Chapter 285 Chapter 285

Joseph's excitement was naturally blocked, and there were still three quarters of an hour before the "major problem" started, and the previous performance was still in progress, so the ticket inspector at the gate couldn't let Joseph in, he could only touch him. A grey nose. After sitting outside and waiting for a while, the previous performance was over, and the cleaning staff also signaled that the venue was cleaned up before Joseph and Hugo walked in impatiently.

The two walked up the stairs to the second floor and found their seats in the VIP box. At this time, the entire theater was empty. Except for the staff who were pulling up the stage curtain, there was no one else. There was a huge giant in the center of the theater. The chandelier pushes the cream-yellow light throughout the theater space, and the small light bulbs around it cast a lazy halo to dispel the darkness in the corners.

Hugo sat in his seat and looked at every corner of the theater carefully. It was hard to imagine that fifteen minutes ago it was still noisy and prosperous. . As the performance time approached, people began to walk in one after another. Since Hugo and the others bought VIP seats on the second floor, they could watch the noise below from a commanding height.

I don't know if it's because "Major Problems" is not a world-famous show, so there are not many tourists who come to watch the show, and more are local audiences in costumes. Although after entering the 21st century, Broadway has gradually declined in the face of various forms of entertainment offensives such as cinemas and the Internet, the 1990s is still the golden age of Broadway, and the upper class in New York enjoys a wonderful theatrical performance. Proud, very happy to join the Broadway Avenue, and even the opera and drama side by side known as the most grand invitation on a date. So, even without tourists, it is not surprising to see local audiences coming to watch the play.

However, the attendance at the scene is really disappointing. The theater is not large, and can accommodate about 300 people at most, but at this time, not even half of the seats are full, and there are only five remaining until the official start of the play. minutes. No wonder Hugo and Joseph were able to buy tickets just now.

"Why are there so few people?" Joseph frowned and asked in a low voice. He obviously couldn't understand the withering scene in front of him.

If Hugo was asked this question before the Golden Globes, he would probably have expressed his puzzlement with a puzzled look on his face, but now Hugo has understood one thing, there is no immortal popularity, even if it is an artist who is famous in history, it is also It's just a name in the history books, and it has no appeal to the younger generation. Katharine Hepburn is clearly like that.

In 1982, the seventy-five-year-old Catherine won the Oscar for the fourth time with her performance of "Golden Pond". After that, although Catherine still had film works, it has gradually faded out of the big screen. In 1985 After that, she only appeared in two TV movies. On the one hand, because of her age, she faced serious health problems, and on the other hand, because she put all her energy on the stage.

Stage play, where Katherine started, will now be where her acting career will end.

"Because no one knew that Catherine would appear in this performance." Hugo said a little regretfully and disappointedly. He just learned from chatting with the ticket inspector at the theater that Catherine was due to health problems for a month or two. Moon will appear on stage a few times for "The Big Problem," and for every Broadway show, at least three casts remain on track, so it's hard to know exactly when she'll show up.

"But, but she is Katherine Hepburn! Why didn't the reporters know about it!" Joseph still felt very indignant, and it could be seen that his love for Katherine was the kind of worship that really came from the heart. Although Joseph did not say it, Hugo speculated that perhaps Joseph became an agent because of Catherine's influence.

"Because this is the entertainment industry, the entertainment industry that loves the new and hates the old." Hugo sighed a long time. When an artist lacks enough exposure, it is easy to disappear from people's sight and even be forgotten by people. , even a generation of superstars like Catherine, not to mention those mediocre vases. "Actually, even knowing that Catherine will show up, there will not be too many people willing to come. This is a 'major problem', not a 'cat'."

When Joseph heard Hugo's last sentence, he fell into silence. He was like this just now. His first reaction was to watch "Cat" instead of "Major Problems", and presumably other audiences did the same. Moreover, Katherine has spent the most glorious fifty years of her acting career, and the sharp decline in attention has really caused her to lose her previous appeal.

In fact, the play "Major Problems" was first staged on Broadway in 1976, and it was suspended after a year. Fifteen years later, some of the smaller Broadway theaters will conduct experimental performances, and a month is only three shows. These news were all discovered by Hugo when he was chatting with the ticket inspector, so Hugo was mentally prepared for the bleak attendance in front of him.

