To be honest, I wasn't really feeling Roundabout's revival of Craig Lucas' Prelude to a Kiss at first. The beginning fifteen minutes seemed a bit too tentative, as a young couple (Alan Tudyk and Annie Parisse) meet at a mutual friend's party, fall in love, and decide to marry after a whirlwind courtship. It wasn't until the scene of their actual wedding, midway through Act 1, that I fell in love with the play and production, and was rapt from then on. Daniel Sullivan is a master at blending genres; here, he has tapped into the realms of loss and redemption and perfectly juxtaposed them. I was on the verge of tears when The Old Man, beautifully played by John Manhoney, delivered an eloquent monologue about the dangers of living too long. Tudyk and Parisse are also ideally cast; they're a darling love match. That's the play, though: a truly darling marriage of style and substance.
3 comments:
I agree with your assessment of the first 15 min. Were you there the first night (Sat. 17th)? I think it might just be a case of the previews, and the spark will develop as they get more performances under their belt. Annie Parisse needs to give Alan Tudyk's lines a little breathing room - that was my overall biggest complaint. Otherwise, I did love it, and was happy that I finally saw it as a stage play. Alan Tudyk was phenomenal - really really good job and I was worried, since Alec Baldwin's shoes are tough to fill. But fill them he did. I might have to go back and see it again in a few weeks...
I was there on Tuesday evening (2/20). I already have plans to see it again next weekend. I didn't think Parisse was all over Tudyk's lines myself. I have never seen the movie, so I can't offer a Tudyk/Baldwin comparison; I just thought Tudyk was spot-on.
Seeing it in a few weeks. I'm really going for my mother's sake (she's in town and loves John Mahoney) but I'm glad I'll potentially get some enjoyment out of it, too!
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