The production was fabulous! I took this picture from my seat before the play began, and was preparing to take a panoramic shot, but was immediately shut down by an usher. Apparently, photography -- even before the play starts -- is verboten.
As I discussed with Nightrider and dongregg, I was surprised by how much better it was than I had expected. The music was excellent. Though very different from that in the original film, it still managed to convey the cold, the isolation, and the loneliness that we all appreciate in the film. The special effects were often startling, frightening, and unexpected.
I was most concerned about how 20-something-year-old performers would be able to portray the innocence of the love between prepubescent Eli and Oskar without either appearing childishly stupid, or the relationship seeming to be too sexually suggestive. They walked the tightrope perfectly, in my opinion. I was very pleasantly surprised. A bit of humor, both physical and verbal, sprinkled throughout helped a great deal. The bedroom scene was specially effective in that sense.
You'll probably notice all those strategically-placed, short 'branches' on the trees, if you look closely. Eli and a few others scamper up and down them with boundless, graceful energy at various appropriate times during the performance, despite the fact that Nightrider discovered the cast, visible through a window in an adjacent building, playing a very physical but unknown game with a ball. We stood there watching them for at least 10 minutes. I even took a couple of bad photos of them, which I may post later.
In short, the trip was well worth it. And the beautiful pins, made by Nightrider himself and given to each of us (which of course we proudly wore on our lapels) topped off the evening perfectly.
Thanks again, Nightrider.
