, in preparation for Sunday night, here's a little recap on part three from the Vivian Beaumont website:
Part three of the trilogy, Salvage, brings maturity and resolution. As imperial Russia is set adrift with the freeing of the serfs, Alexander Herzen and the revolutionaries in his circle look back from the vantage point of their exile in England at their dreams of overturning the tsar, at the paths taken and not, and at the Russia of their memory.

Going a little further back:

In a review of The Philadelphia Story, BBC London's Mark Shenton was largely negative, although there was a positive consolation:
What it does have, though, is the glacial beauty of Jennifer Ehle, in the role of Tracy Lord...
Meanwhile, John Simon's review for Design For Living from 2001, is also negative, but least so about Ms Ehle and Mr West:
Jennifer Ehle, despite an unflattering period hairdo, and Dominic West ... struggle valiantly but keep foundering on Alan Cumming.

Back to all things Coast-al, here is an American Theatre Wing seminar from September 2002, in which Utopia set designer Scott Pask is a panellist.

Interestingly, Scott Pask is the twin brother of Bruce Pask, who was the designer for Design For Living. The more I see of the entertainment world, the more I become convinced it is all one big family! (That last sentence reminded me of a P&P line, AGAIN!)

PS - One day to go...

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

is there a link to the nytimes article? I can't find it in the theater section of the online version of the times...

Abi said...

Hi Jennifer,

It was not an article - it was just the sentence used in the 'theater' section listings of all shows. I wish it had been an article! Well - that will come on Monday morning with the opening of Salvage on Sun nite! x