From the other shore

The Outer Critics Circle awards have been announced: see Playbill. Eve Best won in Jennifer Ehle's category, but Coast of Utopia scored six gongs, the most for the season. Congrats!

[...] Among its honors are Outstanding New Broadway Play, Outstanding Director of a Play (Jack O'Brien), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Martha Plimpton), Outstanding Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz), Outstanding Set Design (Bob Crowley and Scott Pask) and Outstanding Costume Design (Catherine Zuber). [...]

There are now some photos up from the Drama League awards at BroadwayWorld; Utopia was represented by Ethan Hawke, Brian F. O'Byrne and Billy Crudup. Here are the boys at the meet and greet. At Stage Notes, you can see a shot of some of Team Utopia from the Broadway Show League.

Tonys predictions are stepping up, with Utopia quite prominent. The Record's Robert Feldberg is tipping it for Best Play and Mr O'Byrne for Lead Actor; Jacques Le Sourd of the Journal News and Michael Kuchwara of AP more or less concur. Michael Riedel of the NY Post goes straight to the source, gauging Tonys temperature from some nominators; according to them, Utopia will be battling Frost/Nixon and Radio Golf for Best Play. Steve on Broadway's poll comes up with the same.

Bloggers are getting in on the predictions as well: Carajoy of Full Force Theater Musings considers Jennifer Ehle a lock in Featured (spin round, spit thrice!) along with some other Utopians in their categories, while Josh R at Edward Copeland on Film thinks Martha Plimpton is a chance:

[...] I'm starting to really like Martha Plimpton's chances for Featured Actress in Play - she was absolutely brilliant in Salvage, which was the last play in the Utopia cycle and consequently the last one voters will have seen (Ehle's triumph came in Part 2). Of course, I love Ehle, but actually, it's a close call for me - and of course, Jennifer has her Tony, so I won't be upset if Martha takes her out. [...]

Michael Baker of Lunar Gemini bats for a few Utopians too. Another blogger, mole_underfield, went to see Voyage especially for Ms Ehle. He missed her at the stage door but says nice things about her "intelligence and her compassionate persona" in Pride and Prejudice. Peter saw the last Salvage performance, enjoying the acting and production. Manderson at The Art of Possible posts this wrapup:

[...] Of everything this season, I only missed one show... nothing has been as amazing and overwhelming that is the journey with the cast of The Coast of Utopia.

The sets, the lights, the costumes, and the most remarkable cast of 44 actors make this an experience unlike any other. Guided by, I am going to say it - Theatrical Genius, Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia takes the amazing words of the fabulous Tom Stoppard and turns them into the most captivating philosophical drama I have ever experienced. [...]

A wee description of Utopia I liked from Chris Jones' review of Arcadia in the Chicago Tribune:

[...] Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia,” which recently finished its run at New York City’s Lincoln Center, has that riveting, hopelessly impassioned quality. [...]

And possibly the highest praise one can give a writer chez Sacha:

[...] I'm over the moon. The actors in this ensemble are storytellers on an elite level, Stoppard is gutsy and unsparing and assumes his audiences' intelligence, the light designer painted with light, shade after shade drawing me in, and the music wrapped the whole passionate, noisy, glorious mess in an embrace. Jack O'Brian, the director, had a vision and it was one that as many people as possible should see, love it or hate it. The productions were more than worth every cent I spent, every minute spent on the cancellation line . . . what line? Any memory of that left as soon as my eyes met the stage. What a wonderful, miraculous thing this is, stories told on stage. The very best ones scoop you up, and take you into their world, forcing you to forsake the daily life you have just for a few hours. And when you come back, even the real world has changed as a result of seeing good, very good storytelling. If I ever got a chance to really meet Tom Stoppard, I'd tell him that. He altered the way I see people, my world, choices, and events and that I'm disturbed by this, and I'm glad. And I think he'd be one of those people who could take something like that as a compliment. [...]

Elsewhere in blogland, love for Utopia and funny comments at Allison Williams' LJ, plus some general "saw it, liked it" from Tom & Alissa and Sandy. On the forums there's a sweet "Farewell to Utopia" thread at BroadwayWorld about how it's inspired people, some discussion of accents at All That Chat and another thread where daveylow writes about the last Salvage performance:

[...] I also found Salvage much more involving today, much sadder. The whole cast was in tears this afternoon. I was in the second row center so I was thrilled to be there. [...]

Anthony Grafton reviews Utopia for the New York Review of Books. It begins with observations about some marathoner' reactions:

[...] The marathon version of Tom Stoppard's Russian trilogy is charged with excitement. When I saw the three plays in one day at the end of March, virtually the entire audience stayed until the end. Some of those present—who ranged from eager students to slippered pantaloons—clutched battered blue copies of Isaiah Berlin's Russian Thinkers. Others congratulated one another enthusiastically on seeing plays "that are so much more demanding than the usual." One young man who passed me during an interval on the plaza outside the Vivian Beaumont, talking and gesturing as wildly as the young Russian intellectuals in the first of Stoppard's plays, cried "Knowledge! I want more knowledge" as he went by, smiling seraphically.

When the audience gave the actors a standing ovation—something that happens more often than it should these days—the actors applauded the audience in their turn. Some of them even appeared in costume after the show and joined the ushers in handing out buttons that read "I ran the mara-thon." The ties of feeling that bound cast and audience were almost visible and broke slowly. An older man, behind whom I walked to the subway after the third play came to an end, used his cell phone to give a friend or loved one an urgent, detailed, scene-by-scene account of what we had just watched. [...]

In the "links that fit nowhere else" category, have a read of Aileen Kelly's introduction to Isaiah Berlin's Russian Thinkers, posted at Slow Muse. Also, Dying City playwright Christopher Shinn was asked his opinion on Utopia at one of the Platform Series sessions. Oh yeah Brits, tune your tellies to BBC2 this Monday at 11.50pm to see Bedrooms and Hallways.

Phew, that's the news done! Now for the navel-gazey bit....as of Sunday, the grand Utopian voyage has finally come to an end. There have been more than 200 performances of the show, which must add up to a hell of a lot of sacrifice, man hours and creative energies spent so that hundreds of thousands of spectators could experience this epic event. Congratulations to every single person in the Utopia family - cast, creative team, crew, admin. And thank you. I can't do justice to the scope of this momentous achievement; surely there will be an elegy for Utopia in the NY Times or something. We all need some closure!

On our part, we've been chronicling the show from June 2006 when it was announced that Jennifer Ehle was cast (see hysterical post). Since then, it became an almost daily part of our lives as we hunted down every snippet of Utopia news and opinion available online. It's been a joy watching it take flight.

A lesser milestone passed a couple of weeks ago, the blog's second anniversary. We made it! Hilarious, wristslitty, absurd, humbling, hectic, exhilarating...that hardly begins to describe the year. For me personally, this was the year that web fandom converged with real life as I had the privilege of seeing Utopia with some fellow fans. It was incredible. The report from this is criminally overdue but on the verge of completion.

