Thursday, August 10, 2006
Is a Theater Blog Just Homework After the Show?
A friend of mine teased me as we were on the way home from the mind-blowing, "Love's Labor's Lost" at the Shakespeare Theater. "So, have you given up on your blog?" he asked. "No updates since April." I sighed. The blog began as a way to chronicle, and never forget, the great, and not-so-great, shows I saw in Washington and elsewhere. Perhaps I could parley the blog into free tickets and discounts at theater gift shops and concession stands! Great influence over strangers' theatrical choices! Meetings with directors, actors, and people who give out free T-shirts that advertise a show!
Ahem. None of that has happened. Surprise, surprise. First, I like to go to the theater and then not have to write about it afterwards. It felt like homework. ("Go see a silly and enjoyable Marivaux romp, "The Game of Love and Chance," at the Folger Shakespeare Theater--and then WRITE ABOUT IT.")
Why write about that show? It was a fun evening of mistaken identities, servants masquerading as masters, men trying to deceive women who are deceiving men, all in period costume dancing around a bright lime-green set. Would I recommend it? If you're in a certain mood, well, yes, but, well, I dunno. Who are you, anyway? I can't take this responsibility!
If I don't like something, I don't want to write about it. It feels cruel. Take "David's Dance," at the Trumpet Vine Theater Company--a play so bad, with a plot so contrived, that I felt sorry for the actors. But a lot of work had gone into it, and the play verged on being worthwhile, when a religious talk show host was brought face-to-face with a gay man after one of her hateful homophobic rants. That could have been a show in and of itself, but it was only a short scene in a long evening. I stayed mum. "David's Dance," the title, must refer to a passage in the Bible where David danced before God, and there are endless commentaries about whether or not his dance was a sincere prayer, or an insult. It seemed to depend on whether or not you liked what he was wearing. Anyway, there was potential there, but unexploited.
So I am blogging much, much less. The latest dilemma is what to say about "Ellington" at MetroStage--beautiful music accompanied by a very superficial book. Everyone is raving about the show. Except me. I don't know much about Ellington, and after the show I still don't. I'm not a huge jazz fan. Maybe you have to be to enjoy this show.
I will get educated. I will try to have more confidence in my opinions, and try to justify them. But I like my theater without a writing assignment afterwards, so I won't be blogging much unless there is something I desperately want to remember and share.
Ahem. None of that has happened. Surprise, surprise. First, I like to go to the theater and then not have to write about it afterwards. It felt like homework. ("Go see a silly and enjoyable Marivaux romp, "The Game of Love and Chance," at the Folger Shakespeare Theater--and then WRITE ABOUT IT.")
Why write about that show? It was a fun evening of mistaken identities, servants masquerading as masters, men trying to deceive women who are deceiving men, all in period costume dancing around a bright lime-green set. Would I recommend it? If you're in a certain mood, well, yes, but, well, I dunno. Who are you, anyway? I can't take this responsibility!
If I don't like something, I don't want to write about it. It feels cruel. Take "David's Dance," at the Trumpet Vine Theater Company--a play so bad, with a plot so contrived, that I felt sorry for the actors. But a lot of work had gone into it, and the play verged on being worthwhile, when a religious talk show host was brought face-to-face with a gay man after one of her hateful homophobic rants. That could have been a show in and of itself, but it was only a short scene in a long evening. I stayed mum. "David's Dance," the title, must refer to a passage in the Bible where David danced before God, and there are endless commentaries about whether or not his dance was a sincere prayer, or an insult. It seemed to depend on whether or not you liked what he was wearing. Anyway, there was potential there, but unexploited.
So I am blogging much, much less. The latest dilemma is what to say about "Ellington" at MetroStage--beautiful music accompanied by a very superficial book. Everyone is raving about the show. Except me. I don't know much about Ellington, and after the show I still don't. I'm not a huge jazz fan. Maybe you have to be to enjoy this show.
I will get educated. I will try to have more confidence in my opinions, and try to justify them. But I like my theater without a writing assignment afterwards, so I won't be blogging much unless there is something I desperately want to remember and share.
Comments:
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My wife and I run ShowBizRadio.net, where we focus on community theatre in the DC area, but see some of the smaller professional shows as well. We have reviews, show schedules (working on 2006-2007 season information now) and an audition list. I understand your feeling of sharing your thoughts about a show to be like homework. Sometimes it is, but we are still enjoying doing it. We've been providing reviews since September 2005, over 110 reviews since then. Mike
# posted by 
: 12:22 PM
: 12:22 PM
First, kudos to you for your work and for focusing on community theater, which can be of surprisingly high quality around here. I think if I had someone else to work with I might be able to pull off a theater blog consistently--someone who liked to go out to see Fringe works in 110 degree humidity. And someone with a huge budget for tickets!
I also think, as with all good things, they must be integrated into your routine for you to do them consistently. I like writing, and I love the theater, but haven't succeeded in combining them in a way I find satisfying rather than burdensome. WIll try to take inspiration from your work and perhaps try again when the new season opens.
We are fortunate to live in a city with so much to stimulate us.
I also think, as with all good things, they must be integrated into your routine for you to do them consistently. I like writing, and I love the theater, but haven't succeeded in combining them in a way I find satisfying rather than burdensome. WIll try to take inspiration from your work and perhaps try again when the new season opens.
We are fortunate to live in a city with so much to stimulate us.
You make a good point, doing reviews three to five nights a week by myself would get old very quickly.
We're looking for some guest reviewers, would you be interested? We primarily need some help in September and October, although longer term would be good too. All you'd need to do is share your thoughts with us verbally, either a recorded phone call, or record an audio file on your computer and send it to us.
We're looking for some guest reviewers, would you be interested? We primarily need some help in September and October, although longer term would be good too. All you'd need to do is share your thoughts with us verbally, either a recorded phone call, or record an audio file on your computer and send it to us.
# posted by : 2:10 PM
: 2:10 PM
Would love to! I'm a writer at heart--not that you can tell from the jottings on this blog. But I can read my notes, and try to speak in shorter sentences than I write.
Would be honored to help, especially in September and October. This summer heat has been murder on my theater-going schedule. I've sat by the pool and tried to think of autumn. There are worse fates, of course, but I hope by September my brain cells will have re-generated. If there's a choice of shows, I love Shakespeare, comedies, new plays, old plays, and anything British or Irish. And I do have a strong preference for theaters that are metro-accessible, since I could get lost in a phone booth and need a football field in which to park.
Hope that still leaves me a lot of options as a guest reviewer!
Thanks again for the offer. Perhaps someday I'll be the one handing out free T-shirts. Hey, I can dream.
Would be honored to help, especially in September and October. This summer heat has been murder on my theater-going schedule. I've sat by the pool and tried to think of autumn. There are worse fates, of course, but I hope by September my brain cells will have re-generated. If there's a choice of shows, I love Shakespeare, comedies, new plays, old plays, and anything British or Irish. And I do have a strong preference for theaters that are metro-accessible, since I could get lost in a phone booth and need a football field in which to park.
Hope that still leaves me a lot of options as a guest reviewer!
Thanks again for the offer. Perhaps someday I'll be the one handing out free T-shirts. Hey, I can dream.
Excellent, send me an email http://www.showbizradio.net/contact/ and we can work out the details. Mike
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# posted by : 8:46 AM
: 8:46 AM << Home
