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Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Review: Pittsburgh Public’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is a Pageantry of Solid Acting, Period Costumes, and an Amazing Set Design
onStage Pittsburgh: Playwright David Mamet recently wrote that “theater on Broadway has largely been replaced by pageantry.” Audiences “come to Broadway exactly as they come to Disneyland. They do not come to risk their hard-earned cash on a problematic event.”
5 comments:
Jessica Williams
said...
The spring before coming to college I was given the opportunity to work as a lighting technician for a regional theater’s production of Murder on the Orient Express. I remember thinking that the quality of the show was entirely dependent on the actual production and direction rather than the writing. Not that the writing was bad per say but it was an extremely faithful adaptation of Agatha Christie’s writing. It makes me so happy to hear that such great production quality is so close to where I am right now. This is not the type of show to make you think deep and meaningfully for a long time but it is a good, solid show. It is very much a popcorn kind of show and I think that that is ok. I see the debate once again between the people who feel that all theatre should be deep and artsy and people who prefer the pageantry that is so often seen on Broadway. I feel as though a healthy balance between the two is the best possible solution.
I wish I was able to see productions from other schools in the pittsburgh area. I know that we have some famous schools in the are as well, and I know that there are also some great stuff happening as well. I wish I knew more about these types of productions outside of Carnegie Mellon, or that we had a program in which we can see other types of productions. I think highly of interactive and immersive theater. I found this part of the review humorous: “There is a paradox to the Public’s production: It uses a QR code on the two-page handout requiring you to use your phone to read the program. But the audience is advised to shut off its phones during the performance. Even figuring out who plays what character, an essential piece of information, is a struggle”. I found it funny because it has really nothing to do with the play itself but rather just an inconsistency in customer service, but I do agree the little things like that to add up to the final experience of the play. But this seems like a really interesting story and I would’ve loved to seen it and hopefully next year I’m able to see more Cedar in Pittsburgh outside of the ones at our university.
I need to see “Murder on The Orient Express” I've been meaning to see a production at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and after hearing that most of the show was costumed by CMU students and Hugh I need to go. Originally, I was going to help in renting out garments for the production from my old boss Helen Uffner, but instead, mostly CMU costume stock was used, which is incredible! I am so happy the show is getting good reviews because lots of effort was put into the production. “Murder on The Orient Express” is such a classic show and it's also always an incredible show to costume as well because each character is so unique so you can truly delve into the character. I genuinely even liked the movie “Murder on The Orient Express” even though it didn’t get incredible reviews purely for the way it was costume designed. Clearly, there was lots of thought behind each character. Murder Mysteries have almost become synonymies with the 19th century specifically thanks to writers like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
Knowing that a large portion of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama professors collaborated on the project I am happy to read such a positive review. I mean, the list is impressive: Hugh Hanson (Associate Teaching Professor of Costume Production), Don Wadsworth (Professor of Voice & Speech), and Bryce Cutler (Special Visiting Professor in Scenic Design). When applying for schools last year I found myself making a spreadsheet of priorities and checking to make sure the programs I applied to met most (if not all) of my demands. The most important ohhh the list was the working faculty. In other words, I wanted to make sure the program was taught not by someone in the industry 20+ years ago, but by someone in it as of right now. After all, the entertainment industry is ever-changing- consider the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance. An unforeseen disaster to which theater-makers (including faculty at Carnegie Mellon) had to adjust. Thus, receiving instructions/guidance from these people results more beneficial than someone whose career is, quite frankly, over.
I’ve always liked the “Murder on the Orient Express”, both as a book and as a movie. I’ve yet to see the stage version of the story but it’s definitely on my to-watch list. Knowing that there are many productions of the show, I am excited about the Pittsburgh Public’s adaptation. Especially when multiple faculties from our school have worked collaboratively on this, it seems more exciting than ever. The article talks highly about the show’s set design and I’m intrigued to see it with my own eyes. Additionally, the article mentions the use of an electronic program, which is controversial because audiences in general shouldn’t really by using their phones during the show. However, I don’t think it will be too much of a problem for me because I know the plot quite well. All in all, I am excited to see shows outside of our school and I feel that it’s good to step outside every now and then to see what other people are putting on the stage.