Said report contains an announcement I've been meaning to make for some time now. The short version is that I am soon stepping down from blog management, passing the torch to Abi and Kate. Officially I'm staying until the Tonys, but impending exam madness means my departure will be a gradual decrescendo rather than an abrupt silence come June. Afterwards I will still be around to enjoy my successors' work and help with technical hitches if necessary, but the blog will be in Kate and Abi's capable hands.

There are many thanks due to everyone who's helped with the blog over the past couple of years, but I think I'll keep my list of specific acknowledgments til June to avoid repetition. For now, thanks to you, dear readers, for your silent support. The little numbers ticking over on our visitor counter has been great reassurance that we're not talking into a void.

PS. Sorry about the weird popup, not quite sure how to get rid of it.

Wunderbar!

• MissSummerLee was present on the 24th and is glad she 'devoted a whole day' to Utopia. She says:

[...] The plays are...very well written and funny with that biting bit of dry sarcastic British humor that I adore ... The design is beautiful. Simple and striking and very well done. It was such an amazing experience and I would totally do it all over again. ... I don't have words for how amazing this was to see! [...]

She also spotted Nathan Lane and Eric Stoltz in the audience, aside from Sir Tom and Mr.O'Brien.

• Echoing similar sentiments, marathon runner Johnna was at the same performance and 'loved every second of it'. Even a little mental drifting didn't lessen the impact:

[...] I admit there was approximately 20 to 40 minutes in the combined show running times of nearly 9 hours where the script was way more intelligent than I was and I couldn't follow the political discussions. But I filled the time with stuff more on my level (admiring the pretty costumes, ... looking for the ventilated wig fronts and microphones.) ... I amused myself even during the cerebral parts. ...

I could have come back two hours after the final curtain and watched another installment if they were willing to present a part four at 1 in the morning. [...]

She isn't the only one contemplating a sequel - Snarksmith nominates The Coast of Realism as a possible title for a part quatre.

Meanwhile:

• Martha Plimpton meets up with singer/songwriter Feist.
• The Guardian has an interesting (albeit loosely related) piece on the current pre-eminence of British playwrights at the expense of their American counterparts. Sir Tom is mentioned briefly with regard to Utopia and Rock'n'Roll.
• Pairs-of-eyes wise, Utopia took silver for the week ending April 29th. (Utopia: 90.2%, The Year of Magical Thinking: 94.6%). For a comprehensive breakdown of Utopia's progress over the last seven months, click here.
• Only 14 plays now remain....if you're in the vicinity, you know what to do. If you're stuck, eBay has a ticket for the penultimate Salvage and the final Voyage. If you buy the latter....I might see you there!

Music IS a creative passion!

• Continuing the 'food for thought' theme of Mr. Hawke and bovines, 'don't-ask-don't-tell-vegetarian' Josh Hamilton documents everything he eats in six days for New York magazine.
• Pianist Dan Lipton explains all about his involvement in the show, not least how he has ended up on stage for half of Salvage:

[...] There are a few actors who play piano, but I would have had to spend a lot of time coaching them to play well, and Mark would have been limited in what he could write. So the wacky idea was floated that I should just be in the show, and then Mark could write whatever music he wanted. I'd be able to hold the singing cast of "non-singers" together each night instead of trusting them to lock into pre-recorded tracks. Jack simmered on this idea over Christmas, and consulted Stoppard and Lincoln Center, because they had to okay another salary. I found this prospect HIGHLY unlikely, but I was wrong. So on January 2, I reported to work not as an intern but as a new member of the company. I was told not to cut my hair. Gotta blend in with the rest of the Russians. So I grew out the sideburns too. I was now, somehow, making my Broadway debut, in a straight play, without even having to audition! [...]

He also gives another indication that backstage life is a ball:

[...] I'm in the male ensemble dressing room downstairs, 11 guys plus 2 dressers. This is the new experience for me, because musicians in the orchestra pit don't even have a room sometimes. ... So I love to hang with this motley crew of supporting actors, who understudy all the guys upstairs. The backstage vibe in general is very warm and great fun. You get the feeling that this really is a once in a lifetime experience, and the movie stars and veterans are enjoying the community of personalities as much as the young actors and the piano player. [...]

Specific mentions of a certain person are as follows:

[...] I taught Jennifer Ehle and David Harbour how to look like they are playing piano. ... Jennifer Ehle and I always exchange glances while I'm playing and she's putting a decoration on the piano. [...]

The whole article is worth reading however, giving a more serious insight into the musical aspects of the production. To find out more about Mr. Lipton himself, visit his official site.

• Playbill comment on the award situation. They say Utopia 'was bound to collect the lion's share of noms given the copious amount of personnel eligible for recognition'. Variety meanwhile, say Utopia's scale make it 'the one to beat'.
• Subscription-only America magazine gives a big thumbs up to Voyage and its opening sequence.
• The Hollywood Reporter mentions Mr O'Byrne's new television project.
• In terms of the present, I wonder how Sir Tom, Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Crowley are enjoying the penultimate marathon?

The cows are noted for their beauty

• Judd Hollander of The Epoch Times thinks Salvage is too much like a soap opera and it left him feeling 'jumbled'. But he does have a few good words to say:

O'Byrne is quite good as Herzen, as is Ethan Hawke as Michael Bakunin ... Richard Eastman and Jennifer Ehle, both of whom played other roles in the earlier episodes of the trilogy, are also enjoyable here.

Eastman? This is followed by what is potentially the understatement of the century:

Direction by Jack O'Brien is okay.

Meanwhile:

• Ethan Hawke's new role is leading him to think about cows. He is also preparing to put pen to paper once more.
• At Chowhound, aimeezing marathoned March 10, felt pleasantly 'immersed' and is consequently another advocate of the back-to-back approach. Food-wise, she gives a thumbs-up to Fiorello's and Josephina's, both of which seem to have a prix fixe for marathon attendees.
• Bronze again for Utopia bums-on-seats-wise; joint first were Moon for the Misbegotten and The Year of Magical Thinking both at 94%, with Utopia effectively therefore third at 91%.

(It's a line from Salvage, in case you were wondering...)

Expecting the unexpected

• The NY Times has a nice piece on the plethora of unplanned disasters that can occur mid-performance. One of the disasters mentioned is Mr Easton's collapse in Utopia previews:

Martha Plimpton heard a thud. When she turned and saw her “Coast of Utopia” co-star Richard Easton prone on the stage floor during the second preview, she presumed he had merely tripped. But Ethan Hawke, who had seen Mr. Easton collapse, said he “thought Richard had passed away.”

