help me decide which play
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Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3339
Printed Date: 11/26/24 at 5:37am
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Topic: help me decide which play
Posted By: teach
Subject: help me decide which play
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 9:39am
| I have 4 great comedic actors, 2 male, 2 female. Which play would you vote for: Harvey or The Man Who Came to Dinner? Or do you have another suggestion? |
Replies:
Posted By: belle
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 10:34am
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I've seen MWCTD twice and never found it appealing. It was endless as a high school production and not much better at at big CT. The tech was much better at the CT, but I found the story very boring.
I've directed Harvey three times and loved it. I would do it again. I think it's as much Veta Louise's play as Elwood's. She's the dynamic character. The comic elements are timeless. It doesn't have very many women's roles, which is a big drawback for most high schools.
Have you considered You Can't Take it with You? It also has a large cast. I saw a fine H.S. production of it. It's not one of my favorites (where do those Russians come from anyway?), but it seems much stronger than Dinner. Some tech challenges--explosions and a xylophone.
If you don't want a classic, you might look at It's Murder in the Wings. It has a huge cast with 4 strong women's roles. It's clean and a hoot.
Just my vote.
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Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 10:41am
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"My Sister Eileen" requires a large cast but only one-set. Lots of great character roles. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: teach
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 10:48am
| Thanks for the suggestions! We already did Murder in the Wings and it was great! I just did Dearly Departed as part of CT with the same high school kids but no censoring like you get with high school. That was lots of fun too. |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 11:35am
|
My suggestion is niether. Both are dated. But if you absoulutely have to choose one or the other I'd choose Harvey. Harvey has much more universal appeal and you won't have to deal as much with references to people and things that have little relevance to the majority of today's audience than you would would with The Man Who Came to Dinner. ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 2:34pm
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Isn't there anything more modern that you could do? It makes me so sad when all high schools are allowed to do are The Crucible, You Can't Take it With You, and Arsenic and Old Lace.
In all seriousness, I think we risk losing our young audience if we only stick to old standards that me and my father both acted in. Or perhaps we've already lost them, I don't know.
I mean, even Larry Shue's plays (The Nerd, The Foreigner) are 25 years old now.
I suppose this isn't the right place for a screed against sticking to what has worked in the past, but I think we should honestly try to find newer shows for our young people to do. ------------- www.donzolidis.com |
Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 2:38pm
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I realize I didn't make any suggestions to help you choose something different, so, at the risk of being completely hypocritical, here's one:
How about "Is he Dead?" by Mark Twain. I know, I know, I was just talking about old plays and all, but this is adapted by David Ives and just finished its Broadway debut. I haven't read the script, but I hear it's hilarious, and isn't likely to be censored in any way, shape, or form.
Here's the link, you can read it on-line:
http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1365 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1365 ------------- www.donzolidis.com |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 3:56pm
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You can not go wrong with Harvey. Yes some of the references, even the commital process are dated but the theme "I'd much rather be nice", is timeless. This show offers great characters each one able to steal the show. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/07/08 at 4:47pm
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Well, if you're going to do an old chestnut, you could look into "The Matchmaker" ... it has good comedic roles - and is a wonderfully crafted classic play. I agree - though I'm not against classic theatre, we HAVE to let our children do something other than plays that were being done when WE were in high school! |
Posted By: theatre junkie
Date Posted: 8/08/08 at 11:14am
| I'm grabbing hold of a tangent in this thread. I think a lot of our schools have stuck theatre departments in an option reduction situation when it comes to show selection. Script content is VERY censored in many school theatre departments these days. Just a few years ago when my kids were in high school, the list of things scripts could not contain seemed to grow every year. It started with profanity and sexual content, then it moved to any references of smoking, drinking, and pretty much anything that isn't exactly PC by today's standards. So unless you're going to alter a script (which I saw this school do A LOT) It really reduces your options |
Posted By: teach
Date Posted: 8/08/08 at 12:18pm
|
Totally true! Now they don't even want you to have drinks or cigarettes in your hand. Its not encouraging that behavior-its called acting!! Anyway, my predicament is that many of the newer shows have language, situations, etc. but the older shows have references that are dated. I'm all for educating the kids about it, but when it may limit my audience or their understanding of the play, it makes it harder. So right now, I'm considering, Is He dead?, the man who came to dinner, curious savage, my sister eileen, father of the bride, and harvey. Already done: Our Miss Brooks Murder in the Wings Get Smart Dearly Departed (ct) I love the nerd but the cast is too small. I use the fall comedy to train for the spring musical. |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 8/08/08 at 5:09pm
| I seriously considered Curious Savage for our summer show, but finally decided it was too dated. Not neccesarily cultural references, but the way the comedic premise of the definition of insanity is dealt with seems very dated and on the nose and probably no where near as funny as it might have been a half century ago. The same thing unfortunately applies to Harvey as well. |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/09/08 at 8:19am
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I don't think it's really "pc" which is the problem. "Political Correctness" is a phrase used by the politically left to keep from hurting people's feeling, basically. The problem being addressed seems more to be the right wing taking more of a firm hold over our lives, deciding for others what is good for them. Face it - there are a lot of "pc" actors and actresses who drink and smoke in the movies. What I always find amusing - well, actually, appalling - is that they (that great unknown They who are always trying to run our lives) don't want any mention of smoking or drinking in plays - but have no problem with children playing thieves or murderers in plays. I just think they have their priorities way out of whack. *hops off soap box*  |
Posted By: SherrieAnne
Date Posted: 8/09/08 at 8:45am
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How about "You Can't Take It With You"? Yes, it's old - when I last did it in CT, we put an insert in the programme with explanations of some of the more dated things - but it's got a good-sized cast, it's TOTALLY fun to do, it's a unit set, no one smokes or drinks onstage...and IMHO, it's got a great message. ------------- There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others. |
Posted By: theatremonkey
Date Posted: 8/23/08 at 3:42pm
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definitely harvey or i really like bunnicula ------------- theatre monkey |
Posted By: Aimee
Date Posted: 8/24/08 at 11:03am
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We've done both "You can't take it with you" as well as "Harvey." Harvey was so much better, the kids (actors) had a blast with it, the crew kid have never worked harder, but it paid off and they all tell me it was their favorite show, mine too for that matter.
I have a director who does tend to look at the "old School" plays too. Mostly I think it is what she likes when she reads it through.
We also recently did "All because of Agatha" and had a fair amount of success with it too. ------------- Aimee |
Posted By: joanna
Date Posted: 8/27/08 at 11:54am
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I like Faith County- both the org. and the second one. But I did them a looong time ago and can't remember if anything was too much- it was a high school production- which makes me think that they were pretty clean. They were very funny and fun to be in- although I am here in the south and that may have played a huge part in how funny the shows were to the audience(as it sort of plays with southern stereo-types):) |
Posted By: Ogreking4
Date Posted: 8/28/08 at 10:33pm
| You could try "Squirrel Lake" from hitplays.com.... Very funny and has several good parts. |