The One About Theatre

Wait, what? This blog was supposed to be about theatre? Oh yeeeaah...
So let's talk about it, yeah?

In the past couple months, we have gotten to experience some kewl theatre. And in fact, I don’t think I’ve mentioned any of them since Glass Menagerie. Who do I think I am?! So let’s travel back a few weeks…

The Magnet Theatre. I unfortunately don’t have pictures to prove it (what!), but Victoria got me to come to a show at Magnet Theatre, and this was cool…cuz it’s an improv theatre! And even cooler is that it was a musical theatre improv show! I had never even heard of that, and I believe the concept started there at the Magnet Theatre (correct?). Anyway, it was awesome. As with any improv show I watch (G-Troupe included), it’s one of those things where Victoria & I sat the whole time with our minds running, trying to think of what we’d come up with in the same scenario – meaning, could I do this & actually be funny? I think I decided – as with G-Troupe – that the answer was a little bit no. But I guess you never know til you try! (So I may never know.) But each group did an incredibly impressive job, and I’m sure I’ll be back – whether taking a class or watching a show!

"Aquarius" - one of the groups we saw that night! Hilarious.
Photo cred: The Magnet's website

Fetch Clay, Make Man. Also, did I ever mention that Rachel & I saw a play about Muhammad Ali? Cuz we did. We were able to receive comp tickets (fancy jargon for free tickets;) for New York Theatre Workshop’s "Fetch Clay, Make Man." Review here. It was our first free show in NYC, so we were already pretty giddy about that, but then we really enjoyed ourselves. The plot revolves around Ali’s relationship with actor Stepin Fetchit, their unique relationship, and how it all fit into the racial context of the time. I wasn’t sure how engaged I could be in a play about boxing, but the characters’ relationship had such deep implications & the actors’ performances (particularly Ray Fisher & K. Todd Freeman) were so compelling that we easily would’ve recommended anyone to enjoy this play themselves. Also, their use of media/video technology to build upon the play’s message almost served as a third character in a way that was both gripping & impressive. Loved it!

Fetchit & Ali -- so good! Photo cred: NYdailynews.com

Dear Mr. Rosan. So this was cool…a good friend of my sister’s from Baylor – Alex Witherow – has been doing the theatre scene in D.C. & NYC for awhile now, & I got to go see him in an Off-Broadway show called, “Dear Mr. Rosan,” for which Alex did the fight choreography & also rocked it. Niiiice. My roomie Alekza sweetly attended with me as I led her to the wrong “Roy Arias” theatre, and we proceeded to have to SPEED 4½ blocks over to the correct theatre. (Woops.) And this was another show that we thoroughly enjoyed. Set during the Great Depression, the play centered on one man & his family’s struggles, with a pretty significant sub-plot involving a man named Mr. Rosan who places an ad in the paper offering some money to families who will send him letters regarding their monetary needs. (Apparently this is based on a real article in the New York Times about a man named Mr. Samuel Stone. Pretty cool!) One of the neatest parts to me was that there were a few songs – that I liked enough to ask about – that were original pieces written for this specific production. I also loved that the theatre and atmosphere was intimate enough that the audience felt completely at home, and you were able to casually interact with the cast members in the lobby and elevator afterward…and they were kind enough to welcome the opportunity - even initiated many of the conversations themselves! Finally, I thought it was really cool that the company, Purple Threads Ensemble, prides themselves on their motivation to both imitate and ignite real conversations being had. Solid production, indeed!

Awesome job, Alex! Killed it.