The two actors found Mr. Easton unconscious. “I never thought I’d say those words, but I said, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’ ” Ms. Plimpton recalled. The Lincoln Center audience that night in October did not respond, thinking that the moment was part of the show, especially since Mr. Easton’s character had just finished a fiery diatribe that ended with “That is my last word,” and since the house lights remained down. “The audience just thought, ‘Oh, Tom Stoppard is getting all Pirandello on us,’ ” Mr. Hawke said, referring to the “Utopia” playwright. “Breaking the fourth wall is harder than you think.” [...]

In the fall the “Coast of Utopia” audience realized that Mr. Easton’s collapse was not scripted only when Mr. Hawke made an announcement, stepping center stage and, as Ms. Plimpton did, asking for medical help. (Will Coholan, a stagehand, stepped forward to perform CPR.) That night the actors had no need to stay in character. After what seemed like an eternity, they said, emergency medical workers finally took Mr. Easton, who had suffered an arrhythmia, to the hospital, and everyone went home. “It was the only time I didn’t finish a show,” Mr. Hawke said. “That felt strange.” But leaving the theater early was nothing, Mr. Hawke said, compared with how he and Ms. Plimpton felt when Mr. Easton returned. They felt normal with the understudy in the scene in which Mr. Easton had collapsed, but with Mr. Easton back, they were petrified about it. “I just kept looking at Ethan,” Ms. Plimpton said, while Mr. Hawke said he was busy “hoping the moment would just pass.” It is a feeling the two actors can’t quite shake. “It all depends on how Richard performs it,” Ms. Plimpton said. “If he does it differently, it’s fine, but when he does it just like that night, then we spend the whole scene feeling worried.”

• Robert Simonson of Playbill.com interviews Jack O'Brien. On whether he still checks up on Utopia, he said:

I [still] wander through [the Beaumont dressing rooms] at half hour and then I go my merry way.

• NY Times reader reviewer cagott admires the show as a whole, but is troubled by Ms Ehle's apparent breathlessness at the end of lines. francisdyer implies that Salvage was best, and like so many people, gives a big thumbs up to the visual and musical elements of the entire production:

...Being in touch with the mind of Herzen as rock amid the stormy emotions of his fellow reformers, was dramatic experience. But it was the grandness of the visual, music, ballet-like movement, lighting that held me spellbound. [...] It was just grand theater and these people were daring breaking new ground. [...] I thank them all. Broadway is here and just fine.

• Peter Daniels of the World Socialist Web Site gives a long round-up of the play.
• Dan Irwin at nnseek discusses the viability of Utopia going national.
• Past famous faces: the fabulous Julianne Moore.
• Future famous faces: Tom Stoppard, Bob Crowley and Jack O'Brien are marathoning April 28th, if you are deciding which of the few remaining shows to attend.
• For those of you who live in the NYC vicinity, tomorrow is ATW seminar day. For those of us who don't, watch this space for the link!

"Captivating study in contradictions"

• Listen to an interesting discussion about the thinkers in The Coast of Utopia at KCRW, featuring William Grimes of "The College Reading List of Utopia" fame and Keith Gessen who wrote the New Yorker feature on Herzen.
• Coming soon: Utopia the Rock Opera. Brendan Lemon reports at the LCT blog about the cabaret night when cast members showed off their musical chops.
  
• Love letter at Edward Copeland on film (part of a long and thoughtful review):

  [...] As impressive as everyone in the cast is, top acting honors must be conferred upon the luminous Ms. Ehle, who excels in three strikingly different roles. The tremulous delicacy that she brings to her performance in “Voyage” as the frail, gentle Liubuv, who finds bittersweet if fleeting happiness in the blush of first romance, exists in stark contrast to the firm-minded pragmatism of “Salvage’s” Malwida, the perspicacious German governess who exerts a steadying influence on the children of the Herzen household while keeping a wary eye fixed on the reckless behavior of its elders. It is in “Shipwreck,” however, that the actress is most prominently featured, and where she makes her most indelible impression. Far from the square-shouldered, sensible spinster of Part 3, or the pale, shy ingenue of Part I, Natalie Herzen is a rose in full bloom, a ravishing, vibrant romantic heroine who follows her heart into uncharted territory even as the ground beneath her feet begins to give way. The actress creates a captivating study in contradictions; winsome yet seductive, incisive yet wrong-headed, alternately reflective and impulsive, she provides the trilogy with its richest characterization, and its most lyrical.
  
  As evidenced by her brilliant, Tony-winning turn in The Real Thing, Ehle has an instinctive grasp of the nuances of Stoppard’s language; her delivery is so natural and assured that it doesn’t even sound scripted, but rather something being thought up freshly on the spot. This is something I haven’t observed with any other actor in a Stoppard play, or really with many stage actors in general (stage acting seemingly necessitates a certain degree of staginess). The actress’s proficiency with dialogue is made all the more remarkable by its artlessness; although her physical transformation from role to role is quite stunning, her command of the language allows her to thoroughly embody her characters to a point where the effort is no longer visible. [...]

• Ann Midgette of the NY Times interviews the tireless Jack O'Brien, who is directing Puccini's Il Trittico. He compares the two trilogies:

  [...] “ ‘The Coast of Utopia’ is very different,” he added. “The story is evolving in a historical perspective. The pieces of ‘Trittico’ are bound by Puccini’s own imagination and the sound of his music.”

  Another difference: “The incessant, extremely complex voice of Stoppard needed to be banged off surfaces,” he said. “I had to refresh you, not tire you. ‘Il Trittico’ has different problems, especially prejudices. This is not the first time you’ve seen these operas. Whereas with ‘Coast of Utopia,’ no one knew what the hell it was.” [...]

• Tom Bestor of Rational Feast reviews Salvage. Verdict:

  [...] Although I can see how some might be disappointed in this last installment (it's a bit clunkier than the first two), taken as a whole, the production of "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy is one of the most stunning works of theater I've ever seen. The scale of the sets and staging and effects and lighting that Lincoln Center can put on never ceases to amaze me. The cast is terrific, maintaining focus and energy throughout these long works. I can hardly imagine what they must look (and feel) like on the days they perform all three plays as a marathon. [...]

• Jesse Jarnow has a Thoughts from Utopia bit on his blog. He ponders:

  [...] For numerous reasons -- rhythm, dialogue, conceits -- it could never translate to film. Does the fact that it can't be mass entertainment make it pretentious? (It is, of course, but for other reasons, often indistinguishable from why it's so grand.) [...]

• At Pater Familias, Mr Schaefer has high praise for the show:

  [...] We have now watched all three parts of THE COAST OF UTOPIA. We watched all nine hours with continuous delight. We left the theater each night elated. I can’t imagine a better production of any play. The direction and production took full advantage of the resources of an enormous theater. The acting was terrific. I had thought after the first play that the production was lucky to have world class actors like Jennifer Ehle and Amy Irving in small but pivotal parts. The two later plays provided acting challenges worthy of them. I should comment that in an earlier post I said that I thought Ethan Hawke was a better movie actor than a stage actor, based on his Hotspur, which I had thought was good, but not great. I take it all back. Ethan Hawke was magnificent in COAST OF UTOPIA. [...]

