Mark Taper Forum (Los Angeles, CA)
Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, Broadway's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) and Julia Stiles (The Bourne Identity series) star in David Mamet's gripping drama of a power struggle between a university professor and one of his students. Stiles reprises her role, after performing to rave reviews on London's West End.
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The last date listed for Oleanna was Sunday July 5, 2009 / 6:30pm. (view all dates)
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...the actors were meticulous in their roles...the story brilliant, thought-provoking and disturbing however,I and my companion found that the dialog was a bit distracting; people simply don't converse with one another the way the dialog was written; it almost played out more like an 'essay' than actual conversation although there were certainly intense moments where the characters 'linked' emotionally and the stage 'combat' we found to be riveting. Another reviewer described this play as 'more interesting than enjoyable'; we concur. Having said that however,anything that provokes artistic dialog after the fact (over dinner or a glass of wine) is a good time and this production certainly provoked thought and dialog...
We don't regret having seen it...
Peace,
Lea Routledge
Garrett Morris
Powerfully, efficiently presented. I just wanted to see Pullman on the stage and he gave an impressive performance as the self-doubting, skeptical professor. Julia Stiles was more than convincingly hateful and controlling as the insecure student who turns viciously on her mentor Pullman. The power shift between the two characters was so deftly handled and the intensity builds so subtly that by the end of the play (a short 1.25 hours), you'll find your jaw clenched and your hands balled in response to the extreme injustice and judgment called down unbelievably on the professor's head. The play presents a compelling argument for reasonable, civil, clear communication, compassion and understanding in human relations--how quickly our society would unravel into insanity without such intelligent discourse. In an odd twist, the author seems to be poking a sharp stick both at the gaseous bubble of academic arrogance and the naive but brutal lip service paid by an ignorant, self-righteous student so caught up in the fiery rhetoric of the feminist movement that she has quite simply completely missed the point of the movement's core philosphy. I've never been a big Mamet fan, but this piece has quite a punch.
The show was wonderful and the Taper is one of the best LA theatre venues I've visited. The Goldstar seats were perfect and better than some of the celebrities who were also at the show : )
Solid acting, tightly directed, terrific set...all 'n all very well done.
I went to the show without any prior knowledge and I'm glad I did. The show is about misunderstanding and miscommunication, but I wasn't sure where it's going in the beginning. Julia Stiles' acting seemed a little wooden and her voice projection was weak compared to Bill Pullman. But in the second scene, the play reminded me of "In A Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, or "See What I Wanna See." It's basically "she said he said" world but the audience already saw what happened. So It was interesting to go backward in your mind how Carol's accusation leads to John's action.
The production value of the set is very high, but I was thinking "wow, the college must be a private college. No professor at a state university would have such a huge office!"
One more thing: according to wiki, Oleanna is a person in an Irish folksong. I don't know the song and I wish there's some production note about the origin of the title.
BTW I got row K center ticket, and usually my Goldstar seat at Mark Taper is very back row. So I really enjoyed the cost performance of the play too.
It is interesting to get some context to when and why this play was written: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleanna_(play)
The performances were strong and the explosive nature of accusations, power struggles, and what does or does not happen behind closed doors are in sharp relief.
More interesting, than enjoyable.
Oleanna was an amazing play. The dialogue seemed a bit stilted at first, but then you remember that it's a David Mamet play and you settle into the rhythm and begin to really understand and appreciate the brilliance of the writing and the actors work as it unfolds. It was very thought provoking and my husband, my 17 year old and myself enjoyed it thoroughly and discussed it over dinner at length. We highly recommend seeing this play!
I saw the first preview, and already it's in great shape. Bill Pullman is terrific in the role. I could feel his frustration and fury throughout. Julia Stiles is amazing. Frightening, really. I highly recommend this play to anyone who loves Mamet and who likes to think about social issues.
The play has a very dated quality about it. I imagine it was worth much more consideration when it was first produced a number of years ago. Acting was ok.
Great acting especially by Julia Stiles. Very Mamet like in their delivery of their lines. If the people that reviewed this felt the dialogue was abrupt and annoying, these people aren't familiar with Mamet and his writing style. This was thought-provoking and interesting to discuss afterwards.
acting was good, and dialogue classic mamet. The believability of the story was an issue since it did not seem plausible that the woman would continue to visit the professor given her perception of the events. Nonetheless did enjoy seeing the production.
The play was an effective physcological study about the perils of misunderstanding communications, and the lenghs it will goad people to.
As interesting for what it leaves unanswered (thus provoking analysis of what went on well beyond curtain close).