Anthem. Just a couple more... So, this week Rachel & I went to our second comp'ed show! We saw "Anthem" at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. We went into this play knowing little about it other than that it was an adaptation of of Ayn Rand's novel by the same name and that the four named characters were Equality, Liberty, Democracy & International. In addition to those names, the set let us know that this was going to be very unlike a traditionally staged play. The ground was covered in ERS lights faced upward, and during the show they used these lights as obstacles, enemies and representations of several different objects. They also utilized a huge movie-theatre-like screen for video clips throughout. It was pretty awesome. The basis of the plot was of a repressive government seeking to enforce equality by keeping each citizen from choosing their own career, feeling any emotion but 'happiness,' and from asserting themselves as better than anyone else - including a law against working/creating/thinking aside from the "collective group." And the main character - Equality - begins to realize that something must be wrong with this way of thinking, so he breaks off by himself every night, eventually creating electricity (by himself) which ultimately leads to the turning point of the play. And in the midst of this drama was a refreshing, forbidden love story between Equality and a girl named Liberty - and both actors played out this relationship so believably, it was so enjoyable! Anyway, as much as this play was consumed by dialogue, it did cause many interesting questions to arise such as "Do we lose some of our individuality when we're constantly consumed by fitting in with the collective?" and "Are all of the truths that society leads us to believe actually 'truth' to us?" It was a good - albeit, unique - theatrical experience, and I really hope to see Matthew Lieff Christian in more productions because he killed it!

A little glimpse at the set, so interesting!
(Those are the light instruments at the bottom.)

Romeo + Juliet. FINALLY, and MOST DYNAMICALLY - Rachel & I went to our most recent comp'ed ticket show this past Wednesday. We saw "Romeo & Juliet" at Classic Stage Company starring Julian Cihi as Romeo & Elizabeth Olsen - the sister of those twins by the same name - as Juliet. ;) It also starred T. R. Knight as an incredible Mercutio & MY favorite - Daniel Davis as Friar Laurence ... aka NILES from THE NANNY. I died!! I even surprised myself at how excited I was to be within a few feet of Niles! My dad & I are huge fans... Anyway, this production was breathtaking, modern, energetic, edgy & everything I love about Shakespeare reproductions. It reminded me of when we saw "Richard III" at the Royal Shakespeare Company during Baylor Theatre abroad last summer. That Shakespeare play with its edgy costumes and contemporary soundtrack was kiiiind of a Shakespeare game-changer for me - which I appreciated - and this play was the same way!

R & J after the Capulet's feast. It was awesome.
Photo cred: NY Times

It started out with each character walking out one-by-one and lining up with their respective families - Capulets on one side, Montagues on the other. It was awesome. And before I ramble on forever & ever, I just want to say that Elizabeth Olsen killed it. She wasn't an over-dramatic, damsel-ey Juliet. She was a quirky, energetic Juliet with a CRAZY talent at creating real, heart-wrenching tears onstage. She was the type of Juliet that would say some bold "Shakespeare-ey" statement like "Come to thy heart as that within my breast!" and would then walk off-stage with an expression like "within my breast?! that was so stupid, juliet..." Ha! It was so awesome. And then Mercutio. OH GOSH. Possibly the best I've ever seen. He was likable, hilarious, terrifying & everything else I will now ever expect to see in a Mercutio. And the set was almost bare, with just a row of chairs in the back & one table, with a bucket at the front of the set where they'd grab their "blood packets" before fights without even trying to hide it from the audience. Which just made it even cooler. It was one of those plays where when the final lights went down, the entire audience just sighed of every emotion. I couldn't recommend it more highly! If you're in NYC... DON'T DELAY. SEE THIS PLAY. ;)

T. R. Knight as Mercutio & Julian Cihi as Romeo
Photo Cred: Broadwayworld.com

So anyway, there you go. You are currently up to speed with about .03% of the shows going on in NYC right now. ;) But we still can't get over the fact that we can just go through our normal days & then casually get the chance to see some of the best theatre in the country later that night. Gosh, so lucky! But we don't take it for granted! On the contrary, we are SCROUNGING for ways to fit even half of the shows we want to see into our budget. But we'll figure it out eventually. And when that happens, I'm sure you'll see a blog post about it.

In the meantime...

Here's a pic of Rachel after she dropped her 

freshly-dishwashed retainer in the toilet... Okay bye!