  He also wonders whether Utopia would play well in the provinces. If you're a West Coaster you can see for yourself - there's an auction for a private reading of Coast of Utopia by the Shotgun Players at Berkeley.
• Elisabeth Vincentelli of The Determined Dilettante has this complaint about Salvage:

  [...] The other men are reduced to bellowing gasbags (particularly Ethan Hawke's Bakunin) and the women pretty much disappear—the etch-a-sketch treatment awarded to Malwida von Meysenbug, played with very dry humor by Jennifer Ehle, is particularly irritating. [...]

• Chris Riley of Suspended Conversation makes this unusual comparison from watching Voyage:

  [...] there was a very bizarre, disturbing character towards the end of the play - a six foot ginger cat, reminiscent of donnie darko's bunny rabbit, both in the style of its insertion into ordinary life and the sense of fate and doom that it conveyed within the story. [...]

• Star-spotting of sorts: NY Times Op-Eder Maureen Dowd is seen in the audience.
• A couple of Utopia-related conversations are going on at BroadwayWorld: on who of Jennifer Ehle, Amy Irving and Martha Plimpton might get a Featured nomination, and on which part of the trilogy to see if you can only make one (Shipwreck seems to be the favourite), and more predictions that Utopia will take out Best Play.
  
• Huzzah, a fan report from a marathon! This is from Ann, who went to the December meetup as well. Go to the forum to read it. By the way, we welcome any reports you have from the show. Email them in or post in the forum thread - no registration required.
  

Yet another Utopia roundup

Sorry this is late.

• Carlin Romano of the Philadelphia Inquirer compares contemporary Russian intellectuals to those portrayed in Coast of Utopia.
• Walter C. Uhler challenges Mr Romano in the Huffington Post, with a long article that discusses the ideas of some of the main players.
• Subscription-only reviews abound this week. Terry Teachout has one in Commentary, Brooke Allen in New Criterion, and Robert Brunstein in New Republic. Complete Review keeps an eye on the debate.
  
• Blogger Simon Crowe attended a marathon, and responds to Mr Brunstein thusly:
  

  [...] Some critics (Robert Brustein in The New Republic) claim the plays are too much about ideas and not enough about character, but I can honestly say I was never bored since the production is acted, directed, and designed by top-drawer artists. [...]

• Jeff Goldstein, an usher at the Vivian Beaumont, notes how some Utopian actors tend to flock together at mealtimes during the marathon.
  
• At Gorky Rises, another marathon survivor who's impressed - albeit a little overwhelmed - and who rates Ms Ehle as one of the standouts along with Mr Crudup. He also had a brief post live from an intermission at the show.
  
• Susannah saw Salvage and found it easiest to understand.
  
• Stacey, mother of Annabel, who plays one of the kids in Utopia, writes about how her daughter has been embraced by the LCT family. Check out the pic of Annabel with Ethan Hawke.
• Joe Pi (!) ran the marathon as well (for $60!), and found it "stunning. incredible. phenomenal. breathtaking. fantastic."
• More adjectival goodness from olivia_cerce:"incredible. Extraordinary. Sublime."
• caliban24601 says that Utopia is one of Tom Stoppard's snobbier plays, not that there's anything wrong with that, and is glad of having seen the trilogy spread over different days.
  
• W. Scott Smoot reviews the text of the plays.
• At All That Chat, discussion on whether Utopia will be extended once more, and a heads-up about Utopia tix being on TDF.
• BroadwayWorlders are talking about how Utopia will be treated by the Tonys committee, once again. Brian F. O'Byrne's chances are mentioned, and one person says Ms Ehle should be up for Featured Actress.
• There's word that some of the Utopia cast, possibly including Mr Hawke, will be guest speakers for NYU's Grad Acting program.
• Just a reminder- the show closes in about six weeks. If you're in the hemisphere, go see it!
  One reader notes that you can buy last-minute tickets at the box office on marathon days, at least to single shows.
• One more thing. The Western USA/Canada DVD set of the lending library has reached the end of the list, and the Australian set is almost there. So if you sign up now, you'll be the first to get it. For new readers, the lending library includes an interview DVD, Self Catering, Pleasure, Beyond Reason and The Maitlands.
  

Why Utopia is like Marmite

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I have read quite a few reviews of this show over the past few months, and they have increasingly led me to one conclusion - that The Coast of Utopia is like Marmite: you either love it or you hate it.

While there are some drifters around the middle, the majority of people seem to fall into one of two camps - those who would happily set up home in the Vivian Beaumont, and those who wish they'd been sedated before entering it. Utopia critics are like the weather - you never know what they're going to do...

From the 'Love It' camp:

Terry Teachout of ArtsJournal.com gives a big thumbs up to the show and hits the nail on the head for me with this first paragraph:

I am in no doubt whatsoever about the merits of Jack O’Brien’s production. It is a sublime work of theatrical art, a commingling of play and performance so complete that no one lucky enough to see it will ever again read Mr. Stoppard’s words without remembering how Mr. O’Brien and his colleagues brought them to hot-blooded life.

Small wonder that Lincoln Center has carried off the dazzling trick of making a box-office smash out of a sequence of plays about a cabal of obscure intellectuals who talk at intimidating length about ideas of considerable complexity. “The Coast of Utopia” is many things, but first—if not foremost—it is a rattling good show….

I confess to wondering whether I would have been quite so impressed with “The Coast of Utopia” had I first seen it in a less memorable production, and it may also be that I responded to it so strongly because I share its author’s anti-utopian vision of the tragedy of modernity. But countless other viewers who feel otherwise have been no less deeply moved, suggesting that Mr. Stoppard has succeeded in transfiguring the unpromising raw material of politics and turning it into high art.

Markaley goes against the tide by proclaiming part three's superiority over the other two:

Tonight I saw the third (and final) part of Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center. It was the only one of the three that I really enjoyed all the way through. The others I enjoyed parts of and could appreciate the rest, but this was definitely my favorite.

Clive Barnes meanwhile, of the New York Post, (very) briefly uses the words 'thrilling' and 'epic', before giving the show four big stars.

Nobody from the 'Hate it' camp seems to have voiced their opinions this week, so moving away from the Marmite analogy...

• Capacity last week was 90% - so slightly down on the previous week but still up on all other plays bar one. Yes, Ms. Redgrave eclipsed Utopia once again, but given the fact that it has been going since October, I would think coming a close numero deux is still pretty impressive...
  .
• There are several fantastic things up for grabs as part of the HighTide Festival this month. Lot 5, interestingly, is Mr Stoppard's signed Coast of Utopia jumper (words printed in Russian) while Lot 8 is the full trilogy also signed by the man himself. Lot 10 is the aforementioned annotated Utopia script, on which there is a reserve of £1050. (NB: Contrary to what we previously thought, this is actually the current New York script, and is dated 25th August 2006. Click here for details. Nobody has currently bid, so if you have considerably more roubles than me, it'd be a fantastically lovely thing to buy!) All these goodies are on auction at eBay.co.uk until Tuesday April 3rd.


