Friday 4/3 Szentivánéji álom
Apr. 6th, 2009 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liakuCAST:
Oberon - Szabó P. Szilveszter
Titania - Füredi Nikolett
Lysander - Dolhai Attila
Hermia - Vágó Zsuzsi
Demetrius - Bálint Ádám
Helena - Peller Anna
Puck - Kerényi Miklós Máté
Theseus - Németh Attila
Hippolyta - Nádasi Veronika
Bottom - Bereczki Zoltán
Flute - Sánta Lázsló
and other people.
It's just not that intelligent of a show, so I don't have that much to say about it. Going to start with the bits that don't really concern that actors (or at least are more plot/random detail concerned rather than specific actor reviews).
Music-wise... uh. It was almost bad. I say almost because bad is turning Green Day's albums into a musical. This isn't to that level, and the music itself is fine. It's just all quite the same. If everything were on a CD collection for a given artist, I'd say it was fine, but this being a musical, it's not really fine at all in my book. Given the diversity of the characters, I really would've loved to see different instrumentation and genres of music used for different characters--or at least something to spice up the music. It seemed like it was all quite basic and simple, and given the strength of the actors' voices, it's a shame there wasn't much that'd require some real vocal acrobatics. I can live without though, but it still felt like the maximum potential of the orchestration possibilities weren't reached because the music just all blurred together. I wish I could at least pick out instruments and motifs used more often for the faeries than the humans, but even that I can't do. The cast's so factionalized, different motifs for different groups would really have been nice to hear.
Basically, I don't remember a single song. I vaguely know the tune of Puck's song, but not really. I also thought some of the added scenes/songs didn't work so well. For the purposes of the musical, I'm fine with Oberon and Titania turning human again, but meh. It seems extreme, not to mention irresponsible. I mean, who's in charge after they leave? Do they not care? Neither of them seem like the type to give up their power, and Titania could easily have Oberon in love with her while being Faerie Queen. The human thing is completely unnecessary. The other notable song: the Oberon/Lysander duet. I don't think it really fit in at that particular moment. I don't mind a random slash scene with them, but the placement of the song was a little weird. Cute song though.
For the good moments: Every Puck scene was perfection. He in particular was given a particular style of music and choreography, which I really appreciate. It worked beautifully. I think Titania had a particular tune to herself too, or at least her faerie girls did, and her final couple of songs were gorgeous. I remember the Oberon solo (the darker one later on in the show) being pretty awesome as well. The faeries in general had better songs.
There was some strange choices. Costuming-wise, wtf is Theseus wearing? I mean, seriously? Also, Puck's costume has bouncy cloth at the ass. It bounces with him. This would've gone mostly unnoticed except for that bit of choreography that had Máté on his hands and knees, ass to the audience, and started bouncing to the rhythm of the music. I am wondering who thought that bit was a good idea.
The Pyramus and Thisbe play was worth the ticket price and then some. In fact, it was worth several tickets. I've never actually seen Pyramus' death dragged out like Zoli did it. Typically, they sorta just do all nine deaths in one burst. Zoli really milked them for all they were worth, and it really came across that he just didn't want to leave the stage. Laci's Thisbe played against him perfectly. Loved the bit where Zoli's pulling on Laci's arm made him start humping the Wall. The Wall was just like WTFMAN????? and Laci had this perfect panicked IMSOSORRY face going on all while Zoli grinned like an idiot at the audience. I think my overall favorite moment was when Laci was killing himself and stabbed the Moon's pet dog and found the puppy schishkabobbed onto the sword when he drew it back out.
Visually, it was beautiful. Everyone should see this show once just as a feast for the eyes. Your eyeballs will bask in this musical's glory, I promise. Every mood the set wants to evoke, it does it effortlessly. There's nothing here for me to say besides that the design is just beautiful. Except for Theseus and Demetrius' father's costumes. Those were fugly.
