Cheers!
Daniel Ust
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 09:59:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: kjk6@cornell.edu (Kirez Jinx Korgan)
To: philosophy of objectivism <OBJECTIVISM-L@cornell.edu>
Subject: more info on "Think Twice" in NYC
>From Lana Conolley...
Attention New York area Objectivists:
I am posting Don Hauptman's newsflash and review of Ayn Rand's play that
is running in Manhattan through May 29th.
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OBJECTIVIST THEATER ALERT!
NEW YORK, 21 May 1998 -- Today, a friend phoned to inform me that
Ayn Rand's play "Think Twice" is being staged by an off-off-Broadway
company on Theater Row. I didn't think twice, but rushed exactly 20
blocks south to see the show before its brief run ends.
"Think Twice" is no "Atlas Shrugged," but it does have its
moments. An intellectual murder mystery in the tradition of Rand's "Night
of January 16th," it has an ingenious concept and some surprising twists.
The problem is that it takes a long time to get there. In the
meanwhile, there's a lot of melodrama and emotional outbursts in a style
that now seems dated. In addition, expect the creaky machinery that's
inevitable in a whodunit, where a lot of dialogue and exposition is
required to give everyone a motive for the crime. Some scenes appear a
bit silly. All of which may explain why the play is so rarely done.
("First time on the New York stage," boasts the show's flier.)
Although "Think Twice" would be easy to burlesque, the director
and the company play it straight--fortunately. (Some minor male
characters were recast as female, which didn't appear to affect the
integrity of the production.) The performers are all pros and are
generally quite good. Occasionally, you even get a sense of the
characteristic Randian hero. Everyone involved deserves credit for
carrying off a complex production on a stage the size of a postage stamp.
The show is at the Pulse Ensemble Theater, 432 West 42 St.,
between 9th and 10th Avenues. The gala opening was May 13th (who knew?),
but a week of performances still remain: Friday, May 22, and next Tuesday
through Friday, May 26-29, all at 8 PM.
Tickets are $12. Call Ticket Central 1-8 PM daily at
212-279-4200, or just show up at the box office as I did. Although the
company's director told me she expected a large turnout of Rand admirers,
the marketing and P.R. evidently aren't great and she's still waiting;
the audience tonight was minuscule. I promised her I'd spread the word.
Despite my reservations, "Think Twice" delivers a satisfying
ending that's likely to be a genuine surprise if you haven't read the
text in "The Early Ayn Rand." So I recommend that you catch the show if
you can exercise some patience until the payoff. You may not have another
chance to see this rarity. And after all, even second-rate Rand is
preferable to a lot of first-rate everyone else.
-- Don Hauptman
***************
>From Kirez: I'll be seeing the Thursday night showing, as will Lana and
several friends; Ted Keer, Olga Kats, and very probably others. Let me
know if you can join us.