Notes taken while watching Seminar by Theressa Rebeck, a play about four writing students taking a private, expensive seminar with a renowned writer/editor played by Alan Rickman.
The four are in one of the worst sets ever on Broadway (by David Zinn) an undefined, poorly constructed (the door doesn’t stay closed) blanko (plus a great chandelier) of a living space in the home of the wealthy woman student, Lily Rabe (a solid believable actress) as they spout pretentious trivial horseshit about literature. They are snotty and snide, and I wouldn’t want these people as friends. Some of the dialogue is amusing, some of it spoken too rapidly to understand. Finally, the first really interesting moment: the beautiful lively Asian woman, Hettienne Park, shows her breasts as a casual demonstration of freedom. Blackout.
Enter the dynamic Alan Rickman, speaking incomprehensibly at machinegun speed, dropping his voice at the end of sentences. The whole production is directed by Sam Gold at such a rapid pace that many words are obscured. He seems to have chosen naturalism over communication. Audience members were running back to get the earphones. Rickman plays bored distain really well, but I didn’t care about the literary tribulations of the young scribes who seem to be seeking the Holy Grail of writing. The play confirms my dislike of writers writing about writing. Rebeck seems to worship writing as an exalted Art, Craft and celestial quest.
The set changes to a terrific depiction of the scholar’s lair: book-filled shelves, piles of manuscripts, etc. Unfortunately, it is so dimly lighted (by Ben Stanton) that it left me wanting to see more of the fine detail that Zinn put into it. Rickman comes through with a monologue about his career that really shows his depth and power beyond his cynical surface. Sub-plot is the sexual moofky-foofky between Hamish Linklater (nicely played as the very private writer) and Park, the yearning of Jerry O’Connell and the classic “Professor Shtupps all the Women” syndrome. Many in the audience seemed amused and entertained by Seminar. I wasn’t.