But even so, when he actually saw it, Hugo still sighed. Not only was Joseph indignant, he was even more so, because Hugo seemed to see that this was his future, but at the same time he was curious, since he knew that there would be such treatment, why was Catherine unwilling to give up? Vaguely, Hugo felt that he knew the answer, but he couldn't sort out a thought.

The performance is about to start, the lights of the chandeliers have been extinguished, but the seats in the venue are still one-third empty. It seems that it is an impossible task to fill all the seats.

Hugo patted Joseph on the shoulder, "The performance is about to begin."

Joseph took a deep breath, brought back his mixed thoughts, and focused all his attention on the performance that was about to begin in front of him.

Soon, the heavy red curtain was opened, and Catherine, who was wearing a white gown and a black gold jacket and long jacket, walked onto the stage with a cane, which immediately caused the audience to burst into warm applause. The fact that the legend is still active on the stage at the age of eighty-five is a miracle in itself, and although Catherine's slow and slightly staggering footsteps show her poor physical condition, the audience applauds expressed support for her.

It's a very simple story about Mrs Barzel living in her one-room mansion in Oxford, but her peaceful life is disrupted by her grandson Nick and his four travelling friends, and the new kitchen The housekeeper discovers an unexplained mystery in the house. Confused by these miracles, Mrs. Bazel began to question her lifelong beliefs: Does God really exist?

Catherine is naturally Mrs. Bazel, but to Hugo's surprise, it is Christopher Reeve (Christopher. Reeve), the handsome man who is famous all over the world for playing "Superman". After the actor became famous, he still responded to Catherine's call and appeared on the small stage of Broadway, which was indeed a huge surprise.

Catherine has been known for her bizarre and insanely comedic qualities, extraordinary wit and wit throughout her acting career, and now on Broadway, she has carried forward this lighthearted comedy performance that makes the audience laugh The sound continued.

About a third of the way into the performance, a group of people suddenly sat down in the VIP seat on Hugo's left. In the darkness, Hugo couldn't see the other party's appearance. He only knew that it was a large group of people. Five or six people. There was a small noise when they were seated. One of them also took off the top hat on his head and bowed slightly to Hugo to express his apology. Hugo just nodded slightly to show that he didn't mind, and then turned his attention to it. Take it back.

Sitting in a Broadway theater to watch a performance is a very magical thing. The small theater is designed with echoes, so that the voices of the actors can surround themselves in all directions, although due to the distance from the stage, Hugo must be equipped with VIP seats. Only through the telescope can you clearly see the performance on the stage, but this form of performance is really shocking.

Especially watching Catherine performing live at such a close distance, this experience is even more special. Hugo can clearly feel that Catherine relies more on changes in body language to convey emotions - which is also caused by the special Broadway stage. , And when watching Catherine's expression changes at close range through the telescope, Hugo knew what it means to be natural, every frown, smile, and every move are so smooth, that kind of charm formed between gestures, constantly magnified in the line of sight, making the heart's heart feel like this. The beating is unknowingly and the change of the plot on the stage fluctuates up and down.

This is a completely different feeling from watching a movie. The lifelike realism makes everything endowed with a magical power, which makes Hugo open his heart and laugh and applaud. Although there are not many audiences at the scene, But obviously they were all professional audiences who really knew the drama. Everyone's reaction was highly consistent, as if there were more than 200 close friends watching it together. Their common preferences made the scene colorful and lively.

So much so that when the first half of the performance ended and entered the intermission, Hugo didn't react at all, and wondered, "Why did it suddenly close, isn't the performance not over yet?" He was obviously enjoying it, completely unconscious. to the passage of time.

Joseph also sighed fascinatedly at this time, "It's so wonderful! It's so wonderful!" So he didn't hear Hugo's question at all, but just reluctantly looked at the red curtain that was slowly closing on the stage .

It turned out that a voice from Hugo's left hand explained, "This is only the first half, the actors need to adjust a little, and then start the second half of the performance."