• At eBay.com meanwhile, there are eight Coast of Utopia window cards available at more of a serf's budget. (serf = me)
  
  
• In other news, the fabulous Ms Plimpton will be appearing alongside a host of other well-known faces at P.S. 122's gala in honor of actor-playwright Eric Bogosian, on the day after life ends as we know it. (May 14th, that is...)
  


• Utopia co-set designer Bob Crowley meanwhile, talks about his use of "The Kabuki Drop" in the aforementioned play The Year of Magical Thinking, which opened this week. Another member of Utopia's ultra-talented creative cohort is also mentioned briefly. Mr Crowley went along to opening night with NY Times fashion critic friend Cathy Horyn. She talks about the night here.
  


• Photo-wise, USA Today has a lovely one of Mr Stoppard and the five leading men, while Playbill has a whole group - five of which I've never seen.

Incidentally, with the arrival of Frost/Nixon in New York yesterday from my side of the pond, there are now three members of the cast of Wilde appearing simultaneously on Broadway. Now we just need to get Mr Fry and Mr Law over here. Thoughts, anyone?!

Дженнифер Ель

• Babel the above and you get "Dzhennifer Fir Tree", how cool is that. It's from a photo-riddle comp at Jein Gallaher's blog (in Russian) with pics of Ms Fir Tree from the Tony anniversary days.
  
• Utopians on the town: Ethan Hawke, Billy Crudup and Brian F. O'Byrne will be hosting the Drama League lunch on May 11. Tix are available, call (212) 244-9494. Mr Hawke, Josh Hamilton and Amy Irving were also spotted at The Year of Magical Thinking.
  
• At BizBuzz, there's a long, enthusiastic chronicle from last week's Utopia marathon. Here's a description of one of my favourite scenes in Shipwreck:
  

  [...] Jennifer Ehle plays Herzens wife, who justifies an affair with Herzen’s best friend on the grounds that she has so much love for both of them, the love should be allowed to flourish freely. The ultimate disaster visited upon the Herzens and their friends brings about a stunning final scene in which philosophy and human drama seamlessly meld. It is truly transcendent. [...]

• More love for the marathon from David's blog. Verdict:

  [...] What can I say? Watching top actors at the top of their form, even Ethan Hawke was good (not great, but good…), it was a stirring day of theater I will never forget. If you have have a chance to see any of them, do, and if you can only see one, make it "Shipwreck". [...]

• Was everyone at that marathon? This is Clarence Carter for Reverse Shot.

  [...] This is not to say that his nautically inflected trilogy (Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage) about the exploits of the erstwhile crew of Russian thinkers and would-be revolutionaries circling around the lesser-known figure of Alexander Herzon doesn’t falter or lag across is nearly nine hours of length. This is largely to be expected. But even when the humor flattens out, the expository dialogue grows unwieldy, and historical accuracy jumps the shark, the entire project coasts (pun intended) on a forceful perspective and historical sweep that’s all too rare these days in any art form. I can’t imagine not seeing Utopia in a single afternoon—the bits that rhyme across plays would most likely be forgotten, and more importantly, the salvage act Stoppard performs on his group would be far less apparent, and less affecting because of it. [...]

• Broadway & Me laments the NY Times' grudge against Utopia/Stoppard as evinced by the reading list and Isherwood articles. But, um...what about this, this, this, this, this and this? Nevertheless, a nice defence of the show, and some more star-spotting: Lauren Bacall and historian Arthur Schlesinger were at the performance of Voyage that he attended. And there's this unusual analogy:

  [...] And yes, there are major philosophical issues to ponder like the role of literature in cultural identity and the role of rich men in proletarian revolutions, but there are also laugh out-loud jokes and who's-bedding-whom storylines that are as accessible as those on Desperate Housewives. [...]

• Leonard Jacobs of Backstage reviews Salvage. Positive overall.
  
• ALR of A Collection of Tomes gives The River King 3.5 stars and mentions the hair colour and accent thing.
• eBay has auctions for tickets to Shipwreck and the March 31st marathon at or below cost.
• Also up for auction is a script of Utopia annotated by Tom Stoppard, presumably from the London production.
  
• Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal names all three parts of Utopia in his list of Broadway recommendations.
  

"A visual and verbal feast"

At long last, some more theatre-goers have posted their opinions on Utopia in the NY Times Reader Review section.

The most laudatory of the two is from mapbrook, a marathon survivor, who describes the show as 'a visual and verbal feast':

I saw the trilogy all in one day, and I am still reeling with excitement. Don't fear the text, the wordiness or the history--it's great theater performed by an extraordinary cast, directed by a superb director and designed by a top-notch team of designers. It's easy to follow and understand. Theater events like this come around so rarely. Don't miss it. And don't eat or drink too much before the show. You'll want to hear and see everything this banquet offers.

Meanwhile, francisdyer went to the Saturday 21st matinee performance of Shipwreck. There is some negative discussion about Kolya, including a quite amusing vilification of his little spinning top. Overall though, this reviewer gives the show 4 out of 5 stars and implies that it clearly is great, even if he doesn't quite feel it.

This reviewer also wrote about Voyage for which there was a little more positivity but still an element of puzzlement and confusion.

Also, on this page of the NY Times reader reviews, I have just noticed a comment made by someone on November 30 2006. In response to previous reviews, this person used the title 'Ravishing' and wrote:

I just do not understand all the negative comments! The set design more than compensates for the actors expressing complex historical Russian experiences with their American acting idiom.

And what was the reviewer's name? Bruce Pask. Would that by any chance be Bruce Pask the set designer? Twin brother of Utopia set designer Scott Pask? I think it is a safe assumption! It goes to show that these reviews are read by at least some of the people involved! (And responded to - well done Mr Pask!)

There is also the odd Utopia fan spreading joy over at amazon.com. After describing the show as 'the most important theatrical event of the past 60 years', here is what else P. Bonoff "Yaleman" had to say earlier this month on the show and its legendary writer:

Stoppard's eloquence and wit are only the beginning. The subject is monumental and speaks to our times. Wisdom emerges at the perfect pace. Catharsis at the end. I have seen the trilogy and will see it twice more in marathon experiences. Reading the text beforehand enhances the understanding of the contest and of what takes place. If you don't recognize the importance of The Decembrists, please review some history before seeing and/or reading the trilogy. If you don't know at least a bit about Tsar Alexander, please look at wikipedia and go from there. Very timely and relevant and ominous. And if you read the inspiring text either before or after the experience, the catharsis will be even more powerful. If you haven't seen the epic, this is a must-read.

