It is theatre time again! Consequently, I opened my private theatre season yesterday and went to see a play in the Munich “Residenztheater”.
The title of the play was:
A Moon for the Loaded
by
Eugene O’Neill.
I had been really looking forward to it. Accordingly, my disappointment was huge.
🙂 Well, it is a perfectly normal consequence of too great expectations.
The theatre was only three quarters filled with audience, which already worried me a little. In the “Residenz”, there never used to be anything other than a full house.
And it really turned out to be a piece with lengths.
Firstly, there were more than one and a half hours of clumsy farmer’s theatre in elaborated code. The characters and language were everything but authentic, the humour artificial, stubbed and supported with plenty of silly hubbub. After the complicated starting position was elaborately made clear after almost two hours, they finally came: the few nice moments. During those moments, the chance for a nice ending was missed twice and it took a slow half-hour to explain the meaning of the play quasi in retrospect.
What also went on my nerves was the use of the “audio” medium. To be sure, the country/blues music used in between scenes might still have made sense. But if a central monologue – like murder at a bad location – is underlined with background music, I start wondering. This is neither helpful for the actor, nor the audience and I doubt that any kind of “emotional added value” is created.
Even with the absolutely magnificent performance of all the actors and actresses, the play could not be saved from being boring and complicated. The same is true for the abstract and simple stage setting with beautiful pictures.
The programme had said the performance would take two hours and a quarter – with no break in between. Well, it was actually two and a half hours. I fail to understand how such lack of precision can happen. I get annoyed with this kind of thing, because they make planning harder, for instance if you were going to take a specific train home.
At least, I now understand why there was no break. To be sure, the play would not have suffered from a break, but if you allow people to leave the theatre when this kind of play is shown, there is quite a chance that a considerable part of the audience will not return for the second half. Which is not what you want, is it?
So here is a warning:
If the “Residenztheater” is nowhere near full and the play is said to be more than two hours without an interval, maybe you had better go back home!
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
Next Tuesday, I will try the Metropol with THE BLACK RIDER. And after this, I will re-focus a little more on the “Kammerspiele”. Their reputation is on the up.
P.S.1
I took the picture from the central media archive Wikimedia Commons. It was taken in 2003 by Andreas Praefcke.
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