Oberon: I got Sziszi. He was fine. This is where I ought to say to the world that I don't find him wildly attractive. Or attractive at all, really. I think he's a beautiful man--even without the make-up. His features are just so intriguing, I find them fascinating. Of course, he's also the least photogenic human being alive, including even me, so that's saying quite a bit. That being said, Sziszi as King Oberon is gorgeous. I think to play a faerie king, you have to sell the look as well as the voice and the acting, and let me tell you, Sziszi looks like King Oberon. As for his voice, it doesn't matter. Nikolett sounded so good that Sziszi could've sounded like a dying frog, and it would've been okay. Granted, he was 100% overpowered by Nikolett's Titania, which was not so good, but I'll say that Sziszi hardly sounded bad at all. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in our group that doesn't melt into a puddle of goo when he steps onto stage, so you can trust me opinion in that regard. My brain was still functioning when he showed up. :P
I do think that the one song Sziszi later on sounds beautiful, but he sounds awful singing it. Well, not awful, but you can tell that switching registers and still nailing notes with precision isn't quite his thing. Awesome song though; I don't remember how it went, but I remember it was wonderfully thematic, but perhaps a touch angrier than I expected. Regardless, I couldn't help but think Zsolt would've been much better there, and it was a shame I didn't get to see him.
Titania: Nikolett owned. Next.
Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, Helena: Jesus, these characters were so boring. Lysander was the most interesting of the bunch for songs and character development, but Helena the most engaging. This is possibly because I believe Peller Anna possesses a perfect set of breasts whereas Dolhai Attila, who forgivably lacks a perfect set of breasts, does nothing for me as far as eye-candy goes. His voice makes me melt though. Also, dude can't dance. He's slightly better at that strange flamenco thing they've got going on (it's not flamenco, I don't think, iirc flamenco needed an 11 beat rhythm or something weird like that), but even so. Of note, I'm pretty sure that no matter who I saw cast as these roles, I still wouldn't care about any of them.
Puck: As the first and last character to appear, Puck carries the show, and Kérenyi Miklos Máté carried it as if it were weightless. ...And he did so with two faerie buddies that danced better than he did--which says a lot about them because Máté moves perfectly for the part. He's so serpentine and reptilian with this feral grin. Love it. Also, if he weren't so skinny, I'd find him drop dead gorgeous. As it stands, I just think he's really, really hot. Since that's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, his voice is great. Somehow, from listening to audios and watching videos, I didn't catch the resonance in his voice, and it's really very pleasant. I feel like he could sing a lovely lullaby, though perhaps he shouldn't play Dracula anytime soon. Great rapper too. Anyway, I think the biggest difference between Máté's Puck and all the Pucks I've seen on stage is that he is not played for comedic relief. He's not cute, not hugable, and he never lets you doubt for a single moment that he's one scary motherfucker and you had better give Oberon your thanks for keeping him on a leash. He's not evil at all though, just a very devout fan of chaos. Also, Oberon needs to give him some slack. Poor Puck did exactly what he was told to. :(
Puck's Friends: Pirgel Dávid was one of them. That man is unbelievably amazing. I was staring at him during all the ensemble songs in Mozart! too. Dude can move. Dude is graceful. Dude is tall (he stands behind Colloredo in the sauna scene while he's getting dressed, and I believe Dávid's been taller than both), gawky, and perhaps the most gangly build I've ever seen. Also a strange face, which I find a bit handsome, though I can really see why someone would think he looks like an alien instead. but as a dancer, he's breathtaking. The other guy (Szilard?) was good too. Again, a better dancer than Máté, which is already saying a lot. Movement-wise, probably the least interesting of the three since Máté had this strange, hypnotic thing going on as Puck, and Dávid was just jaw-droppingly talented. The other guy was just plain ol' good. Not much to say about that.
Theseus, Hippolyta, Police Commisioner Dude: Whoever played Demetrius' dad should not be wearing leather pants. That is all I have to say about him. Veronika was fine as Hippolyta, though I think Ottilia definitely could've gotten more mileage out of her scenes. Németh Attila had no wardrobe malfunctions. Well done, Theseus, you kept your clothes on. This is mildly surprising.
The Actors: Sánta Laci is my one true Thisbe. He was brilliant. What a falsetto. What hilarious expressions. I believe they lifted the lines nearly entirely from the original play, so the actors relied a lot of gestures and expressions to milk the scene for extra humor. Well, they rocked it. Everyone rocked it. I wish the Lion got more of a role, because he was just kinda there with nothing to do, but he did a fine job with what he had. Everyone did a fine job, better than fine really. The little details really made it. Things like Laci putting Quince's hat back on his head after it fell, Zoli pouting and asking for one more death scene, and dog on the sword, the audience's reactions to everything--there was just so much to see, and I loved it. The actors were clearly the people having the most fun in this show.
