I see a lot of theater. It's my passion and I indulge it every chance I get. I'll never be able to retire and I guess it's a good thing I don't have kids, because I for sure don't have any savings. Last week, I saw six shows over seven nights - I think I may be getting a little old to do that. Inevitably, the shows I see at the end of the week are going to suffer because I'm just so tired, and maybe my brain isn't as open as it could be. So it happened that the show seen on night five didn't make itself completely known to me, and the show seen on day seven didn't appeal to my date.
I go into every theater hoping to love and be transported by what I'm about to see. The law of averages says I'm not going to love every single thing I ever see. I know that. But, as I tell people who attempt to argue with me about loving or not loving a show, theater is not math. There is no one right answer. There are as many answers as there are audience members. And my right does not preclude your right. There unfortunately are times where I will not 'get' a play, and it becomes a bit frustrating to be the only person seemingly not able to understand the hidden delights. I just have to accept I didn't get it and go on to the next experience, I guess.
A handsome chum and I decided to check out Ma-Yi's production of Jesus in India last week. The theater was happily quite full and the young, diverse audience was eager to have a good time, and they did. Sadly, I just wasn't one of them. Maybe I was just too tired, but I just couldn't see where the play was going. At all. The point of the evening eluded me. WAS that the point? I don't think so. I appreciated the cast's energy and verve, I was aware that the author has a nice light touch and writes authentic-sounding dialogue, but the ultimate meaning was outside my grasp. But the rest of the audience (and lots of smart people I know who've seen the show) really enjoyed it and were quite vocal in their enjoyment. So does that make them right and me wrong? No. It just wasn't my cup of tea. No shame in that, I guess, though I was disappointed not to have been in on the secret. Oh well. Next time. It's always grand to spend time with my handsome chum, though, and we did have a tasty margarita pre-show.
This afternoon, I was lucky enough to be the guest of a friend at the closing performance of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I believe I've mentioned that I enjoy this show - it's just a lot of silly fun and I like silly fun every now and then. And I enjoy the music quite a bit. I saw an early preview that went on without Chita Rivera, so I was thrilled to see that she was performing today. Chita is just a STAR. It's rather inspiring to be in the presence of someone who just glows theatrical joy. I can relate to it, since I feel like I perk up when I enter a theater, too. I don't have Chita's incandescence though. Or her talent. Or her legs. :)
The crowd was full of Drood groupies who were eager to enjoy themselves, and I certainly had a smile on my face most of the time. But my friend wasn't enjoying himself and decided not to stay for the rest of the show. Again, does that make one of us wrong? Nope. I feel badly that he didn't enjoy the show as much as I do, but we're all wired differently and that's what makes the world an interesting place.
Everyone in the cast was in good voice again today, though perhaps a few were a tad indulgent, milking things a little past where they should've, since it was the last performance, but I didn't mind it that much. There was just a giddiness to all the proceedings that was quite infectious. I even got to help with the voting at the end. That was fun. But there was also such a lovely, stunningly real moment when Chita sang "The Garden Path to Hell." Suddenly, this star, this woman, just grabbed us all by the throat and made the song something it probably isn't in anyone else's hands. I was sort of stunned.
After the show was over, the director, choreographer and author came out and were quite touching in their appreciation of the cast and the audience. Everyone involved seemed to enjoy themselves so much. I'm sorry the show has closed and I'm a little annoyed at myself for not trying to see it more throughout its run. A little fun can light those dark days so well. Those days when something a chum said sticks in your brain and causes you to think think think about things you don't generally think about. Then you start to wish for six show/seven day weeks! Next week, only three shows in a row. Here's hoping I'm on the same page with everyone, especially myself...
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