I loved it. I love Mamet and his dialog style. I knew Julia Stiles would get the play and she does. She played Carol with conviction - this was not a woman to be dismissed as a psycho. Carol lies but she thinks she's telling the truth (and on some level, she is).
Bill Pullman was good, but I missed the arrogance that the part needs. I felt that he was trying to soften him up, but it's hard to be sensitive and above-the-world at the same time. He handled the last scene extremely well. He was genuinely chilling.
The play was amazing, both the story and the acting...highly recommended..seats were excellent!
The actors were great.
The first act was slow.
The Topic was not my cup of tea and the ending was very depressing.
Wonderful,compelling story and fabulous acting. I would highly recommend Oleanna, especially to educators.
great script. david mamet stirred and provoked the thoughts and emotions of the audience through his play.
great acting. intimate plays like this are usually acting-driven. pullman was just superb. stiles threw the punches on the 2nd and 3rd act. incredible.
Extremely well written play with great performers. Don't expect to laugh, as it is not that kind of Mamet play. But, definitely worth seeing for thought provoking entertainment value.
good acting, v boring and uninteresting play
EXCELLENT!!! Not to be missed!!!
A thought provoking production, we definitely talked about and analyzed the story afterward. Pullman and Stiles were excellent. I'm a professor so some things are exaggerated but overall this was very well done. The tickets and seating were perfect!
Great play and great performances!
Loved the play! Great seats in the middle, started on time.
Really great show. The writing is incredible. Julia Stiles was pitch perfect. I would absolutely recommend it. Go......
I thought it was boring. I couldn't stay awake. My partner didn't like it either.
The phone conversations of Bill Pullman with his wife on the phone were really anoying.
I am a theatre goer and that was one of my least favorite plays I have seen so far. The acting didn't seem organic it looked more like an essay.
The acting was really good but I didn't enjoy the story very much and all the commentary that was made was pointless and took up time.
The acting was good, the script - writing style was disjointed. And I'm familiar with Mamet writing, but I still found it a bit annoying. The subject matter - once you realized what it was - was bothersome. I'm sure somewhat realistic but still bothersome.
I do enjoy live theatre and really enjoyed the Taper theatre, very nice.
I can not recommend this play.
The whole audience gasped in the last act. It was that good.
I thought the acting was absolutely superb and engaging, but the end was not how I was expecting it to be. It was too abrupt.
a very intellectual conversation and turning of the tides, and always a contemporary subject of sexual harrasement.
Excellent acting and writing
Stiles and Pullman were terrific. I loved the fast-paced dialogue and their delivery.
Julia Stiles' performance was textured and somewhat interesting, though the script and plot seemed a bit contrived. Bill Pullman pulled off the professor, though his motivations were very unclear, and it was hard to tell whether that was a directorial, acting, or writing problem. For a short play (an hour and ten minutes), it was language intense, and I had trouble staying awake.
I didn't know what to expect from this play, it was a shot in the dark for me. Bill Pullman was totally in character as a bumbling but helpful college professor, from the beginning. Julia Stiles (and I like her film work) was underwhelming as his student. I kept asking myself, why is she talking in such a stilted manner? No one talks that way. It was like she was reading the lines in front of her.
I liked the theatre - seats very comfortable (my first time there) and good sightlines even from the far side where we were. One set (in his office) with blinds that kept rising and falling automatically to mark the passage of time. Didn't add up for me. Left lots of questions as to motives of the two characters.
I loved it. The first five minutes, I felt they were not really listening to each other. Then from there it got goooooooooood!!!!!!
Theater was great - very intimate. I would agree with the other reviewer that the subject was very interesting to watch & follow, but not necessarily entertaining.
David Mamet is an acquired taste. Bill Pullman was good; Julia Stiles did not seem strong enough.
A very good show, if you don't mind Mametspeak (and I don't) though the play seems a bit dated now. Excellent acting. The set got a laugh at the 2nd preview performance.
I really enjoyed the play. The acting was excellent. I was quiet surprised with the ending. I would recommend this play.
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The Mark Taper Forum, since it opened in 1967, has been honored for its development of new plays and voices for the theatre and for its continuing commitment to serve the broadest possible audience. The theatre, which is under the artistic direction of Michael Ritchie and is located at the Performing Arts Center (formerly The Music Center) in downtown Los Angeles, has received virtually every t
Website: http://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/productiondetail.aspx?id=...
<p>The Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning writer of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow returns to Center Theatre Group with a new production of his gripping drama of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students.
Doug Hughes (Tony Award®, Doubt) directs, featuring film and stage stars Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, Broadway’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) and Julia Stiles (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum), who reprises her role, after performing to rave reviews on London’s West End.</p>