In which I attend 3 plays in 10 days

I started the year on an artistic high.

Living just a few blocks from the Fox Theatre I decided it was a good time to capitalize on being so close to art. So in the month of February, my art evolution began. 

January 30th - The Producers

I was very excited to see this. Yes, it's old. But it's a Broadway classic thus making it a must-see.

I scored half-price tickets courtesy of AJC and very good seats as well. The stage was set for a great night.

However, that was not to be. First of all, it rained torrents. It would momentarily stop and then start all over again, heavier than it was before. Like it was competing with the previous torrent. So much for walking to the theater, having a drink before the show and then taking in a nice stroll back. 

As to the play itself, well it left a lot for me to be desired. The characters were so stereotypically funny. They said (and did) what a nerdy accountant would do and the same goes for every other character in the darned play. They never broke from stereotype. I just got so sick of it that I started transacting online to pass the time in between cued song after cued song. People kept laughing at the cued acts that were done to instill their laughter. Every choreographed pratfall, faint or wiggle of the hips brought on more raucous laughter and people just fell for it. It was like watching one of those comedies with laugh tracks: predictable. 

The only ray of hope for me was the one act that went against stereotype - Hitler being played by a "gay-as-a-fruit" man and being funny as ever doing it. That musical number - Springtime for Hitler - was just to die for hilarious. Can you imagine how many wars could have been averted if Hitler was in fact gay, or simply just a jolly man? It was such a humorous number that I couldn't stop laughing. Now, if only the entire play was filled with such cut-above-the-rest numbers?

February 6th - Flashdance the Musical

The following week was a 5 day preview of Flashdance. This one was hardly fought. First, there were no half-price tickets. Just mid-day tickets at a cheaper price but still quite expensive. I debated on my need to see a play that hasn't made it onto Broadway based on a beloved 80's movie until I read the reviews. They were spot on nostalgia-inducing, I just had to see it no matter the cost. 

I made it with good seats and perfect weather to spare, a tad cold but that's to be expected, it's February.  I took a brisk walk to the theater and enjoyed a nice cocktail as I waited for the show to start. 

The play was good. Not great. It lacked the firepower and flamboyance that is needed for a Broadway musical. There was no flash to the Flashdance! Then, the choreography for a dance musical was a little lacking. I know it's supposed to be a story about an aspiring dancer lacking in experience but the lead character, Alex, was lacking in personality, spunk, and her off the cuff dance routines, hip-hop or street were out of sync. Then, they added all these boring stare-at-the-crowd, claim-my-right musical numbers building on characters that were forgettable in the movies. Alex's friends (or co-stars) at the dance club were also rather a bit gone in years. They were good, very talented ladies, but they were a bit long in the tooth. I just kept wondering how much of a retool this would need if it were to hit Broadway. 

But the good came quick and just as soon as I had time to soak it in, it was over. The best dance numbers - Maniac and Flashdance...What a Feeling. Maniac reminded me of dancing in front of the mirror as a kid. Flashdance...What a Feeling, that famous Irene Cara tune echoed feelings of my youth as an aspiring writer - that feeling that made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to if only I believed (that the world was not a horrid, judgmental place). 

In summary - feelings of nostalgia good but they were so brief that I didn't have enough time to relish in them. 

February 10th - Good People

Then, on Sunday I wrapped up my 10 days of art evolution by going to see a sad, sad play. 

I read the review of this play earlier in the week and was quick to jump to see it before it closed. The review made it seem like a bigger production, with lavish sets and lots of story lines, no musical numbers which I was fine with, but I wanted high power drama with solid acting. Instead it was the opposite. There were about 5 scenes in total for a 2 hour plus play, so it made every scene last longer than 30 minutes. I'd forgotten how extended scenes in plays could be. In movies, scenes are short and precise and serve their purpose to move the story along or develop the character. In plays, it's not really the same. A scene could serve as the entire play. The entire play could happen in just 2 scenes, 2 sets - living room and dining room - people could get engaged, get married and then, get divorced in just those 2 scenes.

There was an intermission even though I don't know why because we came back and went through only 2 scenes. The resolution left you with a lot of questions, a lot of thought to take with you. Those are the elements of a good play, except this one was also sad, ever so sad, filled with characters that spent a good amount of time feeling so sorry for themselves (as opposed to helping themselves). 

Summary - Not very Good People.

So is art good? Yes. It makes you feel, be it nostalgia or sadness or just jolly. It makes you feel and every now and then, single people need to remember how to feel even if it's just a little.