To Be Or Not To Be

To Be Or Not To Be is the first play I have seen this year as a supporter of Manhattan Theater Club.  The decision to see To Be Or Not To Be should have been to not to be. 

Sometimes movies just don't translate into theater and visa-versa.  I found the entire show ( at least the half I stayed for ) like amateur theater.  Yes, it is a farce but the actors appeared as if they have been tossed up on the stage a few days ago to pull off a show for opening night.  I expect so much more from MTC.  I don't expect flat productions with college like sets. 

The NYTimes reviewed the play earlier in the week.  Not a rave review but you never know.  I don't always feel the same way but in this case, the reviewer was right on the money.  The audience was partially filled and my guess it the majority of those in the seats were people who support MTC and get a bunch of tickets annually. 

I have never seen a performance at MTC attended by so few.  It says something about what theater companies can not look forward to.  Putting on a variety of plays each year is hard.  Having them all be fantastic is impossible.  It is a process and a medium that does not always work out.  Yet, as we are moving into difficult financial times, it will become a bigger challenge for companies to put out productions that play to a larger audience than their patrons.  The past few years have been a boom and it appears to have come to an abrupt halt.

MTC missed the mark on this one but am looking forward to the next plays coming up the pike.