varo_kamry

Well, Trish hasn't written her report yet and I haven't seen anything from Kim. Maybe late tonight, but I'm calling it a day. Hopefully we will have reports tomorrow.

In the meantime another fascinating QAF article.

OUT magazine

Queer as Folk Cast Explains Why the Sex Mattered to a Movement | Out Magazine

Zebbers

Well, you sleep well hun and hopefully we'll hear all about it tomorrow.

Thank you posting the link too. I read the article in OUT earlier today and it's also posted in one of the other threads too. I guess the current airing of the show is producing new or rehashed articles on all things QaF!

varo_kamry

I spoke too soon

Kim and Trish both posted to their LJs

From KIM: (Predec2)


The Acorn Theater, where the play was held, is situated in a three-story brick building near 50th and 7th Streets. We arrived there for the first preview show at around 6:00, and were initially standing in a very small lobby area, with doors to the left and the right. At approximately 6:30 or so, the doors to the left opened, and we were told that ticket holders could either go up to the second floor lounge and wait, or go up to the third floor where the theater was and wait by the doors until they opened. They were scheduled to open around 6:30 or so.


The stage consisted mainly of a series of metal cubes at the rear that at various times held spotlights, strobe lights, or even people. Randy, in fact, wound up perched several feet up in the air later in the play when he was playing Paul Tibbets, which I will detail coming up. Two areas in the upper right and upper left held the orchestra, which was unusual; I am used to seeing them in front of the stage. As a result, there was nothing separating us from the first row and stage (no orchestra pit), so we were only about 3 – 4 feet away, and could easily reach out and place our hands on the stage itself, or touch some of the stage lights. I had NEVER been that close to a stage before. We were so close you could see the small microphones attached to the top of the actors' heads, right below their scalp, and even where a couple of the women had wigs on – you could see the separation from the wig and their head, so they did not fit very well.


The stage held a large, rectangular-sized, wooden desk, and various vertical, upright panels that were moved at various times to either be included as part of the set, or were slid back to temporarily hide them when not needed. The long desk was a crucial part of the film, used as a prop for several scenes between the scientists, as well as double duty as a bar at times.


There were a total of nine members in the cast; several of them, including Randy, played more than one character. Randy played two main characters in the show: Edward Teller, a young German scientist, and Paul Tibbets, the pilot who ultimately dropped the first atomic bomb from the Enola Gay on Hiroshima.


His outfit as Edward Teller consisted of a geeky type of medium green sweater vest, bow tie, light colored shirt, and slacks, along with a pair of glasses. He spoke with a very convincing German accent while portraying this character. At other times, he could also be seen in the background as a supplementary character at various times. I noticed him, for instance, as a passenger on a plane reading a paper, or as a FBI type with a dark hat and coat. Both times in those types of roles he did not speak, however.


As Paul Tibbets, at various times he wore a ‘doughboy’ outfit while at a bar, or a leather bomber jacket later with military slacks and a white scarf around his neck. He also wore a white laboratory coat on occasion as Edward Teller, a black hat and coat as a minor character in another scene, and also a very smart-fitting, black, vintage tux when he performed, along with other members of the cast, in a short dance sequence with one of the female actresses in a scene set in Berlin (he looked amazing!).


The play centered mainly around two real-life characters: Leo Szilard, played by Jeremy Kushnier, and his eventual wife, Trude Weiss Szilard, played by Randy’s former classmate, Sara Gettelfinger, and told the story of the Manhattan Project – how it began, why it began, what the consequences were, and the eventual detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, and how this affected each of the scientists that worked on the Manhattan Project that were responsible for its successful implementation. The bombing itself was handled in a unique way, with a multitude of strobe lights that actually made you feel like the actors were moving in slow motion. Very interesting scene (which did not involve Randy's character).


Randy did have two prominent occasions where he sung: once as Paul Tibbets at the bar – the same singing scene previously shown in the sneak preview online – and another time as a trio with two other actors when he was sitting in the Enola Gay, waiting to drop the bomb. While singing this part, he climbed several feet up into the air and sat in one of the metal cubes at the right rear side of the stage, as if he were piloting his plane on the way to drop the bomb. I noticed after he was done, and the lights dimmed, he had a harness on and climbed down from the cube he was in back down to the stage. Looks like his trapeze training came in handy as he managed that in record time!

The story – from the inception of the atomic bomb to the actual implementation of it, and the subsequent feelings of indecisiveness regarding whether it was the right thing to do – takes place by use of different colored lighting, light screens, strobe lights, shading, music and the ever-present long table. At times it was hard to keep track of all the different times and locations, but Randy’s singing is superb, clear, and strong. I loved his singing of “Stars and Stripes” in his role as Paul Tibbets, and he looked adorable in his tan ‘doughboy’ World War Two outfit. And even when he was singing as part of an ensemble, it was easy for me to pick his voice out.


