Theatre stuff

I went to City Circle's New Play Festival today. I enjoyed myself.

The first play was well acted, but didn't seem to have much of a point to it. Or maybe it had too many points and needed to be more tied together. I am just not sure, but I left with a "Huh, that was nice, but so what?" feeling. The second show was a short excerpt from a one-woman show. Very well written and the acting was good, too. I am interested in seeing the entire play. A friend of mine, Susan Gilbert, wrote it. The third show was excellent. Nice, understated, and effective acting by Kris Denniger and Pat Keyes and Joe Heath. I'd like to see Pat Keyes in some more roles. He's very talented. I was feeling pretty happy about my spur of the moment decision to check out an afternoon of locally written plays.

After intermission, unfortunately, I was stunned. And not in any sort of a good way.

The fourth play was just... awful. Two of the cast members were still reading scripts. The actor playing the main character tried to put something into it, but with a script in his hand, it just didn't work. The other one sounded like he had been handed the script a day before the show. I was desperate for it to end. I have this feeling that the writing was probably pretty good, but it was impossible to be sure as it was just so difficult to follow what they were saying.

I noticed in the program that the two who were reading the scripts were not the same actors who had done the other performances. And the actor who played the main role in the other performances was there, so he could have done it for our performance. Why have the guy who didn't have it memorized up there if you have the other guy ready to go? Unless he didn't memorize it either, but I know the other actor and I doubt he would have been unprepared. All I am sure of is, that show was a stinker. But maybe I was the only one who thought so as they got good applause.

Okay, I spent waaay too much time talking about the only bad show of the group of six. So let me just say that the next show was hilarious! A little disturbing, too, as it included a woman I have known for a number of years faking not one, but two orgasms on stage. At least, I hope she was just acting. Props to Kit Gerken who made me laugh and laugh. The last show was pretty effective too. The two actors were very good, the story was interesting, and the ending was pretty good. I would have liked more eye contact or some connection between the two main characters at the crucial climatic moment, but still. Very effective. I left wanting to see a longer and more in depth version of the play because I wanted to know more about those two characters. And that's always a good thing.

Special props to Kris Denniger, who was in four of the six shows and was excellent in every one.

I'd write more, but Jack and Bobby is on. Great show.