Thank you, Tom Stoppard (and ensemble) for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "Rock & Roll" goes further. IMO, this is a transformational work which materially enhances Stoppard's prospects for already likely Nobel Prize. What next? What a genius. Unforgettable lessons to be learned dramatically.

But, there are two sides to every story, and E.Rabinovich posts the largely negative letter he/she sent to the New York Times in response to Ben Brantley's review.

Meanwhile, if you are not into online purchasing, Alexander Herzen's My Past and Thoughts is on sale in the New York Public Library bookshop should you happen to be in the vicinity without a lot to carry.
...
Lastly, if you fancy being talked to for half an hour, here is KCRW 's 'Politics of Culture' radio programme about Utopia and the subject matter behind it. It was recorded just after Voyage opened, and is hosted by Michael Silverblatt and Ruth Seymour. Largely elementary, but interesting nonetheless.

Goodies galore

Mark your diaries for Sunday April 22nd everyone, that's when the Working in the Theatre seminar is being first broadcast at 5pm on CUNY-TV. Guestlist:

Jennifer Ehle - Actor
Josh Hamilton - Actor
Ethan Hawke - Actor
Amy Irving - Actor
Theodore S. Chapin - Moderator
Sondra Gilman - Host
Douglas Leeds - Host

The show will be downloadable after the broadcast and will be replayed on TV later on as well. Check the schedule for dates. Also now up at ATW is a video of the seminar that includes Daniel Swee, casting director for Utopia.

Old Faithful has yet another feature on Utopia, this time about Mark Bennett's gorgeous incidental music. Good news: there are audio clips! We've mirrored them for posterity. All the below are mp3 files.

• Prologue
• Ginger cat waltz
• Déjeuner sur l'herbe
• Blackgange Chine
• Curtain call

[edit: here's the ATC thread Kate mentioned where someone says a Utopia soundtrack CD is in the works]

The recent Leonard Lopate radio interview made mention of others with Tom Stoppard and Jack O'Brien that I don't think we've posted before. There's another Stoppard one at Studio 360 as well. On the LCT blog Brendan Lemon interviews Josh Hamilton.

Blogs: a handy timeline of the French Revolution(s) at the girl works, another foodie-oriented review of the Utopia marathon at Give me food, a so-so Russian review of Voyage (Babel it), and Paul Broussard rates the marathon as "one of the all-time best theatrical experiences of my life". There's a tally borrowed from Variety at All That Chat for Salvage:

Cost of Utopia: Salvage
of 17 reviews:
11 pro:
Post, Times, Daily News, USA Today, Sun, AP, New York Mag, Newhouse, WSJ, NY1, Newsday
3 con:
Bergen Record, Gannett, Bloomberg
2 mixed:
Village Voice, New Yorker

More BroadwayWorld discussion of Tony categories, where MargoChanning says that Ms Ehle could go either featured or lead, but the former would be better. And things are looking good - at least one Tony voter enjoyed Utopia .

A fan just tipped me off to this: in Verve's production notes PDF for Alpha Male, there's mention of a film called Broken Thread in Jennifer Ehle's bio.

[...] Cinema roles followed, including Constance Lloyd in Wilde (1997), Kevin McKidd's girlfriend in Bedrooms & Hallways (1998), and a head-turning performance as the caustic, chain-smoking single mother in British comedy This Year's Love (1999). Recent films include Broken Thread, Michael Clayton with George Clooney and most recently Pride and Glory with Ed Norton and Colin Farrell. [...]

It's an India-UK co-production starring Linus Roache, which is curiously similar to Road to the Sky. Could be just a mix-up.

Finally, some left-field randomness. On YouTube, the global repository of wack, Utopia kids Kat Peters and Sophie Rudin do the opening monologue of Salvage. Also from the random corner is an interview with a vampire (oh alright, a novelist who writes about vampires) who enjoys the right version of Pride and Prejudice.

Special Agent Ehle

• The Leonard Lopate radio interview with Billy Crudup, Jennifer Ehle and Brian F. O'Byrne is now online. Here's the mp3 or listen to the streaming audio.
  
• Amy Irving's Downstage Centre interview can be listened to online as well.
• BroadwayWorld reports that Coast of Utopia casting director Daniel Swee will be in one of the American Theatre Wing's Working in the Theatre seminars. The first screening is this Sunday March 18th at 5pm.
• The LCT blog has been updated by Brendan Lemon. The topic is scene cuts and the departure of David Pittu.
• Martha Plimpton's blog has new posts with passing mention of Utopia and there's a Salvage slideshow.
• Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea were spotted at Shipwreck; the audience gave him a standing ovation. You might recall that they also went to Macbeth...
  
• Mention of Utopia in the Tastemakers column in Forbes.
• Variety's Liz Smith on the show:

  [...] Went again to catch some of Tom Stoppard's panoramic epic "The Coast of Utopia" and must say that Jack O'Brien has out-directed, out-witted, out-staggered us with his masterful presentation. The 44-person cast is brilliant. [...]

• New York Post's summary:

  "THE COAST OF UTOPIA": Four stars Tom Stoppard's thrilling trilogy of 19th-century Russian activists and thinkers, together with their lovers and friends, makes up one of the truly epic theater pieces of our time. Not to be missed.

• Jack O'Brien advises budding directors in the NY Sun.
• Indietheatre has a meh review of Salvage but singles out Ms Ehle's "terrific" performance as Malwida.
• At All That Chat there's a thread about the marathon where Scott Parkinson subbed for Billy Crudup as Belinsky. Most people think he did a fine job. Ms Ehle is also praised for all three roles. Another thread has Tony predictions (Featured Actress).
• BroadwayWorld forumers discuss their favourite play of the trilogy - Shipwreck is ahead at the moment.
  
• Elsewhere in blogland, there's love for Utopia at The Artist Formerly Known As Kay's LJ and Kushal's blog, accidental stagedoorage by Jolene, some motherly pride at Stacey's blog, another verbose variation on the snob hit theme at A War of Position and Movement, and a mostly positive review of The River King at Direct to Video Reviews.
• Say what?
  

  [...] Colin decides to modernise Hildegard of Bingen instead. Hildegard is played briefly by Jennifer Ehle. [...]
  Jennifer Ehle has a short but pivotal role as the pro-Parkerist anti-terrorist expert. [...]
  Jennifer Ehle has a small but fast paced role as a translater of Egyptian.

Trusty dot-points

• John Heilpern of the NY Observer remains unconvinced by Coast of Utopia after seeing Salvage (note seating conspiracy theory!).
  
