The New Road

Lestat

Lori and I saw Lestat last night. It was the third performance of the play. I found there to be a lot of unrealized potential. We had such a good talk about it on the way going home that I figured I would mail the guys who put the show on our suggestions. Here is what I sent:

I saw Lestat with my wife last night (12/20) and I have a few thoughts about it for you if you are still looking for input and tweaking.

By far the most important problem with the play is the lack of a central theme or conclusion. If the main theme about the play is living life to the fullest whether you have 100 days or 100 lifetimes then the ending needs work. Living life to it's fullest and not giving in are recurring throughout. But there is no conflict point where Lestat gives up and then learns again about living his life and is thus redeemed. Given the layout of the play it seems like the most logical point for this break would be the death of Claudia.

In addition, there are far too many characters and some need to be dropped. The play feels like it was written for the fans. If it could be honed down to four primary characters; Lestat, Gabrielle, Louis, and Claudia it would make the play far easier to follow. Lestat, Louis and Claudia are obvious choices. I mention Gabrielle only because she has some great numbers.

Some other comments:

• The play was way too long. Everyone around us was yawning and uncomfortable late in the first act and through most of the second act.
• The vampires never appear threatening. The turning of Lestat needs to be unexpected, brutal, vicious and scary. And Lestat needs to go to a far darker place before he realizes that he can use this 'dark gift' in his own way.
• Overall the musical segments need to be shorter and tighter. There were several stanzas where the characters would merely iterate there ideas, and that just lengthened the play.
• It would be far better to have the musical numbers move the story more and involve more than one character. The first number between Lestat and the violinist (I can't remember his name because he is completely insignificant) is a good example of this.
• The violinist should be cut or greatly simplified (e.g. a hunting buddy). The related scene between Lestat and his mother in the beginning should be a two way conversation with Lestat going to Paris.
• You can tighten up the second act by merging Claudia's second number about being a little girl with the burning of Lestat.
• The boat scene should be dumped completely. It's a nice set piece, but it's boring to watch. He went back to Paris. We get it.
• The character of Louis is far too weak. The book starts off with Louis as a very strong character who is much older and wiser in San Francisco. So we allow for him to be weak in the beginning so that we watch see him grow. In the play he just comes off as a weak-willed idiot that we don't care at all about. The point could be made more subtly that he doesn't care for Lestat's methods.
• Claudia's death scene could be shortened.

On the positive side, the score, costumes, set design, and acting were all superb.

What needs work is the story. You need a non-fan editor to come in, find the central theme of the work, then chop it down until it becomes a coherent story that appeals to a wider audience and not just the fan base. There will always be fans who grouse about some character who wasn't given their due. But who cares?

Basically the problem with the play is that at the end you find yourself saying; "I just spent 2:30 minutes of my life for what?" It's all sound and spectacle with no redeeming value. Which, I suppose, is not dissimilar from the books. The books are fascinating, but what I recall from them are scenes where Lestat and Louis use a whore as a wine glass, and not any theme or lessons learned. A good Italian opera will leave you with a real life lesson, for example, "Don't fuck with clowns", is the lesson of "Cavalliera Rusticana".

I'm just sayin'... Don't fuck with clowns.

Update: Looks like Lori had the same idea I did this morning.