Sunday, December 9, 2012

ANNA KARENINA: The Movie!

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I LOVE this book & have been long anticipating this film. I was not disappointed. 

First of all, let’s address the fact that most of the action was set in an old theatre. I loved the post-modern, Julie Taymor-eque artistry of the vision; however, more than the strange beauty of the theatre-setting, it was a clever & creative way to establish the underlying insinuations of the 19th-century Russian high-society. The most apparent common thematic thread was the strict & stringent design behind theatrical productions that parallel the strict & stringent order of this particular society: every person has a specific job that must be performed with unquestioned precision for the production to exist, let alone flourish. With such strict expectations of one’s particular role comes the necessity of incorporating a sense of hierarchy (this idea was ingeniously executed in the film with Levin willing placing himself among the stage crew). Imperialist Russia was nothing if not dramatic & there is no better setting than a theatre to convey the power of ghosts lingering in the wings, stolen glances, & living lies. There seems to something about theatres (especially in period films) that insinuate seediness. Maybe something about the heightened drama of a theatrical setting that makes the commonly unacceptable strangely alright; maybe it’s that acting is inherently presenting false-truths & the necessity to live false-truths becomes present when one is engaging in unacceptable actions such as an affair; I’m not sure what the link is, but the imagery definitely works. Lastly, the use of the theatre as a setting conveys the struggle that comes with living one’s life on a stage. This reality served as a cornerstone of Anna’s conflict & is a surprisingly contemporary emphasis & application of Tolstoy’s ageless novel. 
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Keira Knightley as Ms. Anna Karenina
I’ve never been a fan of Keira Knightley, so my expectations were pretty low. She’s always seemed like the British Anne Hathaway to me, but I actually enjoyed & appreciated her portrayal of Ms. Anna K. [even though, for it being the title role, the role itself did not seem extremely challenging; sub-par acting could have been easily over-looked by the impeccable film-making quality & artistic vision]. Ms. Knightley has served as the muse for director Joe Wright’s in Atonement & Pride & Prejudice. I didn’t love her as Elizabeth Bennet & her performance as Anna made me realize why: she is a period actress who is consistently cast in the wrong era. Her aura & physicality were an awkward fit for the empire dresses of Pride & Prejudice. However, her angular beauty, quiet/complicated restraint, & British frigidity make her a good fit for Imperialist Russia. Her character was styled perfectly, with stacks of pearls & subtley disheveled hair. I also appreciated that she (and Jude Law) were cast in a perfectly age-appropriate manner. 

Jude Law as Karenin 
He was great. Jude Law is an exceptional actor & his skills are overshadowed by his physical perfection. This was not the case. He allowed himself to appear weathered, rigid, & largely unappealing. However, the beauty in his performance that he did not allow Karenin to appear a monster. His performance reminded me of Philip Quast's perfected portrayal of Javert in Les Mis: he aims to rigidly adhere to his society's holy rules & cannot forgive the deviant, defiant,  or different  interactions between these iron rules & the infallibility of human nature. I found his performance as Karenin to be the most complicated & thought-provoking in the entire film. His specific conflict in dealing with an unfaithful wife carried a more complicated weight than the burden facing any other character & Jude Law conquered the challenge beautifully. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Vronksy
For being the character who serves as the catalyst for most of the conflict, Vronksy is a surprisingly shallow character. Taylor-Johnson presented a nice balance in his performance by realizing his role was more important in the context of the entire story than as complex character. He was appropriately charming & his chemistry with Ms. Knightley was surprisingly sufficient. My favorite part of his performance was his consistent sense of distance; even at his most intimate moments with Anna, there was a clear & cold feeling that one foot might been veering towards the door. 

Domhnall Gleeson as Levin & Alicia Vikander as Kitty
Gleeson was the ideal image of Levin in my mind & incorporated both Levin's angst at his disppointment & strict inherent allegiance to living as a good & honorable man. As Kitty, Ms. Vikander dispayed the unassuming beauty & innocence of a girl in the beginning of the film and transformed into an elegant young woman of the house by the end. The only element of this storyline that was lacking was their history: Kitty & Levin had a history that was glossed over & assumed; she chooses Vronksy over Levin, only to have him leave her for Anna. The devastation that Kitty endures from Vronksy's betrayal leads to a process of self-actualization/understanding that leads her back to Levin. That journey was ignored & would have been a welcome addition to the film as a whole. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

ONCE on Broadway


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ONCE is based off of an awesome 2006 Irish musical-movie that was directed by John Carney. It starred musicians Glen Hansard (from the Irish folk band The Frames) & Markéta Irglová, who collaborated musically prior to the film & performed/composed all of the movie's original numbers. The movie's surprisingly supple skeleton of a storyline matched with a quietly striking dynamic between the actors  & heightened by stunning/haunting musical score made for a revolutionary film. The film was produced for only $160,000, but received enthusiastic reviews & a number of awards (2007 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film, a Grammy nomination for the whole soundtrack, & the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly.ONCE's shift from a movie-musical to one created for the stage has proven even more successful  & beloved than the film version. Enda Walsh adapted the screen play, John Tiffany served as director, Bob Crowley crafted the set/costume design & Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti were cast as our Guy & Girl (both performers were nominated for Tony Awards but only Kazee won; Milioti was robbed.). It was named the Best Musical of 2012 by The Outer Critics' Circle, Drama League, The New York Drama Critics' Circle, & The Tony Awards. Winning Best New Musical by any of these groups is impressive, but to sweep them all is pretty exceptional. 

[Falling Slowly also served as the soundtrack for my sister's first dance with her husband]


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BEN HOPE as GUY 
Clearly, I did not see Steve Kazee in his Tony Award-winning performance. But I don't mind. In the olden days, I would have been frustrated at missing out on seeing this awesome guy in a part in which he obviously ruled, but I've grown up. If I want to see Steve Kazee play Guy, all I need to do is plug his name into a YouTube search. There is something inherently refreshing & awesome about seeing an understudy. Even though the audience might register an initial feeling of disappointment, that disappointment is apparent in tri-folds by the excitement & adrenaline by the actor who gets to finally play the role. The pressure & excitement always comes through & that factor has been known to outshine the tired routine of an actor who has become comfortable in the awesomeness of his luck. The understudy never takes a performance opportunity for granted; for that reason, I have rarely been disappointed by the performance & Mr. Hope's performance quality was no exception. I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Hope after the performance & found out he had not played the role of Guy in 3 weeks; his most recent understudy role was as the actor/drummer. For having not played the role regularly/in almost a month, Mr. Hope still presented a rich & enriching performance & the quality of my experience was not even slightly compromised by the presence of an understudy in a leading role. After reading his bio in the Playbill, I found out Mr. Hope is an accomplished musician whose strengths transcend being pigeon-holed into one role. Lesson (re)learned: sometimes there is something underneath the understudy that makes the show. 

Cristin & Me. 
CRISTIN MILIOTI as GIRL
To be honest, I didn't think she [or anyone] would be able to climb this mountain of a role. It's not that the role is exceedingly difficult, but Markéta Irglová crafted & created this role so impeccably in the movie that it had to be impossible to re-imagine. Luckily for us, Ms. Milioti has no interest in seeing the film until her run has ended. Her approach is clearly a clever one because she dominated this role. She brought a new level of charm to this role that is so essential in live performance; she portrayed an understated quirkiness, a cute/quiet humor, & the imperative infusion of intrigue. Her performance had a lot to live up to & she still managed to portray confidently humble impeccability. 

P.S. I have mad respect for this actress because, although this role's cornerstone is her ability as a pianist, she had no piano skills prior to the audition process to this show. She was director John Tiffany's hands-down favorite, so they gave her 10 days to practice piano, become impeccable, & come back to impress them. And impress them she did. 

P.P.S. After the drive back to DE from NYC, I was watching a 30 Rock rerun & who was the guest star? Ms. Milioti herself!! I knew I had seen her face before, but wigs can really distort a girl's memory. Seeing her play a ditzy, comedic blonde after watching her dominate as a strangely smart Czech pianist just reaffirmed my opinion that this broad from Cherry Hill, NJ is the real deal. 

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The cast of ONCE, with my sister performing the best photo bomb ever.


BROADWAY TRENDWATCH:
The Decline of Design: The Broadway of today tends to utilize more stationary sets & singular costumes. The days of Miss Saigon's helicopter & the Phantom's lair have been left in the 90's; contemporary Broadway is stream-lined, stylized, & smartly executed. I'm a definite fan of this paring down, but I'll still never turn down a twirling barricade. 
Instrumental Actors: Sam Mendes' 1998 revival of Cabaret started this trend while simultaneously introducing the idea of a an orchestra/band being suspended above/behind the stage (in a world where they orchestra had never lived anywhere but the pit). This choice provides the audience a fresh perspective & appreciation regarding the musicians, as well as a much more engaging production. 
The Breaking Down of the Fourth WallThis trend first became apparent to me during Spring Awakening. They had two sets of mini-bleachers set up on the outer edges of the stage (perpendicular to the audience). I didn't sit in these seats (and did think sitting in them would be be too visually restrictive). During the 2008 production of Equus on Broadway, the stage-seating was suspended in a semi-circle behind & above the stage; the effect was cool & I appreciated sitting closer to the action than I ever would have been able to afford in a standard seat. Once figured out the best way I have seen so far to allow audience members to break through the fourth wall: their stationary set was a bar that served as a cash bar for the audience before the show & during intermission. It was pretty cool; plus, I got a bottle of water AND got to set food on an actual Broadway stage for only $5! 

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