I would say Randy was in the play for approximately half of the time, and loved the smiles he flashed throughout the play in character as Edward Teller (always nice to the smiles!), He also interjected some humor into the play while playing Teller, which I enjoyed. And during one of the final scenes, Randy walks out to the ‘bar’ (the table in other scenes) and sits down next to Leo Szilard (played by Jeremy Kushnier), with his back to us, sitting in a chair. Being in the first row, let’s just say the three of us had a, ahem, very interesting view of him. We could have almost reached out and touched him at that point; it was amazing how close we were to him. We were also lucky that in a lot of the scenes, he was directly across from us on the right side of the stage.


After the play, we walked down from the third floor where it was performed to the second floor, standing in the small foyer between the steps and the lounge, not sure if he would show up or not. We kept seeing some people who worked for the Acorn going up the steps, and thought that perhaps they were having an after-show meeting. But one of the actors came down after several minutes, and then finally Randy scampered down the steps with another person. He spoke briefly to Trish when she called over to him, but his view was blocked somewhat by two others standing nearby, so I’m not sure if he even saw the rest of us. He only stayed a second or two before he hurried down the steps and was gone,


I will be going back tomorrow and Sunday to see the play before heading home. Sorry if this is not as detailed as Trish’s account – I can never compete with her amazing recollections – but hopefully this at least gives you a feel for the show,

From Toto too (Trish)
I would have to start by saying that this show probably would not have been on my “must-see” list if not for Randy’s participation. At last night’s very first preview, which was actually only the second time the cast had a full run-through on stage, Randy was on stage for a good portion of the first act, either in ensemble or in character. He plays two credited roles, Edward Teller a nerdy physicist, and Paul Tibbets a macho Air Force Pilot.

The show itself was good… but still needs some tweaking, something not unexpected so early in the run. I felt it was a little too long and a bit choppy, jumping from scenes in Japan, to USA, to Germany, and from decade to decade. Now this helps us see Randy a lot, which is always good in my book, but I think it interferes with the flow of the show itself. There is also an omnipresent table that the actors spin and move about the stage constantly. Honestly, that got a bit tiresome. The set itself is designed with metal scaffolding, sliding screens and big, heavy lights. It is very industrial looking. The theater holds 199 people and is new and clean. The stage is very wide, and seating is arranged in a few rows of many seats. There’s enough “step-up” from one row to the next and plenty of leg room, and I would have to say there’s not a bad view in the house.

The play opens with a couple kneeling in front of a screen, speaking gently to each other in Japanese. The screen then opens to reveal Robert Oppenhiemer, who will be a narrator of sorts for the play, and who is being questioned at the US official inquiries about the Atomic bomb, years later. As he begins to speak the ensemble enters the stage and begins to sing "Seminal Tale." They represent the people of Japan. The men, including Randy, are dressed in black slacks & crisp white shirts. They are all barefoot.

As the play jumps forward, we next see Randy behind that great big table, this time dressed in a vintage white lab coat. It’s amazing how, even when singing within a group I can always easily pick out Randy’s very distinctive voice. In perhaps my most favorite scene, which takes place in a German cabaret, Randy ballroom dances to "In Berlin," in a vintage tuxedo! (OK, OK.... so he is NOT dancing with Gale, but the moves he makes in that tux makes it impossible to take your eyes off him!)

Even though we’ve seen him on stage a lot, Randy hasn’t really spoken any dialogue by this point in the play. We first hear him speak, with a very distinctive accent, as Edward Teller the nerdy Hungarian physicist who has come to join the Manhattan Project. He’s geeky & adorable in lab coat, plaid sweater vest, bowtie & gold wire glasses. The other more exuberant personalities in the group call him “kid” and “bowtie” and he seems out of place in this ambitious group. One member of the group is Enrico Fermi, played by Jonathan Hammond. I'm not quite sure I like the way this character is written, seeming to fall back on Italian stereotypes - loud, womanizing, pasta-eating men. It's too easy.

In an effort to emphasize the frantic nature of “beating Nazi Germany to the bomb,” the actors spend a lot of time spinning that table and shuffling blueprints and lab coats etc. to show the passage of time. It didn’t really work for me… it’s one of the places where I think we’ll see some “smoothing out,” as the play progresses.

Jeremy Kushnier, who plays Leo Szilard, has a lot of stage time and solo songs along with Sara Gettlefinger who plays his pediatrician love interest, Trude. After a while, the songs they sing and the scenes they have almost seem repetitive... This is one area where the show could use some stream-lining.

Randy’s only solo comes in the first act as Paul Tibbets, the pilot who dropped the Atomic Bomb from his plane, the Enola Gay. Dressed in a full, clean, crisp Air Force khaki uniform, a young and somewhat drunken and brash Tibbets meets Leo in a local bar, where Leo states, “Are you sure you’re old enough?” when Paul orders a drink. His response, along the lines of, ”If I’m old enough to fight & die for my country, I’m old enough to drink,” reminds me very much of young Justin in the Liberty Diner. But this scene is when Randy truly shines, belting out a magnificent “Stars & Stripes.” Very powerful!