• Two reviews at Entertainment Weekly. Greg Kirschling found Salvage anticlimatic while his colleague Thom Geier opines thusly on the marathon:

  [...] Seeing all three plays in rapid succession, it's easier to tease out connections between the plays. You recognize, for instance, that when Jennifer Ehle's Natalie Herzen extols love as a universal ideal to which humans inevitably fall short in Shipwreck (Part 2), she's echoing similar comments that Billy Crudup's literary critic Vissarion Belinsky made in Voyage (Part 1). Ehle's speech — which occurs during a conversation with Amy Irving, playing the practical-minded Maria, an artist's muse in Paris and estranged wife of a Russian poet — comes during a rare moment when Stoppard allows the women to bring the dorm-room philosophizing of the play firmly into the domestic realm. By the time of the concluding play, Salvage, Stoppard's liberal use of political and philosophical tropes sometimes fails to blend with the pile-up of romantic entanglements and personal intrigue. But in the end, the overall impact of the play is stunning. [...]

• San Jose Mercury News' Karen D'Souza gives sensible advice in her review of the trilogy:

  [...] Some have been quick to point out that this may not be Stoppard's finest work (actually, my money is still on ``Arcadia''), but surely that is beside the point for all but academics. Caveats be damned. This is mandatory viewing for theater buffs.

  Don't be a lemming, though. If you only want to go because it's a snob hit, don't bother. Go because theater is more than singalong gimmicks, special effects barrages and merchandising juggernauts. Go because the theater can make your mind and heart gasp as one. [...]

  and there's this mention:

  [...] The women they love do not get equal stage time, but they offer fascinating portraits as they struggle for personal sovereignty in a man's world. The elegant Jennifer Ehle, the chameleon-like Amy Irving and the tart Martha Plimpton all do incisive work. [...]

• Robert Feldberg interviews child actress Kat Peters for NorthJersey.com. She's the only company member of Russian descent.
  
• A press release about CUNY's "Women in Theatre" series says that Utopia dramaturg Anne Cattaneo will be interviewed on the program..
• Did someone say backlash? Disgruntled open letter to Tom Stoppard, further snob-hit exposition by Jeremy of An American in Cambridge, a Dear John from Just Shows to Go You, and Robert Cashill finds Utopia a case of diminishing returns
• Random but cool: sketches of the real-life leading characters in Utopia.
  
• Among the zillions of Pride and Prejudice mentions in the blogosphere, I thought this was cute: enjoying the mini-series en famille.
• Note the new poll on the right hand column asking for your rating of Utopia. Here are the results from the previous poll where the question was whether you are seeing the play(s).

  Yes, one of the marathons 9% (11)
  Yes, all 3 plays separately 38% (44)
  Yes, 1-2 plays 11% (13)
  No, unable to go 40% (46)
  No, don't want to 2% (2)

• The banner upstairs is a present from Mez. We're not quite sure what to do with it, so thought we'd share it so y'all can think up creative ways to use it (bumper sticker? tattoo?).
  

Anti-bacterial underwear recommended

• Michael Schulman of the New Yorker has a piece documenting the Feb 24th marathon (that explains this post's title).
• mandrakan also reports about a marathon, as does morigian.
• According to Playbill, Amy Irving's Downstage Center interview will be airing March 9 at 6 PM, March 10 at noon, March 11 at 7 PM and March 14 at midnight.
  
• Celia Wren of Commonweal reviews the Coast of Utopia trilogy.
• Michael Sommers of the Star-Ledger writes about curtain calls, with cool quotage from Martha Plimpton:

  [...] Even more striking is when the cycle is performed on a marathon day. No bows are taken after the first two plays. When the trilogy concludes, the original curtain call template is augmented by another downstage march in three rows. Then the company bends on one knee with heads lowered and a hand over their hearts.
  
  Plimpton notes several colleagues feared the gesture might seem "corny," but the results provoked "a massive emotional experience."
  
  "We could finally break the membrane between actors and audience and express our appreciation for going through this with us for nine hours," says Plimpton. "The roof came off the place. We wept." [...]

• NY Times' summary:

  Lincoln Center Theater’s brave, gorgeous, sprawling and ultimately exhilarating production of Tom Stoppard’s trilogy about intellectuals errant in 19th-century Russia. A testament to the seductive powers of narrative theater, directed with hot and cool canniness by Jack O’Brien and featuring a starry cast (Brian F. O’Byrne, Jennifer Ehle, Martha Plimpton, Josh Hamilton and Ethan Hawke, among others) in a tasty assortment of roles.

• Trivia: apparently a character from Lost is named for Bakunin. Neato.
• susabela of All That Chat saw Voyage and thought Ms Ehle's performance one of the standouts. Winnie So watched the same play and also dug it.
• David Pittu (the awesome singing servant) gets some love from Steve on Broadway. He's going to be in LoveMusik.
• The River King reviews in ingles and Spanish. The former is specifically unfavourable.
• Forgot to post this before. Ann, who attended both fanborees (December and February), kindly gave me permission to share her thoughts on Salvage:
  

  I saw all 3 parts of The Coast of Utopia last weekend. I loved it. While I think "Salvage" would be hard to see without seeing the first 2, when you see all three of them, you realize that you have just had an incredible theater experience. There was a standing ovation from a large part of the audience after "Salvage". It wasn't that it was the best, but it was a reaction to the entire production. I am really looking forward to seeing the marathon in April.
  
  Jennifer's role was much smaller in this one than her Shipwreck role, but she is there when it opens and for a good part of the first act. The fact that her character is so distinctly different from the ones she played before, demonstrates what a good actress she is.

• Spider-Man 3 preview on YouTube - there's a Rosemary Harris scene.
  

All about Billy...

Due to a lack of info on Ms Ehle, this is a Billy Crudup related post!

Firstly is the news that the brilliant Mr C was unwell on Saturday and so was unable to take part in Marathon Numero Deux. His grateful yet understandably trepidacious understudy, Scott Parkinson, gives a moving account on the LCT site of what Saturday March 3rd was like for him. By the sound of it he did a fantastic job given the somewhat impromptu circumstances, and although I wasn't there, I have no doubt that he did. So bravo Mr Parkinson.

As promised, here is the link to Mr C's ATW Downstage Center radio interview. It is a very interesting interview, but in case you don't have time to listen to the full 49 minutes and 34 seconds, here are some excerpts:

On the character of Belinsky, he says:

[...] he is the only one of the group who is not privileged, and he finds his way into the group by sheer force of will and intelligence and rudeness [...]

Meanwhile, socializing with the real Belinsky appears to have been a barrel of laughs:

[...] there were stories about parties he would absolutely ruin by pontificating in the middle, and tearing everybody to shreds for supporting a system that left Russia centuries behind the ever-evolving Europe [...]

Mr Crudup also explains what attracted him to the role:

The first thing was the writing. Tom is one of the pre-eminent playwrights of our time...

There were sentimental reasons for me too - Lincoln Center was where I got my start with Arcadia and with Tom Stoppard...and I'd been wanting to work with Jack O'Brien for some time...

Belinsky was a role I just couldn't turn down. [...]

He also talks in length about his transition from 'goofball' and 'class clown' to Broadway star. Included is a story about fluffing up his first Arcadia audition and then being fired from a film in California, before everything turned out for the better and he landed the play after a second audition. I implore you to take a listen. Its gripping stuff.

