"Doubt" -- Ron on Broadway!!

[dogma]

and on the doubt web site,, every time i click on the photo site, it says that new pix are coming soon,, sounds like one of " the three biggest lies" if you know what i mean

[Katryna]

maggiethecat said:

Great idea, kathy -- but I can't recall ever coming across a "reader review" in The New York Times . There was good publicity when the cast changed -- and more when everyone got the flu -- but that's probably it, I'm afraid. I set up a Google Alert and haven't seen anything, either. I'm guessing if there are reviews of the new cast, they'd be on the Doubt website.

Generally speaking, Broadway productions aren't re-reviewed when the cast changes, which is a shame, really -- how is the average ticket buyer supposed to know? Oh, well . . . .

There are reader reviews on the NYT web site for each play. There are 14 Reader reviews for DOUBT - all with the last cast.

It really is a shame that they don't review when there are cast changes, especially in a case like this where 3/4 of the cast has changed! Oh, well!

[Katryna]

dogma said:

and on the doubt web site,, every time i click on the photo site, it says that new pix are coming soon,, sounds like one of " the three biggest lies" if you know what i mean

This is ABSOLUTELY annoying me, too.

[maggiethecat]

kathy said:

maggiethecat said:

Great idea, kathy -- but I can't recall ever coming across a "reader review" in The New York Times . There was good publicity when the cast changed -- and more when everyone got the flu -- but that's probably it, I'm afraid. I set up a Google Alert and haven't seen anything, either. I'm guessing if there are reviews of the new cast, they'd be on the Doubt website.

Generally speaking, Broadway productions aren't re-reviewed when the cast changes, which is a shame, really -- how is the average ticket buyer supposed to know? Oh, well . . . .

There are reader reviews on the NYT web site for each play. There are 14 Reader reviews for DOUBT - all with the last cast.

I guess I was thinking of the printed paper, the one you hold in your hands, and they don't have reader reviews. Didn't know they were included on the website.

So, anyone who's seen the play . . . go for it! ;D

[anna]

I saw "Doubt" last night. It's a great night in the theatre, and the 90 minutes fly by. Eileen Atkins is astonishing. You will not believe that the woman you see before you was ever anyone other than the character she is playing.

Ron far more than held his own on stage with her, which is saying a lot. I surprised myself by feeling relieved and a bit proud that he is so good. I was relieved because I had begun to fear that I had built this up too much in my mind and was expecting too much. I wasn't. I was a little proud because I, along with the others on this board, have taken a personal interest in RE. Well, he isn't letting any of us down. It's a powerful performance, and - lucky for us - his character has the widest range of emotions to explore.

Adriane Lenox is so good in her one scene; you immediately understand how she won the Tony for this performance. Although Jena Malone's performance is good, it does show her lack of stage experience. However, most actors' lights would shine a little dimmer in comparison with these three masters of the stage.

The play itself provides the sort of theatre experience that you want from a drama - it leaves you thinking and discussing. My best friend - who has tolerated my little RE obsession with better humor than I deserve - accompanied me on this trip. As the applause died down, she sat there for a moment and said, "This is what theatre ought to be."

On a shallow note, the thing that I noticed last night was how beautiful, graceful, and expressive RE's hands are. That had never stood out to me on screen.

One good thing about this is that it gave me an incentive to do a New York theatre run - something that I had not done in too long. On to "Rabbit Hole" tonight!

[maggiethecat]

Anna, thank you so much for that wonderful review. I, too, have always wanted to see Eileen Atkins onstage, since she is one of the greats of our time. Glad to know Ron Eldard held his own, too -- what you've described sounds like the perfect dance between two gifted artists at the top of their powers.

"What theater should be?" It doesn't get much better than that, and it happens all too rarely.

Thanks again --

Mags

[Duchess of Lashes]

anna said:

I saw "Doubt" last night. It's a great night in the theatre, and the 90 minutes fly by. Eileen Atkins is astonishing. You will not believe that the woman you see before you was ever anyone other than the character she is playing.

Ron far more than held his own on stage with her, which is saying a lot. I surprised myself by feeling relieved and a bit proud that he is so good. I was relieved because I had begun to fear that I had built this up too much in my mind and was expecting too much. I wasn't. I was a little proud because I, along with the others on this board, have taken a personal interest in RE. Well, he isn't letting any of us down. It's a powerful performance, and - lucky for us - his character has the widest range of emotions to explore.

Adriance Lenox is so good in her one scene; you immediately understand how she one the Tony for this performance. Although Jena Malone's performance is good, it does show her lack of stage experience. However, most actors' lights would shine a little dimmer in comparison with these three masters of the stage.

The play itself provides the sort of theatre experience that you want from a drama - it leaves you thinking and discussing. My best friend - who has tolerated my little RE obsession with better humor than I deserve - accompanied me on this trip. As the applause died down, she sat there for a moment and said, "This is what theatre ought to be."

