Pondering Life and Death at Triad Stage

                It’s no secret that I love Triad Stage.  They consistently put on high-quality theater, and my most recent visit to Greensboro proved no different.  I went this past weekend to see The Sunset Limited, a Cormac McCarthy play, and the talkback after.  It was great.  Also, having season tickets to Triad Stage is a great excuse for me to visit my best friend, who lives in Greensboro.

                I think it’s time you knew about the thing that really gets under my skin.  My secret pet peeve is when actors pretend to eat and drink while on stage.  I can’t stand it when I know that there’s not actually any coffee in their mugs or soup in their bowls.  It bothers me to no end.  I realize that I shouldn’t let it get to me, but I do.  I really do.  That being said, I have to hand it to Triad Stage for avoiding committing this faux pas.  The thing I perhaps loved the most about the show was that the kitchen on stage was a working kitchen, the characters actually made and drank real coffee, and cooked and ate real food.  Thank you!  I realize that this may seem small, but to me, it’s important.

                So, the show was interesting.  I don’t have a lot of insight this time into the subtext of the play – I think it pretty much speaks for itself.  I have a very firm opinion about what happens in the moments following the conclusion of the play, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone.  If you really want to know what I think about the matter, send me an email.

I think the way the actors brought the characters to life was phenomenal.  There was so much text for them to memorize, and very little in the way of movement about the stage.  With a two-character play, the chemistry between the two characters/actors is essential.  These characters were believable without being dull.  Bravo.

I absolutely loved the talkback – it really helped me wrap my head around the play and the production.  I recommend that anyone buying tickets to a Triad Stage show get tickets for the performance with the talkback.  You won’t be sorry.

The Threshold of Revelation - Seeing Angels in America at Playmakers Rep

                When I saw that the PlayMakers Repertory Company was doing Angels in America, I knew without hesitation that I had to be there.  I saw their production of Fences, and absolutely loved it.  I had never seen Angels in America performed on stage, and I was chomping at the bit for an opportunity to do so.

                Several years ago, I saw the HBO movie, and my then-roommate and I still can’t get over the fact that Meryl Streep was the rabbi.  I didn’t remember too much from it, except I remembered the line “my religion doesn’t believe in Mormons,” because I thought it was pretty hilarious.  I also remembered Patrick Wilson, because ever since then, I’ve had a huge crush on him – but I think the rest of America has, too.

                Back in December, when I was planning my whirlwind trip to New York City, there was a brief moment in which my friend Cliff and I thought we would go see Angels in America Off-Broadway.   Of course, tickets were sold out, and the way their schedule was running, we wouldn’t have been able to see both parts in order anyway.  But, when I was at PlayMakers Rep, it was like the distance between New York and North Carolina dissolved, and the difference between regional and Off-Broadway disappeared.  It was apparent from the get-go that I was seeing high-quality theater.

                First of all, the set was spectacular.  Appearing minimalist at first, it became clearer as the course of the play went on that it was a carefully thought-out design which really provided a lot for the telling of the story.  I really like how the pieces of the set slowly come apart, showing at the same time this sort of paradox between destruction and revelation.  The scenes change rapidly in Angels in America, and I appreciated how smoothly the actors and the set transitioned between scenes.

                I think my absolute favorite thing about this production was the sound.  I’m not a technical theater expert or anything, but I thought the placement and content of the sound design was phenomenal in what it brought to the show.  The set was pretty minimal, so sound was what really defined place for me.  The city noises, the nightclub music, all of it was perfect.

                Of course, the acting was great.  It is shows like this that make me wish I were an actor – I’d give anything to be onstage in a production like this, bringing these amazing characters to life.  All of the characters were so believable, which is tricky in a show like this.  The characters could easily be portrayed as over-the-top or larger-than-life, but the actors in this production were so controlled and tuned in to who these characters really are.  I appreciated their attention to Kushner’s words, and it was obvious that a lot of thought and work went into bringing those words to the stage.  I also appreciate the amount of time it must have taken to memorize all those lines!

                 I also loved the inclusion of the AIDS quilt in the lobby.  I grew up in DC, so my parents took me to see the AIDS quilt on the national Mall when it was there in 1996.  I was only ten, but I knew I was seeing something important.  The AIDS quilt is such a fascinating piece of American history, and I’m glad that a part of it was able to be in the lobby of the theater.

                So, all in all, this production of Angels in America is must-see theater.  I logged a total of 120 miles traveling to and from the show (30 miles each way, two round trips), and each mile was completely worth it.  It was all the little things that made the show remarkable.  Of course, the acting was great, something I expect of PlayMakers Rep, and the writing was great, but I knew that already.  It was the details that made it stellar – the subtle scenery, the sound cues, the scene transitions, the lighting, the AIDS quilt in the lobby… the list goes on.

The Lion King at DPAC!

            I have been remiss about posting lately, but I have good excuses.  January was a slow theater month for me.  After my Broadway whirlwind at the end of December, I didn’t have any theater tickets at all until January 26^th, which is when I saw The Lion King national tour at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  Also, I’ve been so busy that I’ve been falling asleep before 9 pm most nights – atypical for a theater devotee, I’m sure.

At first, I was skeptical about whether I actually even wanted to see The Lion King.  I think the Disney production credit through me off track, and I was worried it wouldn’t be entertaining for adults.  Logic set in, however.  I thought to myself, if I love Ragtime, and this show beat Ragtime for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical, then it has to be beyond amazing.  I’m so glad I listened to logic. 

Anyway, after my recent revelation that I’m totally willing to pay the extra $60 for orchestra-level seats, I managed to get a killer seat for The Lion King, right in the front row, in the center section on the aisle.  It was awesome, and also a little bit scary.  I’m sure I looked quite silly with a giant grin on my face for about the first thirty minutes as I tried to take in the splendor of the show.  When the curtain came up, it seemed like Rafiki was singing right to me.  I could see everything so wonderfully.  I loved every second of it.  Except for the hyenas – they were slightly frightening.

                Sitting in the front row was perfect and completely worth every penny I spent!  There were only one or two occasions when I thought that sitting a little further back would have been beneficial, specifically to see the tableau created by the masterful puppetry, but overall, I wouldn’t have traded that seat for anything.  Simply put, it was phenomenal.

                I keep wanted to compare the quality of The Lion King to other shows I’ve seen, but I really don’t have a basis for comparison because it is such a different kind of musical than anything I’ve seen.  I suppose I could try to compare it to Avenue Q because they both have puppets, or to another musical produced by Disney.  Ultimately, comparisons of this nature are unfair to both parties because what The Lion King offers is truly unique.  I was in awe of the bird puppets flying inches above my head, startled by the giraffes who leaned all the way across the orchestra pit to look me in the eye, dazzled by the wickedness of Scar, touched by the friendship and love of Simba and Nala, and I identified with the quest for belonging.

                I can’t wait to see it again.