Reviews and a tiny bit more

I finally have a few minutes to put together some thoughts on two new plays I’ve seen this week.  One, Wild Animals You Should Know, doesn’t open for another two weeks, so I probably won’t review it per se, because lots of changes could be made.  The show I saw last night, All-American, opened last week.  My randomly-assigned theme for these two shows:  teenagers are too smart for their own good…

I bought a steeply discounted ticket to Wild Animals You Should Know at MCC because a friend is in it.  When I read the blurb about the play, I thought, well, I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea, but I want to support my friend.  So I went.  All I’ll say (since it has so many previews left before it opens) is that I think there’s a good play in there somewhere.  I was quite moved by a lot of the situations these characters found themselves in, and I think if the playwright can really hone in, it could be good.  As of right now, there are too many stories being told.  And if the point is you have to tell a lot of stories to tell one, it’s not apparent in the dramaturgy.  I also think I have a fundamental problem with the ending, but…I don’t know.  The acting is all quite good and I found myself nearly crying several times.  If you read the blurb and think the show sounds creepy and lurid, it’s not.  I may try to see it again after it opens, to see if any changes were made.  What I liked, I quite liked.  Maybe I should send them a note—from my seat on the extreme left, I couldn’t see all the projections.  Do we think anyone would care?

I got a comp to All-American last night, part of Lincoln Center’s LCT3 program.  The show was at the Duke Theater, which is right around the corner from the office, so it was pretty convenient.  It’s about a family who has moved to a new town, so the daughter can play quarterback on a good high school football team.  The father, a former football player, dreams of his daughter being a pro football quarterback.  The girl has a twin brother, who has no interest in football so his father has no interest in him, and a mom who is a new real estate agent.

I found the play perfectly pleasant, if not profound or groundbreaking.  It was a nice way to spend an evening.  The acting was all quite good, especially the boy.  I really felt his pain and his attempts to mask it under a bunch of teenage snark.  The dialogue was relatively sharp, with some pretty funny moments, but it didn’t dig very deep.  The characters mentioned problems, but you didn’t really get discussion or exploration, just presentation.  If that makes sense.  It’s directed well, with nice pacing and interesting stage pictures.  I always forget how much I like the space at the Duke.  So, I think this is worth a look.  I’m pretty sure tickets are regularly only $20, and I’ll be interested in watching the playwright, Julia Brownell, develop.  It wasn’t full, so they’ll probably be papering throughout the run.  The Times gave it a pretty good, if not great, review, sort of comparing it to Friday Night Lights.  I compared it in my head to an episode of Parenthood.  J

Non-play-related-issues report:  the gals sitting behind me at the theater last night had no concept of ‘indoor voice.’  They chatted pretty much throughout, oblivious to shushing, but when the characters started eating Chinese takeout, one of them exclaimed, “Lo mein!  I’m starving!”  Stunned silence all around.  People can be SO annoying.  Also, I don’t recommend the pumpkin cupcake at Crumbs.  Very disappointing.

I discovered the identity of the letter-writer, so we'll see how it plays out.  I told him I want to meet for coffee so we can discuss things in person, but I'm sure whatever impulse moved him to write the letter has passed.  It will be an interesting conversation, I'm sure.

I'm just now counting the minutes until our big work event is over, then there's a little work event the next night, then I'll have to cram a ton of work into the rest of the week before Surgery #4.  Sigh.  I don't think I planned my schedule very well.  Clearly, I never dreamed I'd be having four surgeries in one year.  Of course, only one was a 'major' surgery, but I think any time you have to go to a hospital and be put to sleep is relatively 'major.'  It will be nice, though, to have the right side 'lifted.'  It's looking pretty lopsided and I'm thinking of going back to button-up shirts most days.  Blech.  I'm sure everyone is as sick of them as I am.  I'm still tossing and turning the idea of the new nipples around in my head, but the Christmas tree story did have an effect. 

Speaking of Christmas trees, I have made the monumental decision to not decorate my apartment for the holidays this year.  Not because I'm depressed or anything, but I'm just so blasted tired.  I just have too much stuff, and you can't put out a little bit of holiday decor, you have to go whole hog.  At least I do.  I think it will be fine to skip a year.  I have a little tree and cute door thing that I'll probably put in my office.  So it will be festive enough.  I'm looking forward to doing some holiday browsing (the official shopping is DONE!)--I always enjoy the holiday markets around the city and I am looking forward to all the windows.  I've put my holiday playlist on my iPhone, so if I need a little Christmas right this very minute while I'm laying around after surgery #4, I'll be ready.

I think I may need to find a Dunkin Donuts and have a pumpkin doughnut...