And to put the cherry on top of the metaphorical cake, guess who is next to be interviewed for Downstage Center? ...... Ms Amy Irving!!!

Five links totally count as a post

On Bakunin's anarchism, on the marathon, on Salvage (possibly a repeat?), on The River King in Spanish (Meryl Streep parallel) and English (re. American-ness).

More as promised

• Chapter 3 of Brendan Lemon's essay about Alexander Herzen is up at the LCT site.
• Broadway.com has a Word of Mouth review of Salvage with video. At the same place, John Simon asks whether Utopia marks the return of epic theatre (verdict: nope).
  
• The second marathon is on today. Again, bon voyage/courage to all! Chowhound people discuss eating on marathon days - go for small meals, long walks and ditch alcohol in favour of caffeine, is the advice.
  
• Terry Teachout excerpts part of his Washing Post rave review of Salvage on his blog About Last Night.
• Ricky Patterson found Ms Ehle's performance riveting, not so the rest of Utopia.
  
• This Yale guy's photoblog documents his ordeal getting to Shipwreck, which he was confused by. (I don't think the "JE" he refers to is same as ours...)
• The calendar featuring the dozen actresses of Utopia is now available online or in the lobby.
• Jaime of surplus doesn't like Salvage as much as the other two parts, finding that the story gets lost in the ideas.
• Even the WSJ Law Blog manages to name-drop Utopia.
• Wrote to the LCT on Feb 17 asking when the transcript from the Platform Series Q&A with Tom Stoppard would be online, they said within two weeks, ie. now. It's not up yet, but watch this space.
  
• The River King came out in Spain on Friday March 2nd. Cineando gives it 2 stars (en español, por supuesto). Cap below is from there.
  

From strength to strength

Greetings all!

Curtain Up has a brilliant extensive section on all things Utopian, amalgamating reviews of all three shows in the process. Here are some of the best bits:

Overall they give Salvage two definite thumbs up, and are keen to dispel any damage done by negative reviewers:

Ignore comments you may have heard to the effect that this final episode is less dramatic and even more talky than its predecessors. Sure, it's talky, but it's also the most human of the three parts and the tendency to speechify is offset by the fact that those speeches include some of Stoppard's most memorable and eloquent dialogue.

Several of the cast members are lauded, not least Ms Ehle's efforts over the entire trilogy:

Ehle has gone from strength to strength, first as the tubercular Bakunin sister, next as Herzen's passionate wife and now as the very proper and yet also passionate German governess.

Later, when mentioning orderly governess Malwida, they describe Ehle's portrayal as:

...a wonderfully prim counterpart to the children's dead mother. ...

They also mention what I have to admit is one of my favourite bits of the shows:

...even the curtain call, with all those actors marching forward and backward to take their bows, makes Salvage and the whole Coast of Utopia an extraordinary experience.

On a more practical note, they also give specifics on the marathon schedules:

Part 1 starts 11am ends about 1:40 pm; Part 2 starts 3:30pm ends 6:00; Part 3 Starts 8pm should end around 10:30.

Barbara and Scott Siegel of Talkin' Broadway are disappointed with Part three, but despite that still say The Coast of Utopia

...in its fullness is still a rather remarkable piece of theater. ...

They do laud the acting in Part three however. No specific mention of Ms Ehle, but Mr O'Byrne is given an enormous amount of gold stars:

Brian O'Byrne is that rare actor who can remain grounded in humanity while making bald-faced speeches when almost any other actor would be smothered in pomposity. When he gets to play scenes rather than talk politics, he is astonishing. There is one scene in Part 3 when he kisses Martha Plimpton on the cheek. In less than a fraction of a second there is a look that passes between them that has the net effect of 100,000 volts of electricity. It is unmistakable yet it happens so fast that you catch your breath. It is an amazing moment of theatrical legerdemain.

Ms Plimpton and Mr Hamilton are also praised in passing.

Christine Kearney of scotsman.com gives a brief re-cap of Salvage reviews including a few new quotes by Richard Easton.

There is also a plethora of Coast-cast related Charlie Rose interviews. Mr Crudup has done 7 (but I can only find 6 of them), Mr Hawke 5, and Mr O'Byrne 1. Here are links to them all:
Billy Crudup (May 05, Oct 04, Dec 03, May 02, Dec 01, Mar 00)
Ethan Hawke (Apr 05, Jan 05, Mar 04, Nov 01, Jan 98)
Brian F. O'Byrne (Apr 05)

They are all great, but I have a particular fondness for the former. I'm ashamed to say that when I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Crudup, I barely knew his name. Now, I have seen him in numerous films and interviews, he is quite clearly a very special guy. He has a wonderfully effervescent personality. He impresses me. A lot. I lament the fact he is not in Salvage.

Meanwhile, Billy Crudup's long-awaited ATW Downstage Center radio interview was broadcast last night. It is not yet available online, but it will be by my next post. I'll give you the link then.

Just for fun, here is a quote of some of Herzen's concluding words in Salvage:

History knocks at a thousand gates at every moment, and the gatekeeper is chance. It takes wit and courage to make our way, while our way is making us, with no consolation to count on but art and the summer lighting of personal happiness. . . Our meaning is in how we live in an imperfect world, in our time. We have no other.

For those of you who frequent Martha Plimpton's MySpace page, the last sentence is her profile quote. I had seen it before and liked it, but never realised it was from the show. What a blonde.

Placeholder

Reviews from village voice's Michael Feingold, NY Sun's Robert Simonson, New Yorker's John Lahr and NY Mag's Jeremy McCarter. More later, zzzz now.

Saving the best til last?

Oooh, scary!

Ok, what have we today?

Brendan Lemon speaks about the first marathon, which took place last Saturday. Cast member Denis Butkus gives his opinion on how the day went, with other cast members to give their views at a later date.

The LCT Multimedia section now also has a 'view scenes from' Shipwreck video, which unless I'm much mistaken differs from the aforementioned Broadwayworld one.

Boris Kachka of New York magazine has a useful little piece entitled The Men of Utopia: Who's Who in the Cast. I know the men are more important in this instance, but how about one for the ladies perhaps?!

Review-wise, Michael Bracken of Metro New York is a little disappointed with the plot.

Edward Rothstein in the NY Times has a mixed but well-written article about Herzen, Stoppard, and even parallels between them at one point! Be sure to view the audio slide show on the left-hand side - it is only two minutes long but is a brilliant little commentary by Jack O'Brien along with photos, a few of which are previously unseen.

Meanwhile on the NY Times reader review section, 31 people have rated Salvage and have given it an average of 3.93 stars out of 5. Not bad?! That places it at number 13 out of the 31 Broadway shows currently open. (Shipwreck is at number 19; Voyage at 23.) So at least as far as NY Times readers go, it seems to be a case of saving the best til last...