Rule of thumb: If the guy you're talking to doesn't likely speak very good English, then if you talk at him using about 100 words in one breath, he ain't gonna have a clue what you said. Luckily, Nemeth Attila is well versed in fangirl body language. I'm not sure what he was doing when he walked out actually. He brushed off the fans (he said hello and such, but didn't stop), and then I said "Excuse me" and he stopped and looked around since I was standing a little bit away.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cricep then popped up right in front of him while I got my ass over to where he was, and we got him to sign our stuff and such. What was weird is that after that, instead of heading the same direction he was dashing off in before I stopped him, he turned around and walked off in the other way... but he continued to sign stuff and hung around for a little while. He eventually did take off in the opposite direction he'd tried to flee in at the start though. Not sure what was up with that.
Also, a bunch of fangirls disappeared after they got his signature. Weird, because they were the 13-year-old variety of fangirls, so you'd think they were hoping to spot Sziszi or Dolhai Attila or somebody, but apparently not?
Anyway, we also saw Sziszi. He walked out carrying a kid, and the mob parted like the red sea for Moses. They just split apart for him, and they continued to do that every night. No one tried to even speak with him. Kind of amazing.
Atti stepped out too. He was obviously in a rush, though a little boy stepped up to ask him for an autograph in the most adorable little boy way, so he stopped and signed something for him before rushing off again. I took careful note of the direction he headed in, because I remember little details that might come in handy later like that. And it kinda did when we stagedoored him again the next day.
In short, it was a fun show, and I liked it. I want to see it again, and then again and again too if I can, but for the love of god, I do not want to ever see it twice in one day. I'd die of boredom. The music is just flawed, and the storytelling is solid but not really anything I want to spend 3 hours twice a day on. That being said, it's truly magnificent to watch, and the Pyramus and Thisbe play at the end is just awesomenosity defined.
Oberon - Szabó P. Szilveszter
Titania - Füredi Nikolett
Lysander - Dolhai Attila
Hermia - Vágó Zsuzsi
Demetrius - Bálint Ádám
Helena - Peller Anna
Puck - Kerényi Miklós Máté
Theseus - Németh Attila
Hippolyta - Nádasi Veronika
Bottom - Bereczki Zoltán
Flute - Sánta Lázsló
and other people.
It's just not that intelligent of a show, so I don't have that much to say about it. Going to start with the bits that don't really concern that actors (or at least are more plot/random detail concerned rather than specific actor reviews).
Music-wise... uh. It was almost bad. I say almost because bad is turning Green Day's albums into a musical. This isn't to that level, and the music itself is fine. It's just all quite the same. If everything were on a CD collection for a given artist, I'd say it was fine, but this being a musical, it's not really fine at all in my book. Given the diversity of the characters, I really would've loved to see different instrumentation and genres of music used for different characters--or at least something to spice up the music. It seemed like it was all quite basic and simple, and given the strength of the actors' voices, it's a shame there wasn't much that'd require some real vocal acrobatics. I can live without though, but it still felt like the maximum potential of the orchestration possibilities weren't reached because the music just all blurred together. I wish I could at least pick out instruments and motifs used more often for the faeries than the humans, but even that I can't do. The cast's so factionalized, different motifs for different groups would really have been nice to hear.
Basically, I don't remember a single song. I vaguely know the tune of Puck's song, but not really. I also thought some of the added scenes/songs didn't work so well. For the purposes of the musical, I'm fine with Oberon and Titania turning human again, but meh. It seems extreme, not to mention irresponsible. I mean, who's in charge after they leave? Do they not care? Neither of them seem like the type to give up their power, and Titania could easily have Oberon in love with her while being Faerie Queen. The human thing is completely unnecessary. The other notable song: the Oberon/Lysander duet. I don't think it really fit in at that particular moment. I don't mind a random slash scene with them, but the placement of the song was a little weird. Cute song though.
