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Monday, October 09, 2017
“A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City” at City Theatre
The Pittsburgh Tatler: What greets you as you take your seat for A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City is scene designer Tony Ferrieri’s recreation of a two-bed hospital room, precisely observed down to the last detail, from the institutional peach of the wall paint, to the white boards scrawled with names of the caregivers on duty.
Sometimes you have to fall in love with a love story. A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City, at City Theater seems like the type of romantic comedy that a wide audience could sympathize with, laugh at, and fall in love with. I’ve never been a huge comedy person but I think that I’d be interested in seeing this show because of the way the reviewer talks about this show walking a line between comedy and drama. The image of the set in the article is very simplistic - it’s hard to do a lot at City Theater in New York - but I think the set is just as important as the topic being addressed. I think when a play is addressing such a serious topic it’s important to use comedy in the dialogue, set, and staging to give to audience a breathe of relief - which it sounds like this director does very well.
I would be delighted to see A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City! This play seems to have struck the perfect balance of light comedy and more serious drama, just as I think a good romantic comedy film should do. I think that at a time when so much political and social theatre is being done, it is important to also note the theatrical productions that are there to distract you from your everyday life. This type of comedic relief can be important, especially to other artists, in creating a space for a sort of rejuvenation and relaxation from our stressful and/or over worked lives. I think that adding physical comedy to this show is an interesting choice, and not one that you see very often in romantic comedies. I would love to see this show before it closes in New York!
I saw this play a couple nights ago with Emma Reichard, and I have to say I agree with most of what this review says. I thought the play was very clever and heartfelt, but I didn't feel engaged until after the bathroom sex scene, which is by far the best and most authentic part of the entire show. I thought the actor that played Don was outstanding, and really embodied his character perfectly. One thing that this review fails to cover, however, is what I feel was absolutely the best performance in the play, and arguably one of the best performances I've ever seen. Megan Jones gave a truly life-changing performance as Nurse #2. Though she was only in a few minutes of the show, the way she moved about the stage with such grace as she mopped the floor and moved chairs around was absolutely astonishing. She showed her incredible flexibility as a performer when she helped (spoiler alert) move a dead body from one bed to another, and when she rearranged a blanket a couple times. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to view theatre in the same way after seeing this show. Every performance following this one will just seem inadequate. I can only hope that Megan Jones gets discovered soon, so I can see her take on another role, maybe even with some dialogue.
3 comments:
Sometimes you have to fall in love with a love story. A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City, at City Theater seems like the type of romantic comedy that a wide audience could sympathize with, laugh at, and fall in love with. I’ve never been a huge comedy person but I think that I’d be interested in seeing this show because of the way the reviewer talks about this show walking a line between comedy and drama. The image of the set in the article is very simplistic - it’s hard to do a lot at City Theater in New York - but I think the set is just as important as the topic being addressed. I think when a play is addressing such a serious topic it’s important to use comedy in the dialogue, set, and staging to give to audience a breathe of relief - which it sounds like this director does very well.
I would be delighted to see A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City! This play seems to have struck the perfect balance of light comedy and more serious drama, just as I think a good romantic comedy film should do. I think that at a time when so much political and social theatre is being done, it is important to also note the theatrical productions that are there to distract you from your everyday life. This type of comedic relief can be important, especially to other artists, in creating a space for a sort of rejuvenation and relaxation from our stressful and/or over worked lives. I think that adding physical comedy to this show is an interesting choice, and not one that you see very often in romantic comedies. I would love to see this show before it closes in New York!
I saw this play a couple nights ago with Emma Reichard, and I have to say I agree with most of what this review says. I thought the play was very clever and heartfelt, but I didn't feel engaged until after the bathroom sex scene, which is by far the best and most authentic part of the entire show. I thought the actor that played Don was outstanding, and really embodied his character perfectly. One thing that this review fails to cover, however, is what I feel was absolutely the best performance in the play, and arguably one of the best performances I've ever seen. Megan Jones gave a truly life-changing performance as Nurse #2. Though she was only in a few minutes of the show, the way she moved about the stage with such grace as she mopped the floor and moved chairs around was absolutely astonishing. She showed her incredible flexibility as a performer when she helped (spoiler alert) move a dead body from one bed to another, and when she rearranged a blanket a couple times. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to view theatre in the same way after seeing this show. Every performance following this one will just seem inadequate. I can only hope that Megan Jones gets discovered soon, so I can see her take on another role, maybe even with some dialogue.
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