We don’t get to see much of Randy for the first part of the second act, other than in a very cute number where the ladies, dressed in “Rosie the Riveter” type costumes, sing "The Holes in the Donuts," a song about the secrecy involved in the manufacture of the bomb itself. Randy appears in a heavy trench coat & a fedora pulled over his eyes, to escort away one of the ladies who “talked too much.”

When Randy reappears as a more mature Tibbets later on, he is dressed in traditional “flyboy” costume, complete with leather bomber jacket and white scarf. He is now a decorated Special Forces Pilot and runs into Leo again at a bar. With backs to the audience, they sit at that table again, and quickly realize they are "in" on the same secret. He spends the time commiserating with Leo, who is having more than second doubts about the bomb, now that Germany has surrendered.

As the scientists continue to struggle with the monumental consequences that their invention could bring, and actually start a petition to stop the bomb, we see how the politicians and military have the ability & control to keep the project moving forward. In a very powerful scene, played on three parts of the stage, we see Randy, still in his leather jacket and now with helmet & goggles, suspended high in the rafters’ stage right, in the “cockpit” of the Enola Gay, while stage left Leo sings about his regrets and Oppenheimer at center stage sings about the glory.

For those of you who are planning to see the show I won’t tell you about how the scene plays out where the bomb is dropped, but I will say it begins once again with the Japanese couple and it’s intense without being melodramatic.

The scene now shifts to several years later, about the time of the US inquiries and we see the scientists once again seated at THE table. They are drinking and talking about how being a part of the project has changed their lives. The song they sing, "What I Tell Myself," works very well with the sense of confusion they feel about their involvement & their struggle to come to terms with it. Teller is older, and more an accepted part of the group. He’s dressed in brown & beige checked pants, a green dotted shirt with a blue sweater around his neck. He is supposed to report to the official inquiry in the morning.

The play ends with Leo, who has cured his own cancer by inventing radiation treatments, and Trude finally finding peace and the chance to start their life together. And truthfully, after some pretty powerful scenes in the play, I felt the ending lacked a little. At first the audience wasn’t even sure of it WAS the end of the play or just the scene.

I saw Randy very briefly after the play. He was dressed in a blue Henley shirt and denim cut-off shorts. When I congratulated him on the play, saying something like, “I really enjoyed it, it was great,” he smiled and replied, “It will be!” I will be heading back for another viewing on Sunday… so I can come back here and fix all the things I know I misremembered the first time!

Zebbers

Thank you Mark - Trish's account makes me feel like I was there with her!!

keepinitreal

Oh I love how detailed Kim's account was of the play and Randy's performance. The exchange shared at the end between she & Randy was so beautiful too......so Randy. I LOVE Randy and suspect I love Kim at this point too. Thank you for posting!

Zebbers

Kim says that it was Trish who had the exchange with Randy, not herself. Mind you, I'd have been a happy bunny just to have been there.

A big thank you to both of them for such detailed info though and it will be interesting to see whether either of them see any changes in the performance when they attend again tomorrow night.

Lucky people!

Fanquinine

This! Even if some of us won't be there, it's great that we get to have a sneak peak through their eyes!

I'd still like to watch it myself, though

Zebbers

It says a lot about Randy's voice that they can both distinguish it when he's singing in the group.

Also the description of the theatre sounds really intimate and love that sort of setting ~ I always feel more involved in the play rather in some of the larger, more formal theatres.

♥ Gale's Fragile Beauty ♥

I've read Kim's but haven't had the chance to read Trish's yet. Too many words to read at one time! Yikes!

I felt bad for Kim and her cheese crate, though!

SojournHeart11

Thank you for posting Kim's review, Mark. Really appreciate it.

Wish I could go. I've always been fascinated with the World War II era, and what went into carrying out those actions of dropping/detonating those deadly bombs. Atomic is definitely something I would go see if I had the chance, just from that mere narrative of the play alone. But I'd most certainly check it out for Randy, because...well, he's a true talent and it's worth seeing.

I'm still so amazed at how close Kim and the rest of audience were to the actual stage. I should be so jealous right now, but so glad they all had the opportunity to be right up on the performances, taking everything in.

Oh! So that's what the trapeze sessions were for... those metal cubes. Gotacha'. I bet Randy did a great job maneuvering himself up there. Thought those were one of the most interesting fixtures for sure. I personally would have freak from the height. How high up were they anyway?


I totally need more pics.

♥ Gale's Fragile Beauty ♥

Were they allowed to take pics at the theatre? I don't think I've ever been to a professional theatre that even allows pictures of their set.

SojournHeart11

They probably don't permit them. Just doesn't like they would...even though I said I wanted some.

varo_kamry

Not really. He's been working out at trapeze schools for a couple years now -long before he was offered the roles in Atomic. It's just that the training came in handy here.

They never do. Especially in a theatre with such an intimate setting. You are allowed to take photos before and after the show and during intermission, which Kim did.

SojournHeart11

Oh, okay. I really need to do my research.

keepinitreal

Kim or Trish..the recap was an incredible account of the event.