DISQUS

It's very clear this reviewer likes The Maltese Falcon movie. It's not so clear if he/she liked the play! Very confusing review! It starts out sounding as though the reviewer liked the play/adaptation, but the subsequent pararaphs don't seem to support that view. I've seen the LBSC production and was knocked out. So much more exciting to see it up close and live, and it is much truer to the novel. I disagree about the skirmishes. They're more exciting live than on film because one is so close to the action! It's like being in a noir movie! The phone booths and lamposts are practically in the audience! Can't believe time was spent noticing cuffless pants! But then again, I am a devout Hammett fan and appreciate the attention to period detail, since the novel and the play are set in 1928, and the movie updates everything to 1941, which softens some of the points Hammett was trying to make. I am a fan of the movie, too, but it's like comparing apples and oranges. They are each suited to their medium. It would have been better to do as the theatre company did: ignore the film and start fresh with no preconceived ideas; just let the story do its stuff! It is an exciting experience on stage. Dan Flapper does a great job conveying Spade's sacrifices to his code. Of course, the book and play reveal more about his character than the film does, so we know more about how he feels and what he's going through. How exciting for Flapper to get to recreate a legend from scratch! And Nina Silver is so alluring! She really raises the stakes for Spade! Both McLean and Melissa Miller play their parts with strength and conviction-- the stage adaptation allowing more of their characters to be revealed, too--so there is more irony and pathos in the conclusion. Hunter Greene IS a scary figure (not sure what the reviewer meant by "undefined"), but is disarmed convincingly inches away from the front row! And no mention was made in your review of the humor! There are LOTS of laughs in this production, as Hammett intended, I'm sure. It is VERY entertaining. I am impressed with what this company did with their intimate space and with fabulous acting.