lambent smile

[entelein]

The musical I saw tonight was Carousel. It's a pretty outdated play, and hard to bring across now without either pandering to the utter hokeyness of the play with all sincerity, or playing up the irony and enjoying the chauvinistic bent and petty nods to feminism. Considering the amount of bluehairs that attend Lincolnshire plays, these productions unfortunately fall into the former category.

The man who played Billy seemed tired and off, so much so that he didn't sing flat, he sang sharp. It happens, but it was so jarring that I visibly cringed, and my mom nudged me and tried not to giggle.

The woman who played Louise was a breath of fresh air, which was sorely needed by the time she appeared, some time in the latter portion of the second act.

Well. It was nice to spend time with my mom, anyway.

+++

Because I hit the alarm three times this morning, I opted to take the bus and then the train, instead of two buses. This is definitely a departure from my normal routine, as it gives me further opportunity to walk through part of downtown - which is remarkably beautiful and sunshiney in the early morning.

The man I had written about before? The co worker with his infectious laugh and about-face shyness? He walked right past me as I neared my building. I was surprised, and as I caught up to him at the next intersection, I wondered if he might recognize me and say hi, or if he maybe would realize it was someone he worked with, but would keep to himself.

Either way, I didn't say hi to him, nor him to me, but we walked practically in tandem to the doors of the building, and then through the metal detectors, and then off in different directions as he entered the elevator bay, and I went off to find a little breakfast.

It's weird, now that I've noticed this person, that I've had these not-quite-interactions with him since then. Bizarre. Ah well, it's cool. Randomness like that feels comforting to me, as if all is going as well as it can, and that things are click click clicking along.

+++

Seeing the play tonight, I am feeling more glad than ever about the fact that I've stopped auditioning for community theatres out in the suburbs. I mean, I was selective when I did it, but that patina of ... mediocrity? caution? carefulness? safety net? Ugh. I mean, at least the actors I saw tonight are getting paid alright for what they do, but do they feel as if they are losing something in how they do their art? I'm not a hopeless snob, I swear I am not. If you had seen this production, you'd know what I meant.

I need to do theatre that's more dynamic, definitely.

Comments

[repoman.livejournal.com]

See, that's the problem I have with most American musicals.....they suck. I'm straight and can admit I love a good musical (prefer the movies over the stage, but that's me) but it's a rarity one finds one...especially a new one.

I remember when I saw Rent, as much as I liked the actual music, I wanted to get a shirt that read "Not Represented on Stage." They seemed to pull out every stereotype from our generation and put them through the tests they've been through everywhere else...

[entelein.livejournal.com]

I tend to dislike most musicals I've encountered, as the genre simply doesn't have the storytelling and challenging thinking I've come to prefer when I choose to spend my 2 or 3 hours planted in a seat watching real live people perform for me. It's not that they're American, for me, it's just that the form itself has fallen prey to cliche time and again, and it's mostly an exercise in frustration performing in them as well as watching them.

However, you say you're not represented on stage in Rent? What about the narrator character, with his straightness and penchant for film? There's a reason why he's written the way he is, and that's to help a lot of people make the transition into this world of hip bohemian stereotypes without too much alienation.

[wildsoda.livejournal.com]

When I was working there, there was guy I thought was pretty cute. I took a chance and invited him to lunch sometime, and he said sure, but a couple of days later, invited me out with him and another [male] co-worker, which was a pretty clear signal right there. Furthermore, at lunch, I learned that not only did he have a girlfriend, but that he was a big asshole, so at that point I didn't care anymore.

Probably better not to shit where you eat, anyway.

[entelein.livejournal.com]

I don't think I am interested in him in that way. I mean, my sincerest apologies to the guy if he should ever chance upon this and read it, but he's just sort of interesting to watch - kinda like a recreational observation thing for me. I have absolutely no idea if I'd even want to be friends with him, much less anything else, because I know close to zip about him.

As for dating co workers, I think I pretty much agree with you on that - it's not a strict policy for me, but it's just generally a good idea to keep the workplace at work.

[bientot.livejournal.com]

I prefer not to think of Rogers and Hammerstein as defining the 'American Musical', especially Carousel. (The only time I've ever liked 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is the rendition by Eddie, the shipboard computer, in HHGTTG.) South Pacific and Oklahoma also seem to embody a self-consciously robust, hearty 50s morality which is too museum-quality, Norman Rockwell, and not MY cup of tea. Cinderella has a tongue-in-cheek insouciance which redeems it, and it's the only one I really like.

Give me Bernstein, give me Sondheim, give me even Rogers and Hart, Lerner and Lowe, Frank Loesser!!! They all partake so much more of what I see as an American spirit, with wit and style and irony and a complexity I find lacking in R & H.

Speaking ex cathedra from my belly button...

[violacat.livejournal.com]

I recall reading that Oklahoma! was the first Broadway musical that featured the on-stage death of a character.

So R&H were actually rather progressive for their time, at least in that show.

[bientot.livejournal.com]

True, true. And South Pacific dealt with issues of racism, and I probably would have felt differently if this were then. But hey, Show Boat opened in 1927, Die Dreigroschenoper a year later. Of course the latter was German, not American musical theatre, but Weill did come to the US and opened Lady in the Dark in 1940 and Lost in the Stars in 1944. Oklahoma! opened in 1943. I know R&H get kudos for revolutionizing American musical theatre, but they were operating in a context as well, and it wasn't that much later that Frank Loesser and Leonard Bernstein were making dramatic strides in the medium.

I respect the accomplishments of R&H, but personally I don't much care for their work, and much prefer Loesser, Bernstein, Sondheim, and especially Weill.