5 comments:
The spring before coming to college I was given the opportunity to work as a lighting technician for a regional theater’s production of Murder on the Orient Express. I remember thinking that the quality of the show was entirely dependent on the actual production and direction rather than the writing. Not that the writing was bad per say but it was an extremely faithful adaptation of Agatha Christie’s writing. It makes me so happy to hear that such great production quality is so close to where I am right now. This is not the type of show to make you think deep and meaningfully for a long time but it is a good, solid show. It is very much a popcorn kind of show and I think that that is ok. I see the debate once again between the people who feel that all theatre should be deep and artsy and people who prefer the pageantry that is so often seen on Broadway. I feel as though a healthy balance between the two is the best possible solution.
I wish I was able to see productions from other schools in the pittsburgh area. I know that we have some famous schools in the are as well, and I know that there are also some great stuff happening as well. I wish I knew more about these types of productions outside of Carnegie Mellon, or that we had a program in which we can see other types of productions. I think highly of interactive and immersive theater. I found this part of the review humorous: “There is a paradox to the Public’s production: It uses a QR code on the two-page handout requiring you to use your phone to read the program. But the audience is advised to shut off its phones during the performance. Even figuring out who plays what character, an essential piece of information, is a struggle”. I found it funny because it has really nothing to do with the play itself but rather just an inconsistency in customer service, but I do agree the little things like that to add up to the final experience of the play. But this seems like a really interesting story and I would’ve loved to seen it and hopefully next year I’m able to see more Cedar in Pittsburgh outside of the ones at our university.
I need to see “Murder on The Orient Express” I've been meaning to see a production at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and after hearing that most of the show was costumed by CMU students and Hugh I need to go. Originally, I was going to help in renting out garments for the production from my old boss Helen Uffner, but instead, mostly CMU costume stock was used, which is incredible! I am so happy the show is getting good reviews because lots of effort was put into the production. “Murder on The Orient Express” is such a classic show and it's also always an incredible show to costume as well because each character is so unique so you can truly delve into the character. I genuinely even liked the movie “Murder on The Orient Express” even though it didn’t get incredible reviews purely for the way it was costume designed. Clearly, there was lots of thought behind each character. Murder Mysteries have almost become synonymies with the 19th century specifically thanks to writers like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
Knowing that a large portion of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama professors collaborated on the project I am happy to read such a positive review. I mean, the list is impressive: Hugh Hanson (Associate Teaching Professor of Costume Production), Don Wadsworth (Professor of Voice & Speech), and Bryce Cutler (Special Visiting Professor in Scenic Design). When applying for schools last year I found myself making a spreadsheet of priorities and checking to make sure the programs I applied to met most (if not all) of my demands. The most important ohhh the list was the working faculty. In other words, I wanted to make sure the program was taught not by someone in the industry 20+ years ago, but by someone in it as of right now. After all, the entertainment industry is ever-changing- consider the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance. An unforeseen disaster to which theater-makers (including faculty at Carnegie Mellon) had to adjust. Thus, receiving instructions/guidance from these people results more beneficial than someone whose career is, quite frankly, over.
I’ve always liked the “Murder on the Orient Express”, both as a book and as a movie. I’ve yet to see the stage version of the story but it’s definitely on my to-watch list. Knowing that there are many productions of the show, I am excited about the Pittsburgh Public’s adaptation. Especially when multiple faculties from our school have worked collaboratively on this, it seems more exciting than ever. The article talks highly about the show’s set design and I’m intrigued to see it with my own eyes. Additionally, the article mentions the use of an electronic program, which is controversial because audiences in general shouldn’t really by using their phones during the show. However, I don’t think it will be too much of a problem for me because I know the plot quite well. All in all, I am excited to see shows outside of our school and I feel that it’s good to step outside every now and then to see what other people are putting on the stage.
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