For the good moments: Every Puck scene was perfection. He in particular was given a particular style of music and choreography, which I really appreciate. It worked beautifully. I think Titania had a particular tune to herself too, or at least her faerie girls did, and her final couple of songs were gorgeous. I remember the Oberon solo (the darker one later on in the show) being pretty awesome as well. The faeries in general had better songs.
There was some strange choices. Costuming-wise, wtf is Theseus wearing? I mean, seriously? Also, Puck's costume has bouncy cloth at the ass. It bounces with him. This would've gone mostly unnoticed except for that bit of choreography that had Máté on his hands and knees, ass to the audience, and started bouncing to the rhythm of the music. I am wondering who thought that bit was a good idea.
The Pyramus and Thisbe play was worth the ticket price and then some. In fact, it was worth several tickets. I've never actually seen Pyramus' death dragged out like Zoli did it. Typically, they sorta just do all nine deaths in one burst. Zoli really milked them for all they were worth, and it really came across that he just didn't want to leave the stage. Laci's Thisbe played against him perfectly. Loved the bit where Zoli's pulling on Laci's arm made him start humping the Wall. The Wall was just like WTFMAN????? and Laci had this perfect panicked IMSOSORRY face going on all while Zoli grinned like an idiot at the audience. I think my overall favorite moment was when Laci was killing himself and stabbed the Moon's pet dog and found the puppy schishkabobbed onto the sword when he drew it back out.
Visually, it was beautiful. Everyone should see this show once just as a feast for the eyes. Your eyeballs will bask in this musical's glory, I promise. Every mood the set wants to evoke, it does it effortlessly. There's nothing here for me to say besides that the design is just beautiful. Except for Theseus and Demetrius' father's costumes. Those were fugly.
Oberon: I got Sziszi. He was fine. This is where I ought to say to the world that I don't find him wildly attractive. Or attractive at all, really. I think he's a beautiful man--even without the make-up. His features are just so intriguing, I find them fascinating. Of course, he's also the least photogenic human being alive, including even me, so that's saying quite a bit. That being said, Sziszi as King Oberon is gorgeous. I think to play a faerie king, you have to sell the look as well as the voice and the acting, and let me tell you, Sziszi looks like King Oberon. As for his voice, it doesn't matter. Nikolett sounded so good that Sziszi could've sounded like a dying frog, and it would've been okay. Granted, he was 100% overpowered by Nikolett's Titania, which was not so good, but I'll say that Sziszi hardly sounded bad at all. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in our group that doesn't melt into a puddle of goo when he steps onto stage, so you can trust me opinion in that regard. My brain was still functioning when he showed up. :P
I do think that the one song Sziszi later on sounds beautiful, but he sounds awful singing it. Well, not awful, but you can tell that switching registers and still nailing notes with precision isn't quite his thing. Awesome song though; I don't remember how it went, but I remember it was wonderfully thematic, but perhaps a touch angrier than I expected. Regardless, I couldn't help but think Zsolt would've been much better there, and it was a shame I didn't get to see him.
Titania: Nikolett owned. Next.
Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, Helena: Jesus, these characters were so boring. Lysander was the most interesting of the bunch for songs and character development, but Helena the most engaging. This is possibly because I believe Peller Anna possesses a perfect set of breasts whereas Dolhai Attila, who forgivably lacks a perfect set of breasts, does nothing for me as far as eye-candy goes. His voice makes me melt though. Also, dude can't dance. He's slightly better at that strange flamenco thing they've got going on (it's not flamenco, I don't think, iirc flamenco needed an 11 beat rhythm or something weird like that), but even so. Of note, I'm pretty sure that no matter who I saw cast as these roles, I still wouldn't care about any of them.
