My Fringe experience- Part One
Aug. 14th, 2009 08:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blue_lotus13I have already seen and reviewed six plays, and I have a few thoughts and comments about the experience. I am reviewing in the Transalta Cabaret Lounge, which is possibly the perfect venue for me. Since there is alcohol on the premise, everything is for a more mature audience. There is an actual stage, so I can sit at a table and the performers don't have to rush by me, or wander out and touch me. (I hate it when performers touch me when I am watching a play)
I'm only given 100 words to write my reviews, which is challenging. Our editor told us that we shouldn't write anything that we wouldn't say to the director's face. I'd never thought of this before, but I think it will be my new mantra for reviewing. I can be critical, and I can be honest, but I try never to be deliberately mean. I know what it feels like to get mean reviews.
I seem to rate most things in the middle. I have not given a five star review, and think it would take a lot to make me give one. I'd recommend a four star show to my friends, and would encourage them to see it if it came to their town. It would take me weeping or something amazing to give five stars. I'm not sure what would make me give out one star either.
My other note is this- All actors, and I know some of you reading this are actors, should speak clearly and slowly. I think actors have a tendency to get nervous and rush when they get onstage. Sometimes the jokes seem to go by too fast. You may know the lines and what you're going to say next, but the audience sometimes needs to be able to catch the joke and absorb it. Take a breath!
So far, the first play that I reviewed remains my favourite. It was written by a local playwright named Justen Bennett. The play called "Addition- an unconventional love story" told the story of a gay couple who decide to have a threesome. They go in search of a third, and then must deal with the complications that arise from their actions. I loved the pacing of this script, and it was really and truly funny. The characters talked like me and my friends- there were discussions about roleplaying games, Buffy and Joss Whedon, references to Twilight and Star Trek, and language play. It was cute. The story kept you intrigued and interested, and it was truly sweet and unconventional. I only gave it four stars because I thought the actors needed to work on their comedic timing.
However, I got to meet the director after and tell him how much I liked the play. I was chatting with a lovely audience member and we were both curious about which actors in the play were gay. It turns out that only one guy was. The audience member and I thought this was a mark of a good production. We believed that all the men were gay. In many ways, this was really a story about relationships and unconventional relationships, not mainly about queer issues.
I also enjoyed another factor that occurred as a result of a casting decision. One of the men, who was seen to be the love interest, was half Chinese. I enjoyed this because I know that many Asian looking men are not always seen as objects of desire. I also liked it because the character was supposed to have grown up in a small town and was the son of a farmer. The director told me that a past audience member had argued that this wasn't right and that the half Chinese guy couldn't be a farmer. However, I thought this was great as I've met half Chinese farmers before. The director said that he just cast the best people for the part, but it added another dimension to the play and its politics.
Also, I should add that the half Chinese dude was very, very pretty. He stripped down to his boxers during the production and I had to wipe the drool off my chin. He's a dancer and fight choreographer and the director and I both concurred that he is in fact, gorgeous (and straight). I mentioned him to several theatre friends who were at a show with me later that evening, and found that I am not the only woman to have swooned over his beauty. Anyway, I loved "Addition- an unconventional love story" and you should see it if it comes to a theatre near you. I really liked this play and would definitely go see another play written by this director.
Say Shoot- Was the second play I saw. I REALLY disliked this play. The premise was that a person could order a suicide like a pizza. So the story opens with a woman ordering a suicide. Then the hit man comes to kill her, and they have a conversation and there's a resolution etc. Suicide isn't funny, and the premise of this was so disturbing. The play didn't know what it wanted to be, but I gave it two stars for competent acting and a few laughs.
El Dorado- The third play I saw was a great one-man show. I was surprised to find out that the star of this play was only 22. He told a compelling and very full story about a man who travelled across Canada to solve his schizophrenic father's disappearing act. He played all 8 characters with minimal props, and a power point screen to indicate the journey of the characters and fill in the backstory. There were a lot of backstory and themes in this play. I preferred it when he was pretending to be one of the male characters, but still thought this was a great show. Four stars.
Plays 4,5,6
4. A modern version of Lysistrata, which is the play written by Aristophanes. This is the play where the women decide to stop the war by withholding sex from their men. This production was best when the women were raunchy, witty and making observations about sexual and gender relations. There was a lot of anti-war stuff that was a bit heavy handed and preachy, so three stars.
5. Pitch Blond- A one woman show about Judy Holliday, an Oscar winning actress who had a 170 IQ and was cast as a dumb blonde. She was also part of Senator McCarthy's inquisition. That part just seemed a bit familiar and not particularly new. However, the actress was so compelling and it was great to watch her react to things that weren't there. She was a great actress and brought the character to life, but the script didn't wow me or tell me anything new. Three stars.
