I haven't written in a bit because I spent this past week celebrating "Do So Much Crap That You Have No Time Nor Soundness Of Mind To Sleep Week." The festivities were incredible. Lines and dark bags festooned decoratively under my eyes, an exciting stinging sensation every time I blinked, and the constant cheer from the metaphorical streets of my body, "Why bother?" Ahh, yes, quite the celebration. Unfortunately, the party must draw to a close because I have more work to do, and I just took an unintentionally earth-shattering nap. It was impressive. I got home, tried reading some Catch-22, and ended up sleeping right through Anything Goes, the performance I was going to see all my friends in tonight. Because that's just the kind of friend that I am.
My birthday was good. Fairly uneventful, but good. It was more work than play, but then again I've always preferred productivity to idleness. I had rehearsal until 5pm, and then another two hours was spent working with people whose company I both do and don't tolerate, filming a project for English. When I got home I got to work editing the video and, between cake, gifts and obligatory birthday phone conversations, finished it. I went to bed a little later than usual, but no biggie... until I received a phone call at midnight that gave me a heart attack and made me think it was the next morning already and by the time I realized it was only 12am I was awake and had a hell of a time getting back to sleep.
The Next Day. I tried like the dickens for about 3 straight hours to burn our damned English project to a playable DVD, but to no avail. Feeling frustrated and rather defeated, I went to bed super late and slept through Statistics the next day.
Last night my mind was just too busy for me to get to sleep. You know how you have a random thought and it won't go away, and it just ends up festering and pestering? Yeah, I know how to rhyme, wanna fight about it? I was thinking about backstage at the Oscars for some reason. And for whatever reason I couldn't stop thinking about it. My rest was restless and my sleep was sleepless.
Today was an easy day. Instead of going to class I saw a youth production of Les Miserables. It was really good. "But J-Mil!" You say, "Didn't you say it was a YOUTH PRODUCTION?" I know, I know; remarkable, isn't it? But these kids had talent. Most of them, anyway. Pretty much all of them were God's gift to musical theatre in regards to vocals. Enjolre (however you spell that) looked/sounded exactly like my friend Brent Burbank, which I found a little funny because Brent Burbank is also a youth theatre kid. The set and costumes were pretty top notch as well. My favorite actor by far was the boy who played the Inn Keeper. I don't have a program but I think his name was... Austen?... Something-Or-Other. Great kid. Hilarious. He was a great example of what actors mean when they say the key to good acting is to "raise the stakes." The primary criticism I had of the show was diction. I think it was just because everyone was trying to fake Cockney accents, but even when they weren't it was very difficult to understand them. And this was in an auditorium full of French as-in-not-theatre Students who didn't know anything about the show, so diction and clarity should've taken more priority.
You Know You're A "Theatre Person" When
you enjoy Les Miserables. Because honestly, I don't see any way anyone could enjoy that show unless they had a deep appreciation for the music and for the significance Les Miserables plays in Theatre. It's a classic; no way around it. But, come on, the show is two and a half hours of straight singing. And not easygoing singing. Songs with depth and significance. Songs with lyrics that you have to listen to because they reveal key elements of the plot. And they don't repeat things. Only melodies. So you have to pay constant attention to every word sung for two and half hours and still be engaged.
In that respect, I'm TOTALLY a theatre person. You listen to a soundtrack enough times and you love the music. Who listens to Les Miserables soundtracks? Theatre people. And people who somehow slip under the radar and love the play anyway. To those people: congratulations, you are officially Cultured.
In other news, apparently there is now a School Edition of Rent. Yes! What every socially retarded theatre freak wanted four years ago but is totally into Hairspray now! I'm such a hypocrite; I'm very guilty of liking the Rent soundtrack. Can't help it. Sorry. Deal with it. But as for this new "school edition," auditions are coming up in my area. I will definitely be making it a point to NOT audition. How the hell do you make a school edition of Rent? The entire play is about STDs, for God's sake! No pun intended. Is it appropriate/feasible for a high school boy to play a drag queen, but play it seriously for once? The role of Angel is no laughing matter... well at least (s)he's not supposed to be. And Mimi! What is she going to be instead of a dancer at a strip club? A waitress at the Macaroni Grill? Where will she go "Out Tonight" in such a case? And we can all kiss the song theatre weirdos love to geek out over, "La Vie Boheme," goodbye. Dildos, sodomy, marijuana... I'd like to see someone try to incorporate those things into a youth production. And then there's heroine and drug addiction... I just don't see Rent as an appropriate play for The Young People. It's almost as bad as the School Edition of Avenue Q, which is a filthy show that someone somehow made "high school appropriate." Pardon my French, but bull shit. Avenue Q is uncompromisingly dirty, no two ways about it.
I'd like to see you water that down.
No comments:
Post a Comment