Word: showing
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...Best of Both Worlds,” the new gospel adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” playing at the Loeb Drama Center through Jan. 3. Unfortunately, such sad songs are just about the only agreeable aspect of the show; to deem anything the “best” in this disappointingly mediocre production would be to issue a gross overstatement. Though it offers a wonderful musical experience, “Best of Both Worlds” ultimately demonstrates the potential pitfalls of an emphasis on active spectatorship...
...purely technical level, the design elements are fantastic, and all of the performances are outstanding. In particular, Jeannette Bayardelle’s Serena is strong, regal, and utterly unforgettable, especially during her show-stopping solo “The Way I Love You.” Diedre Murray’s music is lovely, even if it gets lost in the excess of sung exposition. Regrettably, compelling performances and extraordinary singing cannot carry a show this poorly written...
...weak writing is but one of this production’s many errors. What has been so successful in the A.R.T.’s season thus far—active spectatorship—simply makes no sense in this show. Weiner and director Diane M. Paulus ’87 attempt to break down the fourth wall and make the audience active participants, from the house manager’s opening announcement to the juvenile and unnecessary narration. In one moment, a character stops to ask if the audience has noticed the two men in trench coats and sunglasses...
...even if it had been done effectively, in this type of theatrical production, why should the audience be involved? What does it achieve, other than alienating those audience members who refuse to get on their feet at the end of the show for what is essentially a forced standing ovation...
...actors peer towards the audience at the “statue,” only to have Serena actually enter from behind the set’s giant garage door in a burst of fog, light, and gospel song. As the resurrection is the emotional climax of the show, this execution is both disappointing and baffling. The fourth wall is indeed broken, but perhaps not as Paulus intended; instead, the audience is taken out of the moment, wondering what the characters are staring...