6. The Most Massive Woman wins- This was a play about women's body issues featuring three large women and one tiny one. I thought it told some good stories about size acceptance, stereotypes about fat women and childhood issues. Some of the actresses were much better and more compelling than others. I also felt the script was a bit uneven, but that there was some good material in it. However, it felt as though the play just ended abruptly. Brave, but not consistent. At one point, they all stripped to underwear, which was pretty interesting for me as I don't usually see large women's bodies. I was intrigued and proud of their daring. Three stars
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
I'm only given 100 words to write my reviews, which is challenging. Our editor told us that we shouldn't write anything that we wouldn't say to the director's face. I'd never thought of this before, but I think it will be my new mantra for reviewing. I can be critical, and I can be honest, but I try never to be deliberately mean. I know what it feels like to get mean reviews.
I seem to rate most things in the middle. I have not given a five star review, and think it would take a lot to make me give one. I'd recommend a four star show to my friends, and would encourage them to see it if it came to their town. It would take me weeping or something amazing to give five stars. I'm not sure what would make me give out one star either.
My other note is this- All actors, and I know some of you reading this are actors, should speak clearly and slowly. I think actors have a tendency to get nervous and rush when they get onstage. Sometimes the jokes seem to go by too fast. You may know the lines and what you're going to say next, but the audience sometimes needs to be able to catch the joke and absorb it. Take a breath!
So far, the first play that I reviewed remains my favourite. It was written by a local playwright named Justen Bennett. The play called "Addition- an unconventional love story" told the story of a gay couple who decide to have a threesome. They go in search of a third, and then must deal with the complications that arise from their actions. I loved the pacing of this script, and it was really and truly funny. The characters talked like me and my friends- there were discussions about roleplaying games, Buffy and Joss Whedon, references to Twilight and Star Trek, and language play. It was cute. The story kept you intrigued and interested, and it was truly sweet and unconventional. I only gave it four stars because I thought the actors needed to work on their comedic timing.
However, I got to meet the director after and tell him how much I liked the play. I was chatting with a lovely audience member and we were both curious about which actors in the play were gay. It turns out that only one guy was. The audience member and I thought this was a mark of a good production. We believed that all the men were gay. In many ways, this was really a story about relationships and unconventional relationships, not mainly about queer issues.
I also enjoyed another factor that occurred as a result of a casting decision. One of the men, who was seen to be the love interest, was half Chinese. I enjoyed this because I know that many Asian looking men are not always seen as objects of desire. I also liked it because the character was supposed to have grown up in a small town and was the son of a farmer. The director told me that a past audience member had argued that this wasn't right and that the half Chinese guy couldn't be a farmer. However, I thought this was great as I've met half Chinese farmers before. The director said that he just cast the best people for the part, but it added another dimension to the play and its politics.
Also, I should add that the half Chinese dude was very, very pretty. He stripped down to his boxers during the production and I had to wipe the drool off my chin. He's a dancer and fight choreographer and the director and I both concurred that he is in fact, gorgeous (and straight). I mentioned him to several theatre friends who were at a show with me later that evening, and found that I am not the only woman to have swooned over his beauty. Anyway, I loved "Addition- an unconventional love story" and you should see it if it comes to a theatre near you. I really liked this play and would definitely go see another play written by this director.
Say Shoot- Was the second play I saw. I REALLY disliked this play. The premise was that a person could order a suicide like a pizza. So the story opens with a woman ordering a suicide. Then the hit man comes to kill her, and they have a conversation and there's a resolution etc. Suicide isn't funny, and the premise of this was so disturbing. The play didn't know what it wanted to be, but I gave it two stars for competent acting and a few laughs.
El Dorado- The third play I saw was a great one-man show. I was surprised to find out that the star of this play was only 22. He told a compelling and very full story about a man who travelled across Canada to solve his schizophrenic father's disappearing act. He played all 8 characters with minimal props, and a power point screen to indicate the journey of the characters and fill in the backstory. There were a lot of backstory and themes in this play. I preferred it when he was pretending to be one of the male characters, but still thought this was a great show. Four stars.
Plays 4,5,6
4. A modern version of Lysistrata, which is the play written by Aristophanes. This is the play where the women decide to stop the war by withholding sex from their men. This production was best when the women were raunchy, witty and making observations about sexual and gender relations. There was a lot of anti-war stuff that was a bit heavy handed and preachy, so three stars.
5. Pitch Blond- A one woman show about Judy Holliday, an Oscar winning actress who had a 170 IQ and was cast as a dumb blonde. She was also part of Senator McCarthy's inquisition. That part just seemed a bit familiar and not particularly new. However, the actress was so compelling and it was great to watch her react to things that weren't there. She was a great actress and brought the character to life, but the script didn't wow me or tell me anything new. Three stars.
6. The Most Massive Woman wins- This was a play about women's body issues featuring three large women and one tiny one. I thought it told some good stories about size acceptance, stereotypes about fat women and childhood issues. Some of the actresses were much better and more compelling than others. I also felt the script was a bit uneven, but that there was some good material in it. However, it felt as though the play just ended abruptly. Brave, but not consistent. At one point, they all stripped to underwear, which was pretty interesting for me as I don't usually see large women's bodies. I was intrigued and proud of their daring. Three stars
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-15 04:09 pm (UTC)That is a great idea. I will try to keep that in mind in all areas of life.