Puck: As the first and last character to appear, Puck carries the show, and Kérenyi Miklos Máté carried it as if it were weightless. ...And he did so with two faerie buddies that danced better than he did--which says a lot about them because Máté moves perfectly for the part. He's so serpentine and reptilian with this feral grin. Love it. Also, if he weren't so skinny, I'd find him drop dead gorgeous. As it stands, I just think he's really, really hot. Since that's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, his voice is great. Somehow, from listening to audios and watching videos, I didn't catch the resonance in his voice, and it's really very pleasant. I feel like he could sing a lovely lullaby, though perhaps he shouldn't play Dracula anytime soon. Great rapper too. Anyway, I think the biggest difference between Máté's Puck and all the Pucks I've seen on stage is that he is not played for comedic relief. He's not cute, not hugable, and he never lets you doubt for a single moment that he's one scary motherfucker and you had better give Oberon your thanks for keeping him on a leash. He's not evil at all though, just a very devout fan of chaos. Also, Oberon needs to give him some slack. Poor Puck did exactly what he was told to. :(
Puck's Friends: Pirgel Dávid was one of them. That man is unbelievably amazing. I was staring at him during all the ensemble songs in Mozart! too. Dude can move. Dude is graceful. Dude is tall (he stands behind Colloredo in the sauna scene while he's getting dressed, and I believe Dávid's been taller than both), gawky, and perhaps the most gangly build I've ever seen. Also a strange face, which I find a bit handsome, though I can really see why someone would think he looks like an alien instead. but as a dancer, he's breathtaking. The other guy (Szilard?) was good too. Again, a better dancer than Máté, which is already saying a lot. Movement-wise, probably the least interesting of the three since Máté had this strange, hypnotic thing going on as Puck, and Dávid was just jaw-droppingly talented. The other guy was just plain ol' good. Not much to say about that.
Theseus, Hippolyta, Police Commisioner Dude: Whoever played Demetrius' dad should not be wearing leather pants. That is all I have to say about him. Veronika was fine as Hippolyta, though I think Ottilia definitely could've gotten more mileage out of her scenes. Németh Attila had no wardrobe malfunctions. Well done, Theseus, you kept your clothes on. This is mildly surprising.
The Actors: Sánta Laci is my one true Thisbe. He was brilliant. What a falsetto. What hilarious expressions. I believe they lifted the lines nearly entirely from the original play, so the actors relied a lot of gestures and expressions to milk the scene for extra humor. Well, they rocked it. Everyone rocked it. I wish the Lion got more of a role, because he was just kinda there with nothing to do, but he did a fine job with what he had. Everyone did a fine job, better than fine really. The little details really made it. Things like Laci putting Quince's hat back on his head after it fell, Zoli pouting and asking for one more death scene, and dog on the sword, the audience's reactions to everything--there was just so much to see, and I loved it. The actors were clearly the people having the most fun in this show.
Rule of thumb: If the guy you're talking to doesn't likely speak very good English, then if you talk at him using about 100 words in one breath, he ain't gonna have a clue what you said. Luckily, Nemeth Attila is well versed in fangirl body language. I'm not sure what he was doing when he walked out actually. He brushed off the fans (he said hello and such, but didn't stop), and then I said "Excuse me" and he stopped and looked around since I was standing a little bit away.
cricep then popped up right in front of him while I got my ass over to where he was, and we got him to sign our stuff and such. What was weird is that after that, instead of heading the same direction he was dashing off in before I stopped him, he turned around and walked off in the other way... but he continued to sign stuff and hung around for a little while. He eventually did take off in the opposite direction he'd tried to flee in at the start though. Not sure what was up with that.Also, a bunch of fangirls disappeared after they got his signature. Weird, because they were the 13-year-old variety of fangirls, so you'd think they were hoping to spot Sziszi or Dolhai Attila or somebody, but apparently not?
Anyway, we also saw Sziszi. He walked out carrying a kid, and the mob parted like the red sea for Moses. They just split apart for him, and they continued to do that every night. No one tried to even speak with him. Kind of amazing.
Atti stepped out too. He was obviously in a rush, though a little boy stepped up to ask him for an autograph in the most adorable little boy way, so he stopped and signed something for him before rushing off again. I took careful note of the direction he headed in, because I remember little details that might come in handy later like that. And it kinda did when we stagedoored him again the next day.
In short, it was a fun show, and I liked it. I want to see it again, and then again and again too if I can, but for the love of god, I do not want to ever see it twice in one day. I'd die of boredom. The music is just flawed, and the storytelling is solid but not really anything I want to spend 3 hours twice a day on. That being said, it's truly magnificent to watch, and the Pyramus and Thisbe play at the end is just awesomenosity defined.