Theater plays vs. Cinema movies

SpacePaw · Sat 28/03/2009 19:09:43

I saw Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" live today

And this made me curious - do you prefer to go and see a movie or a live play/show/musical?
I prefer the second option

Somehow watching things performed by artists in real time feels much better and I find myself smiling all the time while watching it. It's also quite different expirience... How about you people?

InCreator · Sat 28/03/2009 19:23:17

Movie.
Live play has no special effects, cheaper set and limited milieu. It's so... medieval.

Also, it's really not that comparable. Movies are somewhat easy on delivering part - they try to give you everything, done over and over, polished to perfection. Actors are dedicated to their story/character in the movie and delivering it.

Live shows go more towards art and emphasis is more on acting itself than the acted character. People watch more how well actor acts than at character (s)he's playing. They don't critic the play, but how it was played. If live show actor makes a mistake, it will be forgiven quicker. If acting is good, people watch whatever. Like Lord of the Dance. If there was a movie with that name, cinemas would be (relatively) empty.

Movies are different here. If actor(s) don't act well, it's bad. But if story itsself sucks, no amount of good acting will save it.

Maybe I sound like "uncultured savage" but for me, time for live plays ended about hundred years ago. One actor holding a wooden gun, saying "bang" and other falling down is simply stupid. Atleast, without 3D rendered CGI muzzle flash and blood to alteast trying to make me believe a gun was shot. Etc.

I cannot even start to compare thrills that for example - Saving Private Ryan gave me when watching movie and how stupid and not thrilling it would feel on live stage. It's simply not comparable.

I had my share of theater-going when I was younger and I've never missed it.

SpacePaw · Sat 28/03/2009 19:41:56

To be honest I often went to theater when I was a kid. School organized things like that. I never liked it. But then I went with someone to different theater (Roma - best theater in poland

IMO) and I was SHOCKED that plays can be fun

I was astonished that you can make something like that without CG and stuff..

LimpingFish · Sat 28/03/2009 20:38:08

You saw Lord of the Dance?! And lived?!

I haven't been to the theatre in...oh, man...twenty years or so? Hell, going to the cinema is a rare enough thing for me! I'm a strictly a couch+DVD man.

rbaleksandar · Sat 28/03/2009 21:00:40

I give a couple of my fingers to see LoD live. :

About the cinema...I do like it, but theatre/opera/etc. is 10000...00000 better. It's just a totally different experience. And in the cinema usually there's always some bunch of tos*ers who munch a kilo of popcorn and sip Cola or some other sh*t. I mean, why the hell will someone go to watch in the cinema to have lunch/dinner

Cinema is for...FILMS! In teathre/opera/etc. you can never (well, surely it's possible but I've been there so many times and I've never seen anyone do somthing like that) have such annoying factros. You can totally enjoy the show. I still go to the theatre or opera when I'm back at home with my friends...There's nothing better than live opera perforemed by some genius opera singer. I've been to a couple of musicals too. Really nice but opera is much much greater live experience.

btw I do preffer the old stuff. I don't like the new generation of actors etc.

SpacePaw · Sat 28/03/2009 21:28:25

Yes I saw it and I loved it :3 I love irish music too!! heehee.

rbaleksandar - I miss old movies. Esspecially noir. Sincity had this kind of mood though... I loved it

rbaleksandar · Sat 28/03/2009 22:30:46

I'm not saying I hate films

Especially film classics. SinCity was cool but too vulgar for my taste. And yep - irish music's cool - from the old rythms to something more like The Cranberries.

blueskirt · Sun 29/03/2009 03:12:28

As much I'd like to watch more theater plays, just assisting to one play is a whole bucketload of troubles: tickets cost a lot, you got to travel to wherever the play is played...

There is one thing I never understood, what are they waiting for to start filming plays and air them on TV? If it works for one man shows, why couldn't it work for theater plays? They did a test once over here, during the last representation of a theater play, they filmed the play and aired it on TV a single time and while it attracted only 100 000 viewers, which is not a lot compared to other TV shows aired here, 100 000 viewers was actually more people than those who bought tickets and assisted to the play during the whole year the play was on tour. A single TV airing beat a whole year in term of ticket sales.

Thanks to DVD, you can now watch TV series that were aired 50 years ago, you can watch TV shows and movies on your cellphone while you're waiting for the subway/train/bus for work, yet, theater plays seems deeply determinated to remains in the 19th century, that's something I just cannot understand.

SpacePaw · Sun 29/03/2009 03:37:37

Quote from: blueskirt on Sun 29/03/2009 03:12:28
Thanks to DVD, you can now watch TV series that were aired 50 years ago, you can watch TV shows and movies on your cellphone while you're waiting for the subway/train/bus for work, yet, theater plays seems deeply determinated to remains in the 19th century, that's something I just cannot understand.

Oh man you're so right.. There are so many great plays but most of them abroad..I wish I could buy dvds of lion king or we will rock you T.T Although Cats made it to DVD edition!

Makeout Patrol · Sun 29/03/2009 05:15:56

I don't really see why it has to be one or the other. Theatre is really under-appreciated - I have seen a lot of really stuffy, boring and pretentious plays, but I have also seen a lot that were fantastic and completely entertaining. People who think everything can be done better on the screen obviously haven't seen live physical comedy.

rbaleksandar · Sun 29/03/2009 07:58:05

Quote from: Makeout Patrol on Sun 29/03/2009 05:15:56
I don't really see why it has to be one or the other. Theatre is really under-appreciated - I have seen a lot of really stuffy, boring and pretentious plays, but I have also seen a lot that were fantastic and completely entertaining. People who think everything can be done better on the screen obviously haven't seen live physical comedy.

Totally agree with you.

Stupot · Sun 29/03/2009 15:31:12

I love watching films at the cinema. It's a great way to spend a couple of hours and the only way you can fully appreciate a film as it was meant to be viewed.

Theatre is a whole different medium. It's also a lot more expensive. But the big difference with the theatre is that the actors have only one take and they get immediate audience feedback. I'm not big on musicals but I love normal plays. Some of the things these people can do with hardly any budget are really impressive.

Trent R · Mon 30/03/2009 08:01:38

Being a stage actor myself (small community stuff) I must say that it is a wonderful medium. But I really must agree with Makeout Patrol--why must you pick one or the other?

For example, the first show I was ever in was To Kill A Mockingbird, and it was a great production. But who can argue the performance of Gregory Peck? Or to take it a step further, the original book by Harper Lee?

~Trent
[Edit]: PS-Shakespeare is a god.

SpacePaw · Mon 30/03/2009 10:07:36

Quote from: Trent R on Mon 30/03/2009 08:01:38
Being a stage actor myself (small community stuff) I must say that it is a wonderful medium. But I really must agree with Makeout Patrol--why must you pick one or the other?

For example, the first show I was ever in was To Kill A Mockingbird, and it was a great production. But who can argue the performance of Gregory Peck? Or to take it a step further, the original book by Harper Lee?

~Trent
[Edit]: PS-Shakespeare is a god.

It's not like I don't like movies, I love them, I have many favorites too. I was only asking about which is more fun for you to watch. I find myself more excited in the theather on a great play than on a great movie in the cinema

I dunno why..

However Death Proof is still number 1 thing for me...