I Rescind My Statement

So, in my last post I said something along the lines of: All theater should be creative, imaginative, etc. I still somewhat believe that, but I take back the "all" part. When a show, imaginative or not, is good, it's good. Simple as that.

Last night I saw the First Breeze of Summer at the Signature Theatre Company. The Sig always does a season based off of one playwright. This year they decided to do a season based off of the plays the historical Negro Ensemble Company has produced. And First Breeze...was the first show of the season. The show was interesting in that there was very little plot involved. It revolved around a grandmother's family and life. It sounds simple and fun, and that is how it does start out. At intermission I told my friend Courtney, "This is enjoyable, but I have no idea where it will go, because there has been no through line so far." And boy I could not have been any more right on about not knowing where the play will go. Act 2 has a whole different tone, and the play became brutal to watch. Brutal in every positive, and amazing way that can come out out of the word "brutal." By the end, Courtney's and my mouths were agape in awe, and we were fighting back the tears. I think most of the audience felt the same way. Ruben Santiago Hudson's direction was amazing. His transitions were so smooth that during scenes that shifted in time, I had no idea how the actors got off stage. The acting was amazing. One actress annoyed me a bit, but the people she played opposite of were so good, it didn't bother me. And when there is 10 or so amazing actors on stage, I will forgive the one I'm not too keen on. Also that one actor was very bold and confident in all of her choices, and even though it wasn't my favorite performance, it is soooo much better to watch someone like that than someone who feels uncomfortable and timid on stage. So again, forgivable, it is just me nitpicking a show that I think is great. The script is very much like a slice of life, think A Hatful of Rain. To make it work, the acting had to be spot on real. And they were. It was the most brutally honest acting I've seen along with August: Osage County. Nobody cared to hide flaws, nobody cared to hide anything. Everything just was. Also, the way they dealt with enviornment, namely the abundence of heat...and wind, was right on. They showed it to us, then dropped it, then showed it, then dropped it, just like one would in real life. They were so believable, you could feel the heat in the audience. Brilliant.

I also mentioned my first acting teacher, Brandon Dirden, was in the production. This is the third show I've seen him in, and the first since I originally saw him when he was in the Univ. of Illinois' MFA acting program back in the day. Like always he was amazing. I will never forget when I orignially saw him act in a 2 hander, called Medal of Honor Rag. It was one of my first exposures to modern, straight plays, and I was blown away. Again he is unbelievable, and so were his actual wife who played his girlfriend in The First Breeze... and his actual brother, who played his younger brother in The First Breeze... What an amazing acting family. Watch out for the Dirdens in the future!

I believe the play closes within the next week...so run to get tickets. It will be worth every penny you spend.

This is as "commercial" of a production there could be. So again, I rescind my statement from my last blog, I've just seen so much mediocre "commercial" stuff lately, I seemed to have gotten a little jaded. My new belief is, when you got a show where the team has put in the effort to work out every little nuiance, you'll have a great show. Be it "commercial", be it "avant garde", be it a radio play...If you have a damn good show, no matter what it is, it is a damn good show!