shows!

Realized that I haven’t spoken at all about the shows I’ve seen or will be seeing!

1st: Swan Lake. Witnessed at the Stanislavski Theater. Phenomenal. Ballet is one of the most beautiful things... grace, athleticism, imaginative, beauty. This production was no exception. The ballerina that danced Odette/Odile (for those unfamiliar with the show, she’s “the swan”) gave each character distinct flair and personality and was possibly one of the smallest people I’ve ever seen... Well, to be fair, I saw her from the balcony. The dancing was superb. And I love ballerina tutus. Those of you who saw Richard 3 can attest to this.

2nd: Ghosts. Witnessed at MXAT. A gorgeous set and some of the coolest lighting I’ve ever seen. A platform with small staircases leading up to it on either side, downstage. And hanging from the fly space, a series of staircase landings with ‘cast iron’ lacing, all against a white cyc. I tell you what, these actors know what they’re doing. And once again, the physicality blew me away. They simply gravitate all over the stage. Lots of intrigue, a beautiful set, etc. The language barrier is interesting from an audience member’s perspective. You don’t have to worry about what they’re telling you about the story-you see it played out anyway. Less to worry about. Granted, it would be nice to know the entirety of the story or understand the jokes, but it’s cool to see just how much can be communicated without words. It’s a little strange, but once you get used to it, you can focus on what the actors are doing. And the importance of intention comes to the forefront. Stanislavski’s system revolves around objectives and wanting something all the time when on the stage. Which makes sense, because people always want something, and to make a story intriguing to an audience, you have to augment people. To make a story in a foreign language intriguing to an audience, you really have to know what you want. It’s fantastic to watch.

3rd: Primadonnas. Witnessed at MXAT. Hilarious. Another wonderful, if seen before, set. A house that unfolds, a white picket fence. Lots of cute effects-balloons seeming to hang in midair, but attached to the stage with what looked like monofilament or something like it. Some pretty entertaining American culture jokes. Wonderful avant garde costumes done in loud, solid colors. And, again, kick-ass physicality. Comedies such as this are easier to understand than dramas when in Russian. You’d think that it’d be harder to keep track of things like mistaken identities, etc, but because all of those things are shown, and not told, it’s easy to follow. Whereas dramas have less to do with slapstick tricks and more to do with the plot and the revelation of the plot. But yes, it was awesome.

4th: Marriage of Figaro. Witnessed at MXAT, but done in French by a French theatre company. Weird and abstract and cool. Two injuries. The lead actress twisted her ankle or some such thing about halfway into the first act, but finished out the show like a champ, despite the limp and a leg bandage. And someone fainted or fell or something during the curtain call. It was very bizarre, as was the show itself. Perhaps too long for what it was, but a decent attempt? I’m not sure how I feel about it. It was neither here nor there, and I suppose that’s worse than thinking a show is bad.

I don’t ever want to create a piece of apathetic theatre.

To be seen:

5th: Uncle Vanya. To be seen on Wednesday the 13th. Psyched.