On a shallow note, the thing that I noticed last night was how beautiful, graceful, and expressive RE's hands are. That had never stood out to me on screen.

One good thing about this is that it gave me an incentive to do a New York theatre run - something that I had not done in too long. On to "Rabbit Hole" tonight!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Anna - it really was an amazing night of theater and I would do it again in a heartbeat, if the opportunity ever presented itself!

Unfortunately Eileen Atkins was still ill with the flu on Saturday, January 14th, so we didn't have benefit of her performance. Her understudy, Lizbeth MacKay, however, more than filled the shoes required to play the part of Sister Aloysius. She was an unmoveable wall, stoic, determined, full of self-righteousness, until the last remarkable scene. I left the theater admiring both her abilities and her excellence.

Ron Eldard was born to be on the stage, born to be in the spotlight, he commands it. From the moment he uttered that storied opening line, he had his audience in the palm of his hand; the ones who were there to see him, like our group, and the ones who were there to see the play. We were all standing at the end, applauding him; that applause too little but all we could offer to show our appreciation.

I found his performance remarkable and riveting. The anger left me recoiling in my seat, it was that real and that bitter; the tears in his eyes and the defeat in his voice had my lip trembling and my heart breaking. His interpretation of the conflict felt by Father Brendan Flynn for the positon he found himself in, his inability to absolve himself of that situation, was so complete and yet it left me questioning. That is an incredible feat.

Ron's hands have always been expressive, a perfect accompaniment to what you read in his eyes, the tone of his voice, the language of his body; perhaps in the opportunity of seeing him live, there is more occasion to focus on all of those aspects, including how he uses his hands to emote, interpret, express.

Small and intimate, the Walter Kerr theater is the perfect setting for this play, a place where you can actually see and feel the naunces, watch the changing facial expressions, benefit from your connection to what is happening before you. So much of those elements are integral and would be lost, I think, were the play not staged in a house like this.

Your assessment of the portrayals by Jena Malone and Adriane Lenox are right on; it is obvious that Jena would benefit from more stage exposure and yet in her portrayal, she displayed all the facets of naivety and insecurity expected of a young nun in a most uncomfortable position.

Adriane Lenox is nothing short of astonishing as the mother caught in the middle, seeking a place of sanctuary for her child, wanting to do what is best for him. Although she has but one scene, it is most powerful and absorbing.

Weaving all of these elements together, this play does leave you with food for thought, things to contemplate, a definite level of Doubt.

LongLashes

[bjobsessed]

Thank you Anna, for such a wonderful honest review of the play and everyone's perfromance. I'm going six weeks from today and your review makes me look forward to it even more. I have never been to NY or a Broadway play before. I know we are kind of all going because of Ron, but it sounds like I picked a good one all the way around.

I really can't wait. And I'm so glad to hear again how good Ron is. I had the same thoughts--that maybe I was building it up too much.

[bjobsessed]

Wow! A lot was said from the time I started writing until the time I finished my post. All I can say Lori, is thank you to what you added in relation to Anna's thoughts. I am so looking forward to seeing the play and just the whole experience.

[rducasey]

bjobsessed said:

Wow! A lot was said from the time I started writing until the time I finished my post. All I can say Lori, is thank you to what you added in relation to Anna's thoughts. I am so looking forward to seeing the play and just the whole experience.

And I second that , Anita. Thanks Lori, I can't wait.

[Katryna]

rducasey said:

bjobsessed said:

Wow! A lot was said from the time I started writing until the time I finished my post. All I can say Lori, is thank you to what you added in relation to Anna's thoughts. I am so looking forward to seeing the play and just the whole experience.

And I second that , Anita. Thanks Lori, I can't wait.

And I "third" that, Anita and Mary. Thanks so much to Lori and Anna for sharing their thoughts on the play. It is so reassuring to know that "our" Ron is doing us proud. I can hardly wait to see the play with my friends from the board.

[bump]

For those of you who have gone to see Doubt or will be going in the coming months, if you want to send me your photo with Ron, I'm adding them to the Fan-tastic section of the www.ron-eldard.com web site.

My e-mail is viewable in my profile here.

Becky

[anna]

Pics of RE and the other cast members as they appear in "Doubt" can be seen here:

www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=7403

[Duchess of Lashes]

WOW - Anna, thanks so much for providing that long-awaited link.

AND ANITA, KATHY AND MARY - THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!



You'll just have to picture the rest!

[Katryna]

longlashes said:

WOW - Anna, thanks so much for providing that long-awaited link.

AND ANITA, KATHY AND MARY - THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!



You'll just have to picture the rest!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Lori. This is the picture we have been waiting for. And thanks to Anna for posting the link!