accomplishedI've mentioned before my dislike of Thorton Wilder's classic "Our Town" -- this probably stems from playing Editor Webb in a high school production of it and feeling like I'd been cheated out of being in a play because there were no sets (or props). So when
trillian_stars got back from seeing Evi's Waltz at the Adrianne, she told me I should go see it. She says this a lot and I don't always go see the things she says I should. Sometimes I regret it (Like Ghost Writer), other times it just slips my mind and I don't even remember that she said I should see something. Of Evi's Waltz she said:"It has gunshots, and things that explode when they get shot. And an exploding bird house. And an extremely realistic set."
These are all things that would make me keen to see a play. So the next night I went with
whafford and Trillian was right. As soon as we walked into the theater we were both immediately blown away by the set."It looks like someone crashed a house into the theater," said Brad -- and he was right. It was like someone took a giant shovel and dug up a house and put it on the stage, every little detail was perfect -- there was even real grass, and filthy flagstones and the minutia of an uncollected advertising newspaper, many times rained upon, leaves caught between the trash cans and the house.
The play was fast and witty and had wonderful performances from the entire cast. With rapport as real as the set, real life husband and wife Mary Lee Bednarek and Leonard C. Haas play the parents of a high school boy in some sort of deep trouble which becomes evident when his girlfriend, Evi, (played with terrific aplomb and blue hair by Emilie Krause) arrives covered in blood. "Relax," she says, "it's hers, not mine." Things devolve from there.
Cleverly, cleanly and decisively directed by Allen Radway it's a dark play, but a funny play and the place gets shot up during the course of the show. Afterwards we somehow got invited to the cast party and my bit of the world was a wonderful place.
This is Emilie. Set by Andrew Beal. (The set was amazing. It even smelled like a street.)
Clickenzee to Embiggen
All this to say -- this week -- open up the newspaper, find a play in your town, even if it's a high school production of Our Town, and go see it. You might see something that makes your world larger and that makes you marvel at the talent and skill and dedication of some people working hard for your applause.
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