| San Francisco Fringe 2001 Audience Reviews |
| Play: Heart of Darkness Reviewer: Vince Vitale Reviewer Email: WorldGazer@aol.com Rating: 4 Stars The original "Apocalypse Now," adapted for the stage by John Rackham, surprised me with its capture of the portrayal of the characters and how their minds are twisted by circumstance. Henry Dunn, John Rackham and Ben Shockley are more than competent in portraying a variety or roles. Definitely worth the time. Play: Heart of Darkness Reviewer: Reviewer Email: Rating: 4 Stars I stumbled onto this performance by accident. Having read the book in high school, I remember how Conrad's prose brought to life the smells and sounds of the African jungle to life. The three actors did a great job slipping in between characters...even though the accent of the Doctor/Kurtz was hard to interpret...the very last famous line was delivered so quietly, I almost missed it. I think it's a good introduction for anyone who hasn't read the book...once you see it--go read it! Play: Heart of Darkness Reviewer: Audry deLucia Reviewer Email: becomeavolunteer@bacic.org Fine performances by this three man ensemble, dancing in and out of a whole company of various characters. Play: heart of darkness Reviewer: anne Reviewer Email: krause@math.sfsu.edu Rating: 5 Stars A brilliant adaption of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (upon which is based Coppola's film "Apocolypse Now") Three exceptional actors, with no props or scenery play multiple roles (except for the narrator,who is giving his account of meeting Mister Kurz,the "governor" of a territory in Africa around 1900.) It's "wordy", but the word's are Conrad's, so who cares? All you really need to know to follow the story is that it details the narrator's journey upriver into the "heart of darkness" to meet the complex character of Kurz - whose character has degraded from that of a cultured man who is bringing civilization to Africa, to a brutal, crazed, dying despot. A very rich experience. I'm personnally very grateful to performers to use well-crafted text rather than self-indulgent ramblings. Play: Heart of Darkness Reviewer: Martin Reviewer Email: onemstuart@hotmail.com Rating: 3 Stars I give the play and the performance 3 out of 5 stars; My girlfriend would probably give 4 out of 5, maybe even 5 out of 5. Why the difference? She has read the book; I, in my ignorance, had never even heard of it. If you haven't read it (have they made a movie?), you'll probably be wondering why so much narration and so little action; why such old language; why so many characters for a play of just 50 minutes; and why your girlfriend is into it. But if you have read the book, you'll probably rave about how they've condensed it into 50 minutes. I applaud the acting (and seemingly the characterization was good). Recommend it? Sure, especially if you've read the book. |