Though I have not been auditioning as much I have been busy attending plays and musicals. Ever the critic I have been dying to share my opinions about them.
In January I had a friend visiting. We went to see Picnic. This William Inge play was about a small town in Kansas and how the visit of a strange man changes things for the residents. The cast included stars such as Ellen Burstyn. Maggie Grace and other stage and movie stars appeared in the play. Needless to say I was excited to see the show. You know how you get totally engrossed in a play and the lives of the characters that you almost forget it is fiction? Well, this never happened in this case. Something was off in the play. I'm not sure what it was but I never got lost in the play. I sat there thinking, "this is a weird play" or "why did they say that line like that?" It just didn't gel. There were two supporting roles that were very well done but for the most part I was completely disappointed. Did they not have enough time to practice? Was the director honestly happy with that performance? There is one good thing that came out of the show. My confidence gets a boost when I see a show like this. I know it's sad but true. There is hope. I can be on stage. If that is all you have to do, I'm in! I know theater should be better than that but seeing a show like this does give me hope.
The first week in February was amazing! I saw three shows in one week. What a great city I live in! The first was the NYC Ballet. A friend had extra tickets so I got to attend for free! We had tickets on the second or third row, how cool! They performed a waltz number, a jazz one and a classical piece. They were amazing. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone. They were so beautiful!
Then on Wednesday afternoon I went with a friend to see the play The Heiress starring Jessica Chastain, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens and others. The play written by Ruth & Augustus Goetz focuses on an heiress, her awful father, and a young man. The young man pursues the young heiress but the father thinks he is just after her money. Despite being extremely exhausted that day I loved the play. It was fabulous. I became engrossed in the characters' lives and desperately wanted to know what would happen to them. There is a heart wrenching part in the play when the heiress realizes no one loves her. This was awful to watch. I wanted to run up and give her a hug. It was very well done. I love seeing the actors live. There is nothing like it. I am so glad I got to see it before it closed!
Saturday afternoon Brenda and I went to see the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This muscial by Rupert Holmes is based off of an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. In the musical there are theater actors that put on this mystery for you, the audience. I must admit it was quite confusing to have the actors playing actors and parts in the play. It was hard for me to keep it all straight. The music was good but the songs were all so very fast and it was difficult to understand all of the words which led to more confusion. The unique part of this musical is that the actors let you decide who killed Edwin Drood and they perform whichever ending the audience voted for. They offer discounts for those who want to see it again to see a different ending. This made the show more fun although it would have been even more fun had I understood what was happening but then I am not the sharpest tool in the tool box. The singing and dancing was really good. Chita Rivera also performed in the show. Yep, the Chita Rivera who played Anita in West Side Story. It sure was fun to see her perform live.
Just last Friday night a friend took me to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The sets were fabulous! I was completely amazed at how they changed and transformed. They did such a good job of showing the different perspectives you would see if you were following Spider-Man through the city. And I loved how they used the huge TV screen in the back too. I must admit I was less impressed with the music and storytelling. I thought they tried to stick to the movie too much. I think they could have told the same story but used more creativity and freedom that the stage offers. For example during one song Peter Parker is singing and there are ten Spider-Mans dancing behind him. It strayed from the literal (you are not supposed to know there are 10 others that swing from the wings!) but it was about the concept, that he had this identity, this power inside of him that he had to use. I loved that part! Also the play was over 2 1/2 hours long. It included several songs that I didn't think were vital to the story which left me asking why they were even put in there! I am glad I got to see it. The singing and acting was good. The show was good overall just not the hit I was expecting.
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