Angels in America

[Piel]

Did anyone see the first half of this on HBO last night? This is one of those that I feel that I really need to watch a couple of times to even make an intelligent comment on! It will be repeated all this week. One thing that kept happening to me was that I kept thinking about some of the actors in other roles they have played even if their roles were different from the ones in AIA... Mary Louise Parker in "Boys On the Side" and Emma Thompson in "Wit". Very interesting casting having the actors play more than one character.

Piel

 

[eliza88]

I Tivo'd this last night but haven't had a chance to watch it...A friend of mine saw it and thought it was wonderful.

Off topic, but since you have HBO, did you watch Carnivale?

eliza88

 

[Mathman]

It was terrifying to me. I can only imagine the impact it must have on stage.

Mathman

 

[Piel]

Eliza,

I don't watch Carnivale, should I be?

MM,

I absolutely HATE Al Pacino's character. What happened to Harper? Emma Thompson makes a beautiful angel.

Piel

 

[MOONPIE48]

I did see the Broadway Production, both parts, and it had a huge impact on me, to the extent that I really couldn't watch this version. I flipped on a few times and caught some of Pacino's work as Roy Cohen. Roy Cohen was one of the most vile people ever to pass the bar exam (NOT a slam on lawyers, i respect lawyers - even after working for them for 20 years!;o)
Cohen was an assistant to Joe McCarthy duing his reign of terror and an assistant to Richard Nixion. I did see the scene where Roy is told he has AIDS and i thougt Al really nailed the self-hatred and denial that motivated Cohen.
In the B'way production Cohen is haunted by the spirit of Ethel Rosenberg, does this happen in the film?
I think i will have to rent it so that i can pause when certain scenes make me emotional - i'm such a wimp!
The only production that moved me more than this was another 6 hour play called the Kentucky Cycle, won the pulitzer a few years back, but i doubt they will film that. Don't suppose anyone here saw that???

peace
moonpie

 

[Piel]

Meryl Streep plays Ethel Rosenberg, a male rabbi, and the Mormon mother of another character.

Piel

 

[Rgirl]

I saw it both on Broadway and the first half on HBO the other night. I generally tend to like film and not theater, with a few exceptions--Shakespeare, lol--and I thought it was interesting the way they used special effects in the HBO version. I'll have to wait until the second half to give my final "review" but I may like the HBO version better than the theatrical version, but it may just be my preference for the subtlety of film performance over the big-projected style needed for stage. But however you see it, it is, IMO, far more than a theatrical or film experience. Without sounding over the top, I found it to be a deeply spiritual experience. And I don't use that term lightly.

Also, off-topic, I saw the London production of "Oklahoma" on PBS a couple of weeks ago (Hugh Jackman as Curly--the guy can SING!) and I was so impressed with the characterizations. I just expect characters in musicals from the '40s and '50s to be caricatures rather than believable characters, but in the London "Oklahoma" (how's that for irony?) I thought they really managed to walk that fine line between being stylized in the musical style of the time and yet convey emotions that seemed real. The singing doesn't come up to the level of Gordon McCrae and Shirley Jones and the whole film cast, but the emotions in the singing seemed much more real in the London production. If you like Hugh Jackman and love "Oklahoma," this would be a good video/DVD to ask Santa for. Jackman does a fight scene without his shirt on.
Rgirl

 

[eliza88]

I just watched this last night--of course now I am tired because I stayed up past my bedtime! I am looking forward to seeing the 2nd half.

Piel--Carnivale was good. It started out with a bang, full of mystery and intrique, very dark too and then it settled in to week after week of only yielding a tidbit of information. I had to tell myself to be patient (no easy task) and enjoy the quality production...the last few weeks were quite good (lots happened!) and the cliffhanger was thrilling!

ITA with Rgirl about the PBS version of "Oklahoma!"--it is wonderful! Hugh Jackman makes a wonderful Curly (about as sexy as any cowboy has any right to be and the actor that plays Judd is fantastic (I believe he picked up multiple awards for his portrayal...)

eliza88