Buzz Buzz Buzz

posted by David Dower

33 Variations sure has people talking! We're collecting comments from all directions at this point.

A slew of 4-Star reviews have shown up on Goldstar, which if you haven't stumbled onto yet you may want to check out for good discounts on tickets all over town.

And on Talking Broadway there are a couple of different conversation threads about the show.

Have you already seen it? Join the conversation here! We'd love to know what you thought as well.

When you do come, stand at the back of the house during intermission and after the show and just eavesdrop for a moment. The conversations are so intense and animated, especially if you find yourself tuning into a discussion amongst music lovers. Because the show's underlying structure is so similar to music composition, people who love classical music are just on fire. At one of the talk backs over the weekend a woman asked Moisés what his music background was. "I studied piano for three years as a child," he said. "That's it?" "Well, how is it that you've composed this play as a fugue? Did you even know you were doing that? It's a perfect fugue in structure. Did you have any idea?" Moisés grinned slyly and said "I had some inkling, yes." From the twinkle in his eye you could tell he was thrilled she'd noticed.

While I have you, and since you've stuck it out this far into this post, here's a couple of hints about other discounts in case price is a barrier. We're determined here at Arena Stage to make our programming accessible to all budgets.

Under 30? You can reserve a $10 ticket up to one week in advance! You can even purchase it online. What a great date night—for about the price of a movie you can take that special someone to one of the hottest cultural events of the season. As a bonus, there's even a great "first date" scene in the middle of the show to help break the ice.

Comfortable with last minute decisions? Use our HOTTIX program. Come down to the theater 90-minutes before show time, and you can purchase a 'rush' ticket for half price. That assumes there are any seats left unsold, which there won't be for this one in a couple of weeks so DO IT NOW! In general, it's best to try to do the HOTTIX route in the first two weeks of a run to guarantee there are seats available once you've gotten here.

Need to plan slightly further in advance, no longer under 30, and in search of a discount? We put a limited number of seats online at Goldstar Events when we have the inventory to spare for this very purpose. You won't always find us there—we don't always have unsold seats. But it's worth checking early in the run especially.

For a complete list of our discount programs, check our website.

Comments

[Dianne in DC]

I was at the Sunday preview August 26th, 2 pm. I had read a little about the play, but deliberately did not read the interview with Moises in Sunday's Post. I really liked that he came out and talked to the audience before the play, and then the talk back afterwards. I like going to the previews, and I am sometimes tempted to come back later in the run and see what has changed. This was one of those plays for me. He made it so alive for the audience. I have always loved Beethoven, and now I feel like I have been in his bedroom with his thoughts.

[Ruth Mitchell]

If you are a lover of Beethoven as well as of the theater, don't miss 33 Variations at the Kreeger Theatre at Arena Stage. The play examines the origins of the Diabelli Variations, played almost in full at various points in the play by an excellent pianist, in parallel with the downward progress of a musicologist suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. Reminiscent of "Wit," of course, but with the fascination of looking at Beethoven's original notebooks projected on the back of the stage. The play was written and directed by the same author who wrote the brilliant Trials of Oscar Wilde, presented at the Studio Theatre a few years ago. You have to forgive a few sentimental moments in exchange for a constantly interesting production and a fascinating but controversial answer to the original question about Beethoven's motivation. Please go and enjoy. Ruth Mitchell

[David Dower]

Thank you both for writing us. I am so glad you took the time to share your enthusiasm for the play. Ruth, you noted that you had sent your message to your whole e-mail list. Fantastic! Four out of every 10 people who buy a ticket to one of our shows does so because a friend recommended it, so we couldn't do it without people like you spreading the word. And Dianne, when you go the next time, be sure and watch the pianist, Diane Walsh, from time to time. She's quietly extraordinary in her own right and